BEI JING THREE-DAYS TOUR SCHEDULE
DAY 1: Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and Tea Ceremony
In the morning, the tour guide will pick up the guests from their hotels. Tian’anmen Square will be the first stop. It is situated in
the heart of Beijing, and it is one of the largest city squares in the world. Tian'anmen was built in 1417 and is the gate to the
Forbidden City. Now the square stretches for 880 meters from north to south and 500 meters from east to west. The total area is
440,000 square meters. That's about the size of 60 soccer fields, spacious enough to accommodate half a million people.
The Forbidden City will be the second stop. The Forbidden City was the Chinese Imperial Palace from the mid-Ming Dynasty to
the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the center of Beijing, and is called the Palace Museum now. The complex consists of
800 buildings with 8,886 rooms, and covers 720,000 square meters. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in
1987 as the "Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties", and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved
ancient wooden structures in the world.
Peking duck will be the main course for lunch. Peking duck is thought to be one of the most delicious dishes all over the world,
and is one of Beijing’s must-try. The meat of Peking duck is prized for its thin, crisp skin, and usually served with Chinese style
pancakes.
After lunch the Temple of Heaven will be the next stop. The Temple of Heaven is the largest existing architectural complex in
the world for the purpose of praying to heaven for good harvests. It was included in the World Heritage List by UNESCO in
December 1998. Located to the southeast of the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven was where emperors of the Ming
(1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties worshipped heaven. It covers 2.73 square kilometers, and the layout is circular in
the north and square in the south to symbolize the circular heaven and the square earth.
BEI JING THREE-DAYS TOUR SCHEDULE
The last activity of the day will be a tea ceremony. China is the home town of tea. Tea has several thousand years of history, and
the product blends of the main varieties are green tea, black tea, and Oolong tea. During the tea ceremony, four kinds of tea will
be tried, and the performers will show how to make tea. After the tea ceremony, the guests will be transported back to the hotels.
DAY 2: The Summer Palace, Yonghe Temple, and old Beijing Hutong tour
In the morning, the tour guide will pick up the guests from their hotels. The first stop will be the Summer Palace. The Summer
Palace, dominated mainly by Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, covers an area of 2.9 square kilometers, three quarters of which
is under water. Its 70,000 square meters of building space features a variety of palaces, gardens and other ancient-style
architectural structures. Well known for its large and priceless collection of cultural relics, it is among the first group of historical
and cultural heritage sites in China to be placed under special state protection.
Yonghe Temple will be the second stop. The Yonghe Temple was built as a mansion for Emperor Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty
when he was a prince. In 1744, the temple was converted into a lamasery and the home of a large number of monks from
Mongolia and Tibet. The lamasery has five halls. The prayer halls contain many superb statues including the 23-meter-high
Maitreya, caved from a white sandalwood tree brought from Tibet, as well as Tibetan sculptures and a great copper cauldron.
The Qing dynasty Royal cuisine restaurant is selected for the lunch. Royal cuisine is not only preciously made, but also implies
special meanings. As the top leader of a country, emperors cherished the state established by their ancestors. Thus, they
introduced the food their ancestors ate during war times into imperial court dishes so that their descendants could remember the
history. Thus, some dishes with special flavors and meanings become the traditional food of imperial court cuisine.
After lunch the afternoon time will be spent in Beijing Hutong area. Guests will visit a local family and have a special
experience on rickshaws. Then the guests will be transported back to their hotels.
DAY 3: The Mutianyu Great Wall, Olympic village, Bird Nest stadium, Water Cube, and Cloisonne
In the morning, the tour guide will pick up the guests from their hotels. The Mutianyu Great Wall, located in Huairou County,
about 45 miles from Beijing, will be the first stop. Mutianyu Great Wall has a long history and is part of the glorious culture of
China. It connects Juyongguan Pass in the west and Gubeikou Great Wall in the east. The wall was first built in Northern Qi
Dynasty (550 - 557). In Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang, two famous patriotic generals, rebuilt it in order to
strengthen its defensive potential when they guarded the strategic pass. It served as the northern protective screen, guarding the
capital and imperial mausoleums for generations.
The lunch will be at the farmer’s restaurant. The guests will have a try of the local fish, farmer’s chicken, egg and wild
vegetables. After lunch, the guests will be shown a variety of famous traditional enamel ware, Cloisonne, also known as the
BEI JING THREE-DAYS TOUR SCHEDULE
"Blue of Jingtai" in China. The art of Cloisonne has a history of over 500 years. The "blue" in its name is the typical color used
for enameling, and "Jingtai" was the reign title of the 7th Ming Emperor. Enamel ware became very popular during the Emperor's
reign. There is a great variety of products, such as vases, jars, bowls, plates, boxes and ash-trays. They are brilliant in colors and
splendid in design.
The last stop of the day will be the Olympic village. The guests can have a near look of the Bird Nest stadium and the Water
Cube. Then the guests will be transported back to their hotels.
(The photos are from internet. The copyrights of the photos belong to the photographers.)