Classic Beijing Tour with Excellent Kungfu Show

In the morning, our tour guide will pick you up from your hotel and your journey in Beijing starts. We will first visit the Temple of Heaven. We can enter from the south gate and exit from the north gate (or the east gate). The Temple of Heaven, built in 1420 (Ming Dynasty), is the largest existing ancient ritual building complex in China and even in the world. Covering an area of about 2.73 million square meters, the entire Temple of Heaven is divided into two parts: the inner altar and the outer altar. You may visit Circular Mound Altar, Imperial Heavenly Vault, Danbi Bridge, Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, Huangqian Hall, or other scenic spots. Viewing the exquisite architecture and ingenious design of the buildings, you cannot help feeling the wisdom of the ancient Chinese.

Next, we will go to Tian’anmen Square. Located on the central axis of Beijing, Tian’anmen Square is one of the largest squares in the world. In the center of the square stands the Monument to the People’s Heroes, which was built to commemorate the revolutionary martyrs in modern Chinese history. More than 170 figures were carved on the monument, vividly showing the historical facts of people’s revolution in China in the past 100 years. At Tian’anmen Square, you can see the Tian’anmen Gate Tower standing opposite. You can take photos there, imitating the classic hand waving gesture of chairman Mao Zedong at the founding ceremony of China in 1949.

The third stop in the morning is the Forbidden City (closed each Monday). Located at the center of Beijing’s central axis and next to Tian’anmen Square, the Forbidden City can be dated back to the Ming Dynasty. It was the residence of 24 emperors and their concubines in the Ming and Qing (1636 - 1912) Dynasties, witnessing the whole process of ancient China from prosperity to decline. Today, the Forbidden City is home to millions of precious cultural relics, accounting for one sixth of the total cultural relics in China. Moreover, there is a clock exhibition in the Gallery of Clocks , and you can see all kinds of exotic mechanical clocks and watches collected by the Qing Dynasty, which must be mind-blowing.

After the tour in the morning, we will take you to a local restaurant. After lunch, we will go to the Summer Palace. Known as the Royal Garden Museum, the Summer Palace is the first classical garden in China. Composed of Wanshou Mountain and Kunming Lake, with the West Mountains at the back, the building complex is harmonious with the mountains and the lake. When you are tired, you can go boating on Kunming Lake, which is not only relaxing but can allow you to enjoy the beautiful scenery by the lake. There are five different types of pleasure boats to choose from in the park, including pedal boat, rowing boat, battery boat, dragon boat, and painted pleasure boat, each with its advantages.

In the evening, your guide will take you to have dinner, Peking Roast Duck. After dinner, you will watch the Kungfu Show (19:30-20:50) at Red Theater. This Kungfu Show tells a story of a little boy, Chunyi, who was sent to a temple when he was young and overcame many difficulties to become a great Kungfu master. This show creatively integrates traditional Chinese martial arts with modern dance, ballet, acrobatics, magic, and other art forms, so it must bring you an indelible memory!

Forbidden City

Summer Palace

In the morning, it is a good choice to first visit the Sacred Way. About 50 KM, or a one-hour drive from the urban area, the Sacred Way is the leading part of the Chang Tomb, with a total length of about 7.3 kilometers. There are various vivid stone statues on both sides of the Sacred Way and usually there are very few people, so you will feel quiet and comfortable. Then we will go to the Chang Tomb of the Ming Tombs. The Ming Tombs covers an area of more than 120 square kilometers. As one of the largest existing imperial mausoleum complexes in China, the Ming Tombs is the general name for the tombs of the 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. The Chang Tomb that we are going to visit is the most representative and the largest imperial tomb among the Ming Tombs. The museum in the Chang Tomb boasts a variety of unearthed burial cultural relics, such as phoenix crown, civil servants’ hats, and men’s jade belts, hairpins, which are worth seeing.

After lunch, we will go to the Badaling Great Wall, a 45-minute drive from the Chang Tomb. The Great Wall is an ancient defense project with the longest construction time and the largest engineering quantity in China and the world. Known as the nine major forts in ancient China, Badaling Great Wall is the essence of the Great Wall. It typically shows the majestic and precipitous features of the Great Wall. As a barrier to Beijing, the area is mountainous and dangerous. Among all the sections, Badaling Great Wall attracts the most heads of state and government from all over the world, including Nixon, Reagan, Bush, Elizabeth II, Margaret Thatcher, Emperor Akihito, Yeltsin, Putin, and Mandela.

Your two-day Beijing tour comes to an end. Your guide will take you to your hotel directly. Hope to see you again in other cities in China.

Sacred Way

Badaling Great Wall

Author: Wang Qian

Proofreader: Carrie Zhang