Is the bIrthplace of ChInese CIvIlIzatIon and one of the sIx ancIentcapItal cItIes In ChIna. DurIng the last 3000 years It served as a capItal forseveral dynastIes. It Is the second largest cIty In ChIna wIth a populatIon ofmore than 11 mIllIon. Is neIther cold In wInter nor very In summer. The bestseasons In are SprIng and Autumn. BeIjIng Is Indeed an Ideal place to vIsIt allround the year.
Temple of Heaven In the southern part of BeIjIng Is ChIna`s largestexIstIng complex of ancIent sacrIfIcIal buIldIngs. OccupyIng an area of 273hectares, It Is three tImes the area of the ForbIdden CIty. It was buIlt In 1420for emperors to worshIp Heaven. The prIncIple buIldIngs Include the Altar ofPrayer for Good Harvests, ImperIal Vault of Heaven and CIrcular Mound Altar.
ForbIdden CIty, so called because It was off lImIts to commoners for 500years, Is the largest and best-preserved cluster of ancIent buIldIngs In ChIna.It was home to two dynastIes of emperors -the MIng and the QIng - who dIdntstray from thIs pleasure dome unless they absolutely had to.
Great Wall of ChIna, Also know n to the ChInese as the 10,000 LI Wall, theGreat Wall of ChIna stretches from ShanhaIguan Pass on the east coast toJIayuguan Pass In the Desert. Standard hIstorIes emphasIze the unIty of thewall.