Beijing (北京) has been the capital of China since 1420. Its name literally means “Northern Capital”, as opposed to the “Southern Capital” Nanjing.
Nowadays, Beijing is the second largest city in China with over 21 million population, but it has a much longer history than even more populated Shanghai. Honestly, if you visit China, you really have to explore Beijing.
We recommend you to stay at least 5 full days in Beijing. This should be enough time to visit the sights you really can’t miss in the city, indulge yourself in delicious Beijing Duck and save one day to visit the Great Wall of China – two of its most renowned sections are just North of the capital.
But if you stay longer, you won’t regret it – you will be able to discover some other cool areas of Beijing, both historical and modern, and there’s plenty to do in this city!
How to arrive in Beijing
Beijing has two international airports: Beijing Capital and Beijing Daxing.
Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) is the first international airport of the city and nowadays the busiest airport in Asia. It is located 32 km NE of Beijing city centre.
The fastest way to arrive in the city centre from Beijing Capital Airport is using Airport Express, that stops in Sanyuanqiao (Line 10, that follows roughly the 3rd ring road) and Dongzhimen (Line 2, that follows roughly the 2nd ring road) subway stations.
Beijing Daxing International (PKX) is the newest international airport in Beijing. It has a beautiful starfish design and opened in 2019 to substitute old Beijing Nanyuan airport. It is located 46 km South of Beijing city centre. Many airlines now operate intercontinental flights to Daxing and some have it as their main hub in China.
Railway connection to the city centre is through Daxing Airport Express, that takes you to Caoqiao subway station (line 10).
Moving around Beijing
Orientation in Beijing is quite easy. As most Chinese cities, Beijing follows a grid structure organised in square sections.
There are 6 ring roads: the first contains basically the Forbidden City and the second ring follows the old Ming walls of Beijing. Most places of interest are inside the 2nd ring, from the Lama Temple in the North to the Temple of Heaven in the South. The Summer Palace and the Olympic Stadium between the 4th and 5th rings.
Beijing has a fantastic subway system and this is certainly the most comfortable way of moving around the city.Beijing subway has 13 lines serving over 300 stations… and growing, 4 more lines are under construction. The first line of Beijing subway opened in 1969 but its real expansion came with the 21st century, so the infrastructure is quite modern.
Beijing subway has two circle lines that are very useful: Line 2 follows the 2nd ring and Line 10 follows roughly the 3rd ring.
The price of a single ticket depends on the distance of the trip, with a minimum of 3 RMB (0.39 €). However, to visit Beijing, the best is to buy an unlimited periodic ticket for all your stay: a 5-day ticket costs 70 RMB (9 €).
What to see in Beijing
Beijing really has so many places to discover – it has some of the most important historical buildings in China, as well as socialist realist and beautiful modern architecture. It provides an interesting contrast between Imperial China and the new China in the globalised world.
Even if many areas of Beijing old city have been redeveloped in the past decades, there are a couple of hútòng neighbourhoods that look just like in Imperial China – both in architecture and lifestyle.
If you don’t have enough time in Beijing to visit everything we suggest in this article, really make sure that you don’t leave the city before going to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace (this is further from the centre but one of the most beautiful places in Beijing).
- Tiananmen Square
- Forbidden City
- National Centre for the Performing Arts
- Qianmen (Main Gate)
- Legation Quarter
- Temple of Heaven
- Lama Temple
- Confucius Temple and Imperial Academy
- Beijing’s hutongs
- Drum Tower & Bell Tower
- Summer Palace (out of map)
- Beijing Olympic Stadium (out of map)
- Great Wall of China (out of map)
If you are planning a trip to China, check out these other beautiful destinations:
Tian'anmen Square
Beijing subway: Tian’anmen Xi (West) or Tian’anmen Dong (East), Line 1.
Most people start their visit to Beijing in its most famous square (and most crowded space in the city): Tiān’ānmén Square.
Tiān’ānmén (天安门) itself, literally “Gate of Heavenly Peace“, is located on the Northern side of the square. This was the main entrance to the Imperial City, that included the Forbidden City.
Tiananmen square was the centre of the famous 1989 protests that led to a notorious military response and one of the most iconic photographs of modern Chinese history.
On each side of the square, the grandest of Beijing’s “Ten Great Buildings”: the Great Hall of the People and the National Museum of China (originally China Revolutionary History Museum), following largely a Stalinist architecture style.
These were inaugurated in 1959 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, with the intention of putting Beijing at the same level as other superpower capitals.
The Great Hall of the People is the seat of China’s legislature and its Communist Party, famous for its large plenary hall.
In the centre of the square, the Monument to the People’s Heroes is dedicated to those who died in “many struggles against domestic and foreign enemies and for national independence and the freedom and well-being of the people” from 1840 (First Opium War) to the Chinese Civil War. Its slabs remember 8 of these episodes.
To the South of the monument stands the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, where the embalmed body of Mao rests since 1976. It was built on the site of the Gate of China, southern gate of Beijing Imperial City.
The Mausoleum is open every day except Mondays.
Cross Tiananmen gate to enter the Imperial City – not the Forbidden City yet.
Before arriving at the moat of the Forbidden City, you can visit Zhongshan Park, former imperial altar built in the early 15th century by emperor Yongle.
Forbidden City
Beijing subway: Tian’anmen Xi (West) or Tian’anmen Dong (East), Line 1.
The Forbidden City is probably one of the first places you want to visit in Beijing, the most legendary of the city’s buildings.
The Forbidden City was the main palace of the Chinese Emperors since the capital was moved to Beijing by the Ming dynasty in the early 15th century.
The Forbidden City was built in 1406-1420, following the model of the imperial palace in Nanjing, the previous main capital. It was developed over the centuries, and many of its buildings had to be reconstructed more than once, after fires damaged their wooden structures.
Its name is due to the fact that no one could enter or leave the Forbidden City without the Emperor’s permission until the fall of Imperial China (for around 500 years).
The Forbidden City is massive – it consists of 980 buildings over 72 hectares. Even if you won’t visit each single building, you will certainly want to spend here half a day, or more.
Cross the Gate of Supreme Harmony and start enjoying this magnificient and legendary palace! The first set of of buildings are the Three Large Halls: Supreme Harmony, Central Harmony and Preserved Harmony.
First you will see the Hall of Supreme Harmony, one of the largest wooden structures in China, above three levels of marble terraces. The original hall was built in 1421, and was destroyed and rebuilt seven times by fires during the Qing dynasty, last time in 1695–1697.
Ming dynasty emperors held court in this hall. During the Qing dynasty, it was only used as a ceremonial hall for important state events like imperial weddings.
Crossing the Hall of Supreme Harmony, you will arrive in another massive courtyard where two smaller halls stand.
The Hall of Central Harmony is a square hall that was used by the Emperor to rest and prepare before ceremonies, practise his speeches or discuss matters more privately.
Behind it, the Hall of Preserving Harmony, was used for banquets and, later, it hosted the final stage of the Imperial examination.
All three halls include and imperial throne, each with a different design. The largest is that in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Then cross the Gate of Heavenly Purity to arrive in the Inner Court. This follows the same structure as the Three Great Halls but at a smaller size – however, this was the very centre of Imperial power (as usual in Chinese palaces, in the North of the complex).
The Palace of Heavenly Purity is the largest of the three halls in the Inner Court. During the Ming dynasty, it was the emperor’s residence, but the Qing used it as audience hall, where the emperor met the Grand Council, and to receive foreign rulers.
The other two buildings in the Inner Court are the Palace of Earthly Tranquility and the Hall of Celestial and Terrestrial Union.
The walls of the Palace of Earthly Tranquility are painted in red (the colour of love and sex in China). This is where emperors traditionally retired with their wives after their wedding.
Hall of Celestial and Terrestrial Union was built during the mid 16th century and restored three times, after fire damages, the last one in 1798. Its shape is competely square and it keeps the 25 Qing imperial seals.
The name was taken from I Ching (Book of Changes), one of the five Confucian classic texts. It refers to the union of heaven and earth, and peace and harmony of the whole nation.
The Great Three Halls and the Inner Court form the central axis of the Forbidden City. Behind them, lies the imperial garden.
On each side there are several buildings, some open to visitors. There are two main groups of buildings: the Six Western Palaces and the Six Eastern Palaces. These were the residences of the Emperors concubines. Now they display different objects that belonged to the Chinese imperial family.
National Centre for the Performing Arts
Beijing subway: Tian’anmen Xi (West), Line 1.
Known by locals as the Giant Egg, the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) is a dash of beautiful modern architecture in the centre of the Chinese imperial capital!
It is the largest theatre complex in Asia and contains an opera theatre, a concert hall and a theatre.
The NCPA was designed by French architect Paul Andreu and opened in 2007. The egg stands inside a large pond behind the Great Hall of the People and its long axis measures 212 metres.
Qianmen (Main Gate of Beijing)
Beijing subway: Qianmen, Line 2.
Qianmen (Main Gate) is the southern gate of Beijing’s Ming inner wall, built in 1419. Its official name is Zhengyangmen (gate of the zenith Sun), due to its location.
Little remains of Beijing’s city walls, but the city’s second ring follows the layout of its former inner wall. So Qianmen still makes sense – it is on the same axis as Tian’anmen and the Forbidden City, separating them from Qianmen Street and a neighbourhood of hutongs, which is still there.
Actually Qianmen is now the km. 0 point for Chinese highways – you will see a plaque on the ground marking the exact point.
Qianmen is actually made of two gates and towers: the archery tower (on the South) and gatehouse (on the North). On the East of Qianmen stands the old Beijing Railway Station (now Railway Museum) built by the English in the 1900s.
Qianmen Street follows South from Qianmen gate and is the main street of this area of Beijing. It used to be an old commercial street that has now been rebuilt and revamped to attract national tourists with stores of international brands. Even the nice entrance pailou is a copy of the original… made in concrete.
Legation Quarter
Beijing subway: Qianmen, Chongwenmen (Line 2); or Wangfujing or Tian’anmen Dong (East) (Line 1)
Beijing Legation Quarter is located just East of Tian’anmen, behind the National Museum. It was the area were foreign legations (later called embassies) were opened from the 1860s.
As it wasn’t a port city, Beijing never hosted many foreigners as Shanghai, so this is much smaller in scale compared to Shanghai’s French Legation.
The quarter was sieged by the Chinese anti-imperialists during the Boxer rebellion in 1900. Afterwards, the whole quarter went under jurisdiction of the foreign powers, which even stationed their own soldiers are guards of the quarter.
Its main street, Dongjiaomin Xiang, has a number of European-style buildings that used to be legations of different European powers, as well as the USA, a Catholic Church (St Michael’s) or Japanese Yokohama Specie Bank.
Unfortunately, during Mao’s Great Leap Forward many of these buildings were destroyed, but it still offers an interesting contrast to the Chinese capital.
The Northern limit of Beijing Legation Quarter is marked by East Chang’an Avenue. This is a very busy wide road with modern buildings that doesn’t look like it leads to Tian’anmen Square, just 1.5 away.
Temple of Heaven
Beijing subway: Tiantandongmen (Line 5). It means literally “Temple of Heaven eastern gate”, so guess where it’s located.
The Temple of Heaven ( 天坛, Tiāntán) is more an altar than a temple. It was built in 1420 for the emperor to stage the annual prayers for good harvests, that took place during the winter solstice, and other prayers to heaven (tiān).
The Temple of Heaven is definitely one of the most beautiful parks in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.
The Temple of Heaven is a masterpiece of Confucian architecture and landscaping that reflects their philosophy.
After entering the Temple from its East Gate, you will walk through the 72-space Long Corridor, past the Annual Sacrifice pavilion and Holy Kitchen, to arrive in its main building – the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
This is where the emperor held the annual worship ceremony to the heaven, asking for good weather that would reap good harvests.
The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a beautiful circular building that stands on top of three marble terraces.
Its interior design is full of symbolism: the inner 4 columns represent the 4 seasons, then there is a middle circle of 12 columns representing the months and finally an outer circle of 12 columns representing 12 Shichen (2-hour periods in which Ancient Chinese divided the days).
The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is the oldest building of the Temple of Heaven and it’s surrounded by three auxiliary halls. To its North stands the Imperial Strength Hall, and behind it, the North Gate of the Temple of Heaven complex.
Leaving the main axis of the Temple of Heaven, you can walk West from the Hall of Prayer for good harvests and find the beautiful Double Ring Pavilion – an original and colourful structure. Look at its dazzling ceiling with an intricate wooden design.
Just South of it, you will arrive of the Hundred Flower Garden, with the Hundred Flower Pavilion in its centre.
The Palace of Abstinence is a bit further South. Three days before the Heaven Worshipping Ceremony, the emperor would go to the Palace of Abstinence (or Abstinence Hall).
There, he should live alone and eat a simple vegetarian diet. No wine or entertainment were allowed and the emperor had to take several baths to prepare well for the ceremony.
Going back to the main axis of the Temple of Heaven, the Imperial bridge connects the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Imperial Vault of Heaven.
The Imperial Vault of Heaven is where the tables of the Emperor’s ancestors were kept. These were used in the annual harvest prayer ceremony.
At a smaller scale, the Imperial Vault of Heaven follows a similar design to the Hall of Prayer and its interior is probably even more beautiful.
Behind it, there is an echo wall – it is designed so a whisper on one side of it can be easily heard on the other side. Test it! (if there are not many people around).
On the main axis, just South of the Imperial Vault of Heaven lies the Circular Mound Altar. One could say this is the Altar of Heaven itself, as it is here that sacrifices were staged by the emperor during the annual ceremony of prayer for good harvests.
Its three-stage marble stairs remind those of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests – but with no building on top, just a place for the ritual sacrifices.
On the other side of the Mound Altar is the South Gate of the Temple of Heaven.
Yonghegong (Lama Temple)
Beijing subway: Yonghegong (Lama Temple) (Lines 2 & 5).
Ticket price: 25 CNY
Yonghegong is the most famous Tibetan Buddhist temple outside of Tibet. Pilgrims from afar come here to pray and pay their respects to the Buddha. You will probably see people praying here with and a lot of incense burning.
Beijing’s Lama Temple was established in 1744 in these premises built in 1694 that had served as residence of Emperor Yong Zheng. Actually it continued working both as temple and imperial residence. It is certainly the most interesting temple in Beijing (considering the Temple of Heaven is not really a temple).
The pavilions and halls of the Lama Temple keep some beautiful Buddhist art and other religious objects.
The statue of Maitreya Buddha in Wanfu Pavilion (Wànfú Gé) is an 18-metre tall sandalwood statue made in one piece and dressed in yellow saten.
The bronze statue of Tsong Khapa, the founder of the Gelugpa (yellow hats) order is also not to be missed.
Temple of Confucius and Imperial Academy
Beijing subway: Yonghegong (Lama Temple) (Lines 2 & 5).
Combined ticket for Temple of Confucius and Imperial Academy: 30 CNY.
Across the street from the Lama Temple you can visit the Temple of Confucius and Imperial Academy (Guozijian), both in the same complex.
Beijing Temple of Confucius is the 2nd largest Confucian temple in China, after that in Qufu, Confucius hometown.
The temple was built in 1302 under the Yuan dynasty and was expanded in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was used by imperial officials to formally homage Confucius until the fall of the Chinese Emperors in 1911.
The temple is made of four courtyards aligned from North to South around a central axis. It is incredibly peaceful and less busy than the Lama Temple.
The front courtyard of the Temple of Confucius has 198 stone steles with the names of 51624 scholars since the 14th century and another large 14 stone slabs with texts about Ancient Chinese history.
The temple has beautiful stone carvings (not only literature on stone) and old bìxì holding stone steles. A bìxì is a dragon with the shell of a turtle, one of the nine sons of the Dragon King (water and weather god).
The Hall of Great Accomplishment (Dacheng Hall) is the main building of the temple. The stairway leading to its front door has a beautiful stone slab with carved dragons.
Just West of the Temple of Confucius is the Imperial Academy, also known as Imperial College. This was China’s national university, the highest educational institution in the country from its establishment in 1306 until 1898.
The Academy was built at the same time as the adjacent Temple of Confucius and it is the only Imperial Academy in China that has been preserved.
The Imperial Academy has interesting architecture from the Ming and Qing dynasties. A beautiful glazed archway (paifang) from 1783 welcomes you to the Academy.
Biyong Hall is the main building in the Imperial Academy. This is where the emperors gave lectures.
It has a square shape and it is surrounded by a circular moat, which symbolises the traditional Chinese belief that the Earth is square and the Heaven is round. The hall was four doors, one on each of the cardinal points. And from each door, a bridge crosses the moat into the courtyard, meaning the spreading of knowledge.
There are six buildings behind for the academy students.
Beijing's Hutongs
Beijing Subway: Beixingqiao, Zhanzizhonglu (Line 5) or Nanluoguxiang (Line 8).
A hútòng is a narrow street typical of old Beijing architecture. They developed by joining typical Northern Chinese courtyard residences from the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368), and especially in the Ming and Qing dynasty.
Most of Beijing’s old hutongs have been demolished to make way for modern streets and buildings, but lately they are considered as part of the city’s heritage that should be preserved.
There are two main hutong areas in Beijing city centre: one is around Qianmen Street, but the best preserved and largest is in the North of Doncheng Quarter (Beijing old city), between the Lama Temple and the Drum and Bell Tower.
Nanluogu Xiang is the main hutong in the area but there are many charming alleys and corners around. Just wander around the area and discover the real Imperial Beijing of the ordinary people.
Even today, people here seem to lead a more laid back lifestyle, even if they are in the centre of a hectic megalopolis like Beijing. There are also plenty of food stalls and local restaurants where you can even taste amazing Beijing Duck.
Drum Tower & Bell Tower
Beijing Subway: Beixingqiao (Line 5).
Any proper Chinese city should have a drum tower (gǔlóu) and a bell tower (zhōnglóu). These were kept the official time of Beijing until 1924.
The Drum Tower traces its origins to 1272, when Kublai Khan ruled Beijing. During the Ming dynasty, it was moved to another location and reconstructed. It is 47 metres tall and contained 24 drums, although one one has survived.
The Bell Tower, made of bricks with glazed green tiles, stands nearby. It is 33 metres tall and the current structure was built in the 18th century (Qing dynasty) when the older Ming tower was burnt in a fire.
The Drum and Bell Tower were the tallest buildings in old Beijing, and they dominate its skyline until high-rise buildings were constructed during the 20th century.
They still provide a beautiful panoramic view over the city.
The Drum and Bell Towers are located next to a series of lakes on the western side of Beijing city centre.
Beihai and Qianghai Lakes, across the Forbidden City are the most beautiful to visit, with palaces, temples and gardens.
Summer Palace
Beijing Subway: Beigongmen (Line 4) to the northern gate or Bagou (Line 10) to the western gate.
The Summer Palace is one of the most amazing places you can visit in Beijing. It is located around 15km NW of the Forbidden City by Lake Kunming, between the 4th and 5th ring roads of Beijing. More than a palace, it was a real town. Expect to stay at least half a day here.
The Summer Palace was a leisure palace built in 1750 by Emperor Qianlong (of the Qing dynasty). A masterpiece of landscaping and architecture to bring nature to the city when the summer heat became unbearable in the stately and strict Forbidden City, quite the opposite of this bucolic complex.
The Summer Palace was destroyed mercilessly by the Anglo-French forces during the Second Opium War in 1869. In 1888, Empress Dowager Cixi rebuilt the Summer Palace, using the funds for the modernisation of the navy.
In 1900 the colonial Eight-Nation Alliance destroyed the Summer Palace again, enraged by the Boxer Rebellion, who besieged their legations in China. It was rebuilt in the next decade just before the last Qing Emperor was overthrown.
If you enter the Summer Palace from the Northern Gate, you will first arrive in Suzhou street, along Suzhou river (actually a canal). This is a shopping street built to resemble Shantang Street in Suzhou, a city near Shanghai known for its beautiful canals and gardens.
Crossing the bridge you will arrive to Longevity Hill (Wanshou Shan), the main area of the Summer Palace, that faces Lake Kunming.
In the middle of Longevity Hill, the Tower of Buddhist Incense (Foxiang Ge) dominates the landscape. It is an 8-floor pagoda with beautiful symmetry and tiles of Chinese imperial yellow.
This tower makes up the axis that organises the Longevity Hill, more or less symmetrically, with several temples, halls and gardens, like the Hall of Dispelling Clouds and the Buddhist temple of the Sea of Wisdom.
The Long Corridor crosses the Longevity Hill from East to West facing Lake Kunming, on either side of the Tower of Buddhist Incense.
Its wooden structure is painted with nature and palace scenes and it is interrupted by beautiful pavilions.
The western end of the Long Corridor takes you to the Marble boat, built by Empress Dowager Cixi by Lake Kunming as a novel addition to the palace after she rebuilt it.
It is certainly one of the most striking and ornate structures in the Summer Palace. Following the shore of Lake Kunming, you will arrive to the boathouse, with real wooden boats.
On the other side of the Tower of Buddhist Incense, the Summer Palace has many more places to enjoy.
The eastern Long Corridor takes you to the Court Area of the Summer Palace, where the emperors lived and discussed matters of state.
The highlight of the Court Area is the Garden of Virtue and Harmony (Déhéyuán). This is an entertainment area built for Cixi and includes a three-storey Great Opera Hall. It is the largest and best preserved wooden theatre in China and it was considered the cradle of Beijing Opera, as the best actors performed here for the emperors.
Other main buildings of the Court Area are the Hall of Joyful Longevity and Yiyun House.
Leaving the court area, the East Causeway stretches by the shore of Kunming Lake, arriving in Kurou Pavilion. From there, the Seventeen-Arch Bridge takes you to Nanhu Island (South Lake Island).
Nanhu island faces Longevity Hill and provides the best panoramic views of the Summer Palace and Kunming Lake. The island has three main structures and a few smaller ones: Modesty Hall (Hánxūtáng), Wangyan Pavilion and Dragon King Temple
If time allows, you can visit the Ancient Summer Palace, just 1 km East of the (new) Summer Palace. Its origins trace to 12th century, but in the 18th c. Emperor Qianlong hired jesuit architects that added European-style buildings and fountains to the gardens. It is in ruins after the Anglo-French destruction in 1861.
Beijing Olympic Stadium
Beijing Subway: Olympic Sports Center (Aoti Zhongxin), Line 8.
Beijing Olympic Stadium, known as the bird’s nest, is certainly one of the coolest olympic stadiums ever and a masterpiece of modern architecture!
The stadium was designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, Ai Weiwei and Chinese architect Li Xinggang.
Next to the stadium stands the Beijing National Aquatics Center, where swimming, waterpolo and diving events were staged during the Olympics. The Aquatics Center has a cubic shape and its walls are designed as soap bubbles.
Designed by a Chinese-Australian collaboration, it blends modern design, high technology and Chinese architecture tradition. Its structure is made up of steel and ETFE cladding, and it’s the largest of its kind in the world.
The square shape of the National Aquatics Center symbolises the Earth, while the oval (approximately circular) shape of the Olympic Stadium would be Heaven, according to Chinese traditional philosophy and architecture.
The Olympic complex overlooks the North 4th ring road middle section, nearly in line with the Forbidden City.
This is a fantastic location to see the crazy traffic of Beijing and to admire some cool modern architecture like Pangu Plaza, a dragon-shaped building that houses dwellings, a shopping centre and a 7-star hotel. It was built in 2008, just for the Olympics.
Great Wall of China (Mutianyu)
Once you are in Beijing, you will most certainly want to visit the legendary Great Wall of China, as there are several sections just North of Beijing. The most famous of them are Bādálǐng and Mùtiányù.
Badaling is the section Richard Nixon visited during his historical trip to China in 1972. It was thoroughly reconstructed in 1957 and nowadays it is the most overexploited section of the Great Wall – there is a cable car, several modern hotels and restaurants and even high-speed train connection!
Mutianyu is also quite popular, but it’s still not a theme park. It is around 70 km from Beijing (though not as easy to reach as Badaling).
Mutianyu is also one of the best preserved sections of the Great Wall of China, as it was mainly built with granite. It has more interesting features than Badaling, like its merlons to fire shots to enemies and the famous terrace with three interconnected watchtowers.
Public transport to Mutianyu is not great, so maybe you want to book a trip. Your hotel will probably offer one.
The Great Wall of China is a complex of several border walls built along the Northern limits of the Chinese states and later the Chinese Empire. These provided protection against the nomad groups who lived in the Mongolian steppes and liked to pillage Chinese cities, like Manchus and Mongols.
It also had border control functions and marked the official limits of the Chinese Empire.
The first walls were built during the Warring States Period (5th-3rd c. BC) and some of them were later joined by Qin Shi Huang, founder of the Qin dinasty and considered the first emperor of China.
However, few of that first Great Wall survives. Most of the sections you can visit today are from the Ming dinasty (1368–1644), the last Han dynasty in China.
The Great Wall did provide essential protection for the Ming against the Manchus attacking from Mongolia since 1600. The Chinese kept them at bay at Shanhai Pass, one the Great Wall’s main fortified posts in the East.
But in 1644, the Ming dynasty had another enemy – this time from within. The leader of a peasant rebellion, Li Zicheng, proclaimed himself emperor in Xi’an, founding the Shun dynasty and went on to seize Beijing.
What was left of the Ming army allied now with the Manchus and opened the Great Wall gates so they could recover Beijing. The Manchus were successful in taking Beijing from the Shun, but of course decide to keep the city and the whole Chinese Empire, establishing the Qing dynasty in all China from 1644, the last imperial Chinese dynasty.
The Qing dynasty quickly assimilated Chinese culture, but they discontinued the construction of the Great Wall. There was no reason for it any more, as the Qing had annexed Mongolia to the empire, so the area was not a border any more.
And with this final story of the last Chinese dynasties and our visit to the Great Wall, we finished our trip to Beijing and we went to Datong, to discover a more ancient China – the breathtaking Yungang Grottoes, one of the best preserved Buddhist cave complexes in the world. Follow this link to check it out!
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