Badaling Great Wall- the Essence of Great Wall

The Great Wall is like a giant dragon through the north of China. The Great Wall is the crystallization of the industry and wisdom of the Chinese people and the Great Wall is also a symbol of the ancient Chinese culture.

The Great wall was built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. The purpose was protecting his borders from the intrusion of the northern nomadic tribes. And then, the Great Wall has been rebuilt, maintained, and enhanced. Actually today's Great Wall only has small parts are from Qin Dynasty, the majority of it are from the Ming Dynasty. The Great Wall has 6 famous sections include the Badaling, Huanghuacheng, Mutianyu, Jiankou, Gubeikou, Jinshanling and Simatai.

The Badaling Great Wall is the best-preserved section of the Great Wall, and it is also the most representative of the Great Wall. Badaling Great wall is the outpost of the Juyongguan Pass, and its altitude is up to 1015 meters. On the Badaling Great Wall, the soldiers can monitor the enemy easily.

Today's the Great Wall has already lost military value, but it depends on its unique charm still to attracted a large number of Chinese and foreign tourists. Maybe you have come to know the famous Chinese saying, "he who does not reach the great wall is not a true man". I can't imagine if you go to Beijing but you don't climb the Great Wall. So far, many world well-known people have climbed the Badaling including Obama, Nixon, ClintonMrs. Thatcher ect.

Opening Hours:
06:30-19:00 (In summer);
07:00-18:00 (In winter)

Address:
Badaling Special Area, Yanqing Xian, Beijing

How to get there:

You could take buses at Deshengmen Arrow Tower to get there.

1. Take bus 877 get off at Front Hill of Badaling Station.

2. Take bus 880, 919 and get off at Real Hill of Badaling

The duration time is about 1-1.5 hours.


Image Attribution: All images from Baidu lvyou

The Royal Garden Museum- The Summer Palace

The Summer Palace is formerly Qingyi Park. It is located in the western part of Beijing and near to the Old Summer Palace. It was built in 1750 during the reign of emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty.

The Summer Palace was built by taking Hangzhou West Lake as an original version, using longevity hill and Kunming Lake as base, and combining Jiangnan garden design. The Summer Palace is the largest and best-preserved imperial palace garden in China. It is also known as the "Royal Garden museum". 

The main attractions can be divided into three regions: First, The Renshou house as the representative of the political activities area, it is the main place for Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi to work by the end of Qing dynasty. Second, Jade Ripples as the representative of the living area, it is Emperor Guangxu’s living quarters. Third, entertainment area, it is composed of Rear Hill, West Mountain. There are many famous places in this area, such as: Long Gallery, Seventeen-Arch Bridge, West Causeway, Suzhou Market Street. 

Among these places, I strongly recommend Long Gallery. It is the longest gallery in all of the ancient gardens in China. It is 728 meters long. There, you can appreciate a lot of Qing Dynasty famous paintings and this gallery also can link most spots of the Summer Palace. 

By the way, the Summer Palace and the Old Summer Palace are not same gardens. The design styles are also different. The Old Summer Palace is a good combination of Chinese and Western garden. In the Old Summer Palace, it has a lot of Western architecture. However, the Summer Palace is pure Chinese ancient style. 

Opening Hours:
7:00-17:00 Nov.1 - Mar.31 (next year) 

6:30-18:00 Apr.1 - Oct.31

Address：
19 Xin Jian Gong Road, Haidian District, Beijing

How to get there:

By subway

Take Subway Line 4 get off at Beigongmen Station.

By bus

1. Take bus 209, 330, 331, 332, 346, 394, 712, 718, 726, 732, 696, 683, 801, 808, 817 or 826 and get off at Yiheyuan Station and then walk west to the East Palace Gate.

2. Take bus 469 or 539 and get off at Yiheyuan West Palace Gate Station.

3. Take bus 303, 346, 375, 384, 393, 634 or 834 and get off at Yiheyuan North Palace Gate Station.


Image Attribution: All images from Baidu lvyou

Versailles of the East –Old Summer Palace

The Old Summer Palace is known as the Ruins of the Yuanmingyuan. It is located in the northern of Haidian District in Beijing. The garden was built in 1709 during the reign of emperor Kangxi of the Qing dynasty. The Old Summer Palace is famous for its gardens, buildings and arts works.

The Old Summer Palace is composed of halls, pavilions, rock hills, rivers, ponds, and exotic flowers and grasses from China different cities. It shows the essence of a Chinese ancient garden. It was also called the 'garden of gardens' or the 'Versailles of the East'.

The Old Summer Palace was made up of three gardens - Garden of Perfect Brightness proper, Garden of Eternal Spring and Elegant Spring Garden. There are many famous scenic spots such as the Dashuifa Waterworks and the Throne of the Guanshuifa.

However, the Anglo-French Allied Forces looted a large number of arts works in 1860, at the same time they also destroyed majority of the building. If you want to see the original buildings of the Old Summer Palace's heyday, please don't miss Panoramic Model Exhibition of Old Summer Palace in Heyday.

Opening Hours:

07:00-19:00 (May-August)

07:00-18:30 (April, September and October)

07:00-17:30 (January, February, March, November and December)

Address:
28 Qinghuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing

How to get there:

• By Subway:

Take Subway Line 4 get off at Yuanmingyuan Station and get out of the station from Exit B (northeast exit).

• By Bus:

1. Take bus 365, 432, 562, 664, 681, 982, and get off at Yuanmingyuan Dong Lu Station. (East Gate)

2. Take bus 319, 320, 331, 438, 498, 601, 626, 628, 690, 696, 697, and get off at Yuanmingyuan Nanmen. (South Gate)



Image Attribution: All images from Baidu lvyou

Works Cited:

Old Summer Palace (Ruins of Yuanmingyuan),<http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/beijing/yuanmingyuan.htm>

YUANMING YUAN, THE GARDEN OF PERFECT BRIGHTNESS,No. 8, December 2006,<http://www.chinaheritagequarterly.org/editorial.php?issue=008>

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