The most famous tourist attractions in Beijing are the Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. While the most bustling shopping area is Wangfujing Shopping Street. By visiting these places, you can see the essence of Beijing, a combination of two extremes ¨C the old and the new all together in one place. Thankfully, these destinations situate close to each other, so one can easily travel to all three areas in a few hours.
Wangfujing Shopping Street
We start at the Wangfujing Shopping Street. If you came by metro, then you are at the southern end. If you live in a hotel nearby, you likely will enter through the north.
Wangfujing best translates to ¡°Duke Manor¡¯s well¡±, which describes the location back during imperial rule. You can even find the well it¡¯s named after inside.
The Wangfujing commercial area has been in existence for almost a century, ever since the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. Since then, smart and hard-working businessmen from across the country came here for its great location. Today, Wangfujing sells everything, from the cheapest trinkets to the most expensive and the highest quality luxuries.
Also on the west side, you can find a couple of paths leading to the ¡°snack street¡±. On this street are tons of little stalls with Chinese fast food. You can also find the well which the area is named after.
As for shops, I personally like ¡°Artistic Mansion¡± mall located in the mid portion of the street. The art shops here are really beautiful and diverse. You can find some very unique and unexpected items. Prices tend to be higher than in other places, so it¡¯s not a good place to bargain hunt. But the quality is certainly indisputable.
Oh, and be sure to try to haggle. Won¡¯t work at all shops, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to try.
Changan Avenue
Turn right at the southern end of Wangfujing towards our next destination, the Tiananmen Square. Here you¡¯ll walk on the largest and most famous street in Beijing, Changan Avenue. Changan Avenue is Beijing¡¯s ¡°Main Street¡±, running east-west through the very center of Beijing.
Tiananmen Square
It¡¯s about a 10 minute to walk from Wangfujing to the Tiananmen Gate. To reach the square, simply take one of many underground walkways in the area. The first thing I noticed was the imposing Monument to the People's Heroes. This tall, white-marble structure stands right at the center of the square, celebrating the soldiers who made the People¡¯s Republic of China possible today.
To the east of the monument is the National Museum of China. When I was there, the museum was closed for renovation until 2010. But once reopened, you can expect a real treat, befitting of a culture with a history of over 3000 years.
I then continued walking southward towards Chairman Mao's Mausoleum. Although people may have mixed feelings about him as a person, one cannot deny his dominant role in modern China. On days when it¡¯s open, people may enter to pay respect to this great leader.
Qianmen and Archery Tower
At the southern end of the square, you¡¯ll see Qianmen and the Archery Tower. These two imposing structures are the only ancient buildings preserved in the area.
For centuries, the Archery Tower guarded the capital. Enemies who approached the Forbidden City would see arrows raining down from the guards on the tower. Today, the tower no longer serves this function, but it still looks tall and uncompromising.
Qianmen literally means ¡°Front Gate¡±. Built in Yuan Dynasty, it has served an outpost for the inner Beijing until the 20th century. While only a building today, city walls used to extend from both sides of Qianmen during the imperial era.
From Qianman, you can really see just how incredibly vast the Tiananmen Square is. It is vast not only in the total area it covers, but also its cultural and historical significance. Its total area is 10 acres, and can accommodate more than 1 million people.
I then walked back north, but towards the west a bit this time. The Great Hall of the People lies here. It¡¯s generally closed and only opens for top level meetings among officials. Further along, you should see the Chinese national flag. If you happen to arrive at dawn or dusk, you¡¯ll likely find many people here watching the raising or lowering of the flag. I saw it once myself, and really enjoyed seeing the soldiers orderly and graceful movements.
Forbidden City
If you wish to go into the Forbidden City, simply walk up to Tiananmen Gate and buy a ticket. It opens to the public from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. I won¡¯t go into details about the inside, since there are English-speaking tour guides, maps in English, and English descriptions of the items. So you won¡¯t feel lost inside. One thing to note is that there is a back exit. If you would like to visit Jinshan Park and Beihai Park behind the palace, make sure to use this exit. Otherwise, it¡¯s probably better to leave the same way you came.
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