Forbidden City

Off-limits to the general public for more than 500 years, the Forbidden City, called Gu Gong in Chinese, is a collection of ancient buildings lying in the center of Beijing. This was the site for the imperial palace of both the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The remains of the city are dated circa 15th century, yet are considered some of the best-preserved ruins in the world today. The City is open to tourists of both home and abroad today.

The Forbidden City is Rectangular in shape and is world's largest palace complex, outfitted with a gate on each wall. Yellow is the dominant color in the Forbidden City, as it was considered to be a symbol of the royal family. The entire city is roofed with yellow tiles and adorned with yellow painting and ornaments with the exception of one room-the royal library. It is roofed with black tiles, as it was believed black represented water then and could extinguish fire in ancient Chinese civilizations.

Great Wall

Winding through the surging mountains of Northern China can be found one of the Seven Wonders of the World-the Great Wall of China. In Chinese, the Wall is referred to as Wanli Changchen (Ten Thousand Li Long Wall). The Wall is one of the largest building construction projects ever completed-stretching for more than 10,000 Chinese li (equivalent to 5,000 km).

Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China, built the Wall over 2,000 years ago as a means to keep out warring states. Signal fires from the Wall provided early warning of an attack. The Wall was since renovated from time to time after the Qin Dynasty.

According to Chairman Mao, you are not a real person until you have walked on the Great Wall.

Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square lies at the heart of Beijing, and is a sprawling showground for both citizens and visitors. In its 120 plus acres, it is the largest square in the world and is said to be able to accommodate over 1 million people. Today it used mainly for recreational purposes such as bicycling and kite flying, but was once a gathering place for imperial leaders.

Through the decades, the Square has been home to many historic events such as the Declaration of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the rallies launching the Cultural Revolution in 1966, the deaths of Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai in 1976 when millions of mourners packed the square, and the tragic scene in 1989 when student protestors occupied the square for nearly two months and were driven out with violent force.

Surrounding the square is an assortment of monuments from both past and present: Tiananmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace); the Chinese Revolution History Museum; the Great Hall of the People; Qianmen (Front Gate) and the Mao Mausoleum.