List - Beijing - Things To Do Reviews

Depends on where you are in Beijing.... since there are way too many places to visit... I suggest visiting this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourist_attractions_of_Beijing

There's so much so see, but like I always say... so little time. It's been a while since I've been back to China, but what I can remember was that I spent a very limited amount of time there... but let me know how everything goes and where you've visited! Depending on traveling costs, you might have to catch a bus or a train to some of these places. If you want to travel safe, take a taxi. I would visit some parks or some temples, but I'm not sure what they were called.

My favorite tourist attraction at the time was Tiananmen Square (Simplified Chinese: 天安门广场; Traditional Chinese: 天安門廣場; Pinyin: Tiān'ānmén Guǎngchǎng), which is the large plaza near the center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen (literally, Gate of Heavenly Peace) which sits to its north, separating it from the Forbidden City.

Our tour guide took us through Tiananmen square on the way to the Forbidden Palace, which just didn't do the square justice, so we had to go back later on our own. You can visit the Hall of the People on the west side if there is not a session in progress - we were unable to do this due to time. The monument to the People's Heroes in the center of the square is cordoned off by soldiers and you can't get close without a good zoom lens. It has great cultural significance as a symbol because it was the site of several key events in Chinese history (See below: Events). Outside of China, the square is widely known for the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

Tiananmen Square has been the site of a number of political events such as the proclamation of the People's Republic of China by Mao Zedong in October 1, 1949, for annual mass military displays on all subsequent National Days until October 1st 1959, plus the 1984 military parade for the 35th anniversary of the People's Republic of China and the 50th anniversary in 1999 plus for mass rallies during the Cultural Revolution. It has also been the site of a number of protest movements, most notably the May Fourth Movement of 1919 for science and democracy, protests in 1976 after the death of Zhou Enlai, and the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.