Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace

We will pick you up from your hotel between 7am and 8am to the Tian’anmen Square with a local English speaking guide and driver. Tiananmen Square is within the top ten largest city squares in the world. It has great cultural significance as it was the site of several important events in Chinese history. Climbing up Tian’anmen Gate to view Tian’anmen Square is a dream for many generations of Chinese. Tian’anmen is not simply a gate, since it had born witness to many historical events and the decline and resurgence of the nation.

Located at the centre of Beijing City is Tiananmen Square, where you can visit Tiananmen Tower, monument to the people's heroes, the great hall of the people, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall and see the national flag raising ceremony. Thousands of people come to the square every day. The spacious square was originally meant to demonstrate majestic imperial power, walled in on the eastern, western and southern sides, shutting out common people. It is an ideal place for people to observe celebratory occasions or fly kites. Tian’anmen Square contains the monuments to the heroes of the revolution, the National Museum of China, and the Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, where your guide will explain all about these monuments to you. You will not enter the Square, but your guide will show and explain all these monuments from the distance.

We then move on to The Forbidden City which was designed to be the centre of the ancient, walled city of Beijing. It is enclosed in a larger, walled area called the Imperial City which, in turn, enclosed by the Inner City; to its south lies the Outer City. The Forbidden City remains important in the civic scheme of Beijing. The central north–south axis remains the central axis of Beijing. This axis extends to the south through Tiananmen gate to Tiananmen Square, the ceremonial centre of the People's Republic of China, and on to Yongdingmen. To the north, it extends through Jingshan Hill to the Bell and Drum Towers. This axis is not exactly aligned north–south but is tilted by slightly more than two degrees.

Traditionally, the Forbidden City is divided into two parts, the inner court and the outer Court. The outer court or front court includes the southern sections and was used for ceremonial purposes. The Inner Court or Back Palace includes the northern sections and was the residence of the Emperor and his family, and was used for day-to-day affairs of state. Generally, the Forbidden City has three vertical axes. The most important buildings are situated on the central north–south axis.

Your guide will make sure you visit these scenic spots:

1. The hall and the courtyard of supreme harmony

2. The meridian gate

3. The hall of supreme harmony

4. The hall of complete harmony

5. The hall of preserving harmony

6. The huge of stone carving

7. The hall of union

8. The palace of earthly tranquility

9. The imperial garden, etc.

We later drive you to a beautiful local restaurant to enjoy a great Chinese lunch. Then our next destination will be the Temple of Heaven which is known as "a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design which simply and graphically illustrates a cosmogony of great importance for the evolution of one of the world’s great civilizations..." as the "symbolic layout and design of the Temple of Heaven had a profound influence on architecture and planning in the Far East over many centuries."

In ancient China, the Emperor of China was regarded as the Son of Heaven, who administered earthly matters on behalf of, and representing, heavenly authority. To be seen to be showing respect to the source of his authority, in the form of sacrifices to heaven, was extremely important. The temple was built for these ceremonies, mostly comprising prayers for good harvests.

Your scenic spots include:

1. The hall of prayer for good harvest

2. The red stairway bridge

3. The imperial vault of heaven

4. The Echo wall

5. The triple sound stone

6. The circular mound altar, etc.

We finally move to the Summer Palace which is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It serves as a popular tourist destination and recreational park. Mainly dominated by Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, it covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometres (1.1 sq mi), three-quarters of which is water. The entire Summer Palace is centered around Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, with the latter covering about three quarters of the area. Most of the important buildings were built along the north–south axis of Longevity Hill, which is divided into the front hill and the back hill.

There are three small islands within Kunming Lake: Nanhu Island, Zaojiantang Island and Zhijingge Island. The West Dam of Kunming Lake divides the lake into two. The East Dam was constructed during the reign of the Guangxu Emperor. The attractions in the Summer Palace may be divided into six different sections or scenic areas: the Halls, Longevity Hill, Kunming Lake, the Farming and Weaving Picture Scenic Area, the Long Corridor, and the Central Axis area.

Scenic spots include:

1. East palace gate

2. The hall of benevolence and longevity

3. The hall of jade billows

4. The hall of joyful longevity

5. The covered walkway

6. The marble boat, etc.

At the end of the trip, we will drop you off back at your hotel.