Beijing -- Capital of China
China
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Beijing is the capital of
China with a rich and invaluable cultural heritage. A city of 3,000 years old, it was the
capital of Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties from 1285 to 1911, witnessing political
struggles, palace coups and numerous historical events in the Chinese history.
Forbidden
City is a palace complex standing in the center of Beijing. In Chinese it is
called Purple Forbidden City. "Purple" is a symbolic color in the Chinese
mythology. It is believed that the palaces of Emperor of Heaven are in purple. Therefore,
where the temporal emperors live should have the same color. The palace was inaccessible
to the common people. Even the highest civil and military officers could not enter it
without permission. This is how Purple Forbidden City came to be known. The Forbidden City
was built in 1406 and completed in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty. It was the home of 24
emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Covering an area of 720,000 square meters, the
Forbidden City consists of two parts, the Outer Court and the Inner Court. The Outer Court
standing 8 meters above the ground on three-tiered terrace of white marble is formed with
the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Midway Hall of Harmony and the Hall of Preserved Harmony.
On their east side stands the Hall of Literary Glory; on the west side is the Hall of
Military Prowess. The layout is orderly and symmetrical. The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the
highest of the halls in the Forbidden City, is where the important ceremonies like
enthronement, the emperor's birthday or initiation of military expeditions were held. The
Inner Court is where the emperor and his family - empress, concubines and dowagers lived. best hot ukrainian brides pictures good choice
Summer
Palace is an imperial garden in Qing Dynasty. Ordered by the Empress Dowager
Cixi, the reconstruction of the garden was started in 1888 and completed in 1895. It
covers a total area of 290 hectares with 3,000 palaces, galleries and pavilions. The
design gives prominence to the greenery Longevity Hill and the clear Kunming Lake. Looking
from the Longevity Hill, you will have a bird's-eye-view of the picturesque Kunming Lake
with the Seventeen-Arch Bridge and the South Lake Islet floating on it. I found a sample essay, possibly better Paper Writing Services, geography papers.
The Long Corridor is among many other
beautiful sights in the garden. Skirting the northern bank of the 
Kunming
Lake, the Long Corridor is decorated
with more than 8,000 paintings of landscapes, flowers
and human figures.
Temple of Heaven was built in 1420. Emperors
of the Ming and Qing dynasties came here to worship the heaven and to pray for peace and a
good harvest for the year. In line with the ancient Chinese concept of a round heaven and
a square earth, the temple is in circular shape and outer walls of the Altar of Heaven are
square. The entire complex is built with geometric precision, rich imagination and
romantic coloring.
Ming Tombs consist of thirteen tombs of the
Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). Construction started in 1409 and ended with the fall of Ming
Dynasty in 1644. In over 200 years tombs were built over an area of 40 square kilometers.
Each tomb is located at the foot of a separate hill and is linked with the other tombs by
a road called the Sacred Way. The Sacred Way is lined with 18 pairs of stone human figures
and animals, which symbolize royal power and eternal strength. Dingling Tomb is the only
one that has been excavated. It is the tomb of Emperor Shenzong, the 13th emperor of the
Ming Dynasty, and his empresses. The tomb was completed in 1590, but was not excavated
until the 1950s. The underground palace consists of an antechamber, a central chamber and
a rear chamber. The royal coffins are placed in the rear chamber.
Great
Wall, the only man-made structure that is visible from outer space, is the
eighth wonder in the world. Construction of the Great Wall started in the 7th century BC.
The vassal states in the northern parts of the country each built their own walls for
defense purposes. When Qin unified China in 221 BC, it joined the walls to hold off the
invaders from the north and extended them to more than 5,000 kilometers. The Great Wall
was renovated several times after the Qin Dynasty. The one we see today was the result of
a major renovation in the Ming Dynasty. With a total length of 6,700 kilometers, it
extends from Shanhai Pass in the East to Jiayu Pass in the West. What lies north of
Beijing is but a small section of it.
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