The Chinese capital ranks with the great cities of the world and embodies the heritage of a 5,000-year old civilization, with masterpieces of Ming Dynasty architecture and such historic sites as the Great Wall and Ming Tombs. Today, the municipality is also a dynamic modern metropolis and headquarters for business corporations.

GETTING THERE

Beijing is served by international air services from many cities around the world, by regional flights from Hong Kong and by domestic flights from all provincial airports. It can also be reached by express trains from Hong Kong, Mongolia and Europe via Russia.

GETTING AROUND

The capital is vast and the best way of getting across town is by taxi. They can be found on the streets as well as outside hotels, department stores and tourist sites. The Metro is clean, safe and fast and can be of some value to visitors for the Tiananmen Square, the Palace Museum, the Lama Temple. Public buses are crowded and uncomfortable, however the other major people's vehicle, the bicycle, is a good way to get around. Hotel staff will help hire one and you'll find repair stations on sidewalks all over town.

WHAT TO SEE

• The Forbidden City
  The former Imperial Palace ("Gugong" in Chinese ) is best known to foreigners by the name it was given to indicate that only the emperor's court and ministers - as well as ambassadors bearing tribute - were allowed in this small 'city', until the 1920s.

  The vast, exotic grandeur of the Forbidden City was brilliantly captured in 'The Last Emperor' which was filmed here. It is an architectural masterpiece, with a breathtaking symmetry of palatial pavilions, courtyards, gates, treasure halls and gardens.

  More than 200,000 men were needed to build it, in 1420, for the Emperor Yongle. They constructed a grand total of 9,000 rooms in a total area of 74 hectares (183 acres), which was divided into three parts. The first has four monumental gates and a stream spanned by five marble bridges. The second has the magnificent Gate of Supreme Harmony, with its guard of bronze lions, leading to the 'Sea of Flagstones' and the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Beyond are the halls of the Inner Court, with small courtyards and palaces which are now used as museums for imperial collections of paintings, calligraphy, sculptures, ancient pottery, bronzes and clocks.

• Temple of Heaven
  One of the most popular symbols of China is the pavilion of the Temple of Heaven. It was built by the third Ming Emperor, Yongle, as the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, and it was here that once a year the emperors, as sons of heaven, would communicate with the gods. The temple was believed to be the closest place to heaven, and even today it feels like a sacred place.

  It also represents a Golden Age of Chinese architecture. The main hall consists of 28 carved wooden pillars supporting a 125-feet high tower of three conical roofs, all covered with blue glazed tiles, to reflect the color of the sky. It stands in a square courtyard on a podium encircled by three tiers of decorative stone balustrades. Also found in the temple grounds is the Echo Wall-that circulates the smallest whisper - a museum of ancient musical instruments and the Circular Mound of marble terraces.

• Tiananmen Square
  This most famous of Chinese squares covers 100 acres in the heart of modern Beijing, south of the Forbidden City and north of the Qianmen Gate. Until the early part of this century the area was filled with buildings, which were gradually demolished, to create a square, where, on October, 1,1949, a million people gathered to hear Mao Zedong proclaim the birth of the People's of China.

  The Gate itself is an imposing symbol of the city, with its huge 'reviewing stand' podium (open to visitors), and tower, crowned by a double-eaved, tiled roof. Over its central arched gateway is the famous portrait of Mao.

  On the eastern side of the square is the National Museum of China. Opposite is the Great Hall of the People, built in 1959 to house the people's Congress. It has an assembly hall for 10,000 and a banquet hall with seats for 5,000 guests. In the middle of the square is the Monument to the People's Heroes.

• Prospect Hill
  Also known as Coal Hill (because it was said the court stored fuel here), this hill directly north of the Forbidden City is best known as the place where the last Ming Emperor is said to have hanged himself from a locust tree, on hearing that the Manchus were storming the city.

  On the summit is the Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion, which used to be the highest point in the city and which on clear days commands fabulous views of the imperial palace, Beihai Lake and the Drum and Bell Towers.

• Beihai Park
  Situated west of Coal Hill, this is one of the most beautiful places in Beijing, and popular for skating in winter, boating in summer and sightseeing year-round. It was created in the 12th century-when Marco Polo greatly admired it-and was extensively enhanced by Emperor Yongle, and later the Qing Emperor Qianlong. The park covers 28 acres, about half of which is occupied by the lake, with its Jade Flowering Island, on which stands the landmark White Dagoba, a Tibetan Buddhist shrine built by a Nepalese architect in 1651 in honor of the visit of the Dalai Lama. The island also contains the temple of Eternal Peace and the Fangshan 'Imperial Cuisine' Restaurant.
• Drum and Bell Towers
  It was traditional in the past for all Chinese cities to have drum and bell towers, which advised the citizenry of the time of day and announced curfews. In Beijing the two are found in a direct meridian line north of the Forbidden City. The Drum Tower was originally built in 1272, but reconstructed in 1420 when the Ming Dynasty established its capital in Beijing.

To the north is the Bell Tower, first constructed in 1420 and rebuilt of brick in 1747 during the reign of Emperor Qianlong.

• Old Observatory
  Astronomy was a vital science in ancient China, when it was used to predict the weather. This observatory was set up in the Tartar city by Kublai Khan, but was greatly enhanced during the Ming Dynasty, when it became the platform for some astrolabes, telescopes and other astronomical instruments, that were made of bronze by the great Jesuit scholars, Adam Schall von Bell and Ferdinand Verbiest, who lived at court during the 17th century. Fifteen of the models were taken to Germany as spoils of war following the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, but returned in 1919. Eight are now displayed on the Observatory terrace.

• Niu Jie Mosque
  Reflecting Beijing's Islamic heritage, this mosque in the heart of the Moslem quarter is the oldest and largest of 80 that can be found in the city. It was built in 996 by Nazruddin, son of an Arab imam, and today is in excellent restored condition. A high wall surrounds the garden of ancient trees and the buildings that combine elements of Arabic and Chinese architecture. There is a hexagonal Tower for Viewing the Moon, where the imam determines the beginning and end of Ramadan. Behind it is the main prayer hall, facing Mecca-decorated in brilliant red and gold-the minaret where the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer, a bath-house for pre-prayer ablutions and a small school.

• Lama Temple
  One of the great sights of Beijing, which is situated in the northeast of the city, this temple was built as a mansion in 1694. In 1725 it housed the prince who became Emperor Yongzheng, so according to tradition had to be converted to a temple after he left.

  During the reign of Emperor Qianlong it became a center of learning for the Yellow Hat sect of Tibetan Lamaism, and at one time had a community of 1,500 Tibetan, Mongol and Chinese lamas, as well as a 'Living Buddha'. Today there are about 70 Mongolian lamas in residence.

  The temple consists of five halls, connected by five courtyards and three archways with exquisitely-carved eaves. The prayer halls contain many superb statues-including the 75-feet high Maitreya, carved from a single white sandalwood tree-as-well as Tibetan scriptures and a great copper ding cauldron. The Great Stele Pavilion has a square stone inscribed with Lamaist prayers in Chinese, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan.

• Summer Palace
  In the northwestern suburbs in the Summer Palace - known in Chinese as the Garden for Cultivating Harmony-which was used by the court as a retreat from the capital's heat. During the Qing Dynasty it became a fashionable royal resort and scene of extravagant celebrations. The Empress Dowager Cixi made it her residence and spent vast amounts of money to create a veritable Xanadu, that included a court theater, marble boat and the Long Corridor for viewing the lake from various angles.

  As a symbol of the court it also suffered, being badly damaged by Anglo-French troops during the Taiping Rebellion of 1860 (when the older Yuanmingyuan, 'garden of garden's was totally destroyed), and further devastated in 1900 following the Boxer Rebellion. Since then much has been restored and the palace with its large, classic Kunming Lake, is today a favorite summer retreat for Beijingers.

  The lake contains small islands, ornamental bridges and the famous marble boat, which was once a teahouse. On shore, of the foot of Longevity Hill, are the imperial residences, one of which now contains a theater museum and the first automobile to be imported into China, a Mercedes Benz.

• Great Wall
  Certainly one of the world's great tourist attractions, the Great Wall was built section-by-section between the fifth century BC and the 16th century AD. it was called the 'Wall of Ten Thousand Li', which today translates as 3,333 miles, and was designed to keep out invaders from the north.

  The statistics are as awesome as the wall. One section reportedly took 300,000 men 10 years to build. Stretching between watchtowers, and wide enough to carry horse-drawn carriages, the wall winds from Bohai Gulf in the Yellow Sea to the Yuyong Pass in mountainous Gansu Province. Much is now in ruins, but several sections have been restored. The best known is at Badaling, 50 miles north of Beijing. Here it's possible to climb or take a cable car to the top of the wall, This section was built during the Ming Dynasty. Another superbly-restored section of the wall is at Mutianyu, a few miles to the east. It can be reached by long flights of steps or a cable car. Further afield is the spectacular section at Jinshanling.

• Ming Tombs
  On the road from the capital to Badaling, the Ming Tombs are generally combined with a visit to the Great Wall. The 13 tombs are spread around a valley that looks like a natural courtyard with an entrance Spirit Way guarded by huge stone animals. Of the tombs only the underground burial chambers of the Dingling tomb of Emperor Wanli (who reigned 1573-1620) are open to the public. On display in the museums near the tombs are marble thrones, religious regalia and the jewelry, garments, porcelain and curios that were buried with the emperor.

WHAT AND WHERE TO EAT

Beijing cuisine is a mixture of influences from Shandong, Mongolia and the Northeast (formerly Manchuria). Its signature dish, Beijing Duck, was introduced by the Manchus, while the mutton hop pot recalls Genghis Khan and Mongolian barbecues. Imperial cuisine, developed in the Qing Dynasty court, can now be enjoyed in specialist restaurants. It is prepared with great attention to appearance and complimentary tastes. Among favorite dishes are sharks' fin and bird's nest soups, pan-fried Duck, spicy fish from Beihai Lake and minced pork in sesame buns.

Nevertheless, there are many more restaurants serving Cantonese, Chaozhou (Chiu Chow) and Sichuan cuisine than the local variety. Wheat is the main staple food of Northern China, with noodles, dumplings (especially jiaozi) and various baked and fried cakes are very popular. Local snacks can be sampled at the evening market in Donghuamen. These days Beijing's role as an international city is also reflected in the wide range of restaurants serving food from France, Italy, Germany, Scandinavia, California, the Mediterranean, Mexico, India, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Korean and more, most are staffed by "imported" chefs.

WHERE TO SHOP

From antique jewelry and Mao memorabilia to silk padded jackets and custom-made shoes, Beijing is a cornucopia for shoppers and collectors. Boutiques, in the Palace and other hotels, and upmarket department stores, on Wangfujing and around Xidan, have brought international fashion to the city, while traditional markets and street bazaars have been revitalized. Liulichang is a Qing Dynasty mall of arts and crafts; bargain-priced silk garments are sold in Silk Alley, antiques and reproductions pack the markets of Hongqiao, Chaowai and Jinsong; and the revamped Friendship Stores feature imported luxuries as well as the established range of Chinese products.