>> What to see

The National Stadium in Peking, the Olimpic Green.
This extraordinary stadium housed the opening and final ceremony of the 29th Olympic Games. This Stadium, besides being an entertainment place, has been the place where sport and cultural events have taken place. Having a capacity of 91,000 seats, this unique structure has already become an icon in Peking, and is considered one of the most innovative stadiums in the world. 
Called the “bird’s nest”, this incredible piece of architecture is completed with a saddle-shaped roof (the nest) which creates a synergy without any distinctions between the façade and the overstructure.

The Old Observatory
The Old Observatory is situated on the south east cormer of the Jianguomen Bridge in Peking and it was built in 1442, during the Ming Dynasty. Its history is over five hundred years old, and makes it one of the most interesting observatories in the world from a historical point of view. Many bronze well preserved instruments can be found there, dating back to the times of the Qing Dynasty. The design of these instruments reflects the influence of the Eastern skill together with the European knowledge of measures and physics.

The Underground city of Peking
The network of tunnels running below Peking was commissioned by Mao as a refuge in case of nuclear attacks by Russians. Tunnels wind themselves for over 30 km and cover an area of 85 sq.km, eight by eighteen below the surface. They were built between 1969 and 1979, involving over 300,000 inhabitants and were finally opened to tourists in 2000. They were equipped with shops, schools, clinics, reading rooms, factories and even a roller skatig rink. In the most frequented streets some refuges are used as low price hostels, while others have been converted into trading centres and offices. Foreign visitors can visit only one section of them, the entrance to the areas open to visitors is possible from a little shop in Qianmen, on the southern side of Tienanmen.

The Summer Palace
The Summer Palace or Yiheyuan (which means "Garden of the educated Harmony”") is overlooked by the hill of longevity (60 metres high) and by the lake Kunming. In the 70,000 square metres on which this complex of buildings was built, there is a big variety of buildings, gardens and other architectural structures.

The prohibited City
The Prohibited City was the Imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is situated in the centre of Peking, the capital of China and extends over a surface of 720,000 square metres and consists of 800 buildings for a total amount of 8,886 rooms. In 1987 the prohibited City was included in the list of the Heritage of Mankind of UNESCO, which has recognized it as the biggest collection of wooden structures which has been remained untouched up to date. Today the Prohibited City is a museum.

The Ming tombs
50 kilometres to the north west of Peking there is a cemetery site housing 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Known as the Ming Tombs, the mausoleum has been perfectly preserved together with the necropoleses of each emperor. Only the Changling and Dingling tombs are open to the public. The tours in this area can be booked by the travel agencies existing in town or can be made by public transports or taxis.

The Residence of the Prince Gong
The Residence of the Prince Gong is a good example of old Chinese architecture and boasts an interesting history. It was originally the house of Heshen, famous for unfortunate reasons, a courtier of the emperor Qianlong, he was forced to commit suicide soon after the emperor’s death. His residence was donated to the Prince Gong by the emperor Xianfeng and from this its name comes. It is situated in the north western side of the Prohibited City.

Tienanmen Square
Tienanmen square is one of the most famous symbols of the city and it has got a very big cultural meaning for the city. It extends over over 40 hectares and is the largest square in the world, since it can contain millions of people. It is the place which has seen some of the most important events in the history of China, among them there are the massacre occurred in 1989, when protesters against the Communist party were killed by military officers. There are many important buildings surrounding this square, among them there are the Museum of Chinese History, the Mausoleum of President Mao Zedong, the Door of the Celestial Peace and the Big Hall of the People.

The Tibetan Yonghe Monastery
The biggest and most interesting Tibetan monastery in China is situated to the north east of the city. The old Yonghe Monastery was built in 1694 during the Qing dynasty and was originally the residence of the Earl Yin Zhen. When he then became Emperor and moved to the Prohibited City, this residence was known as Yonghe Palace and was changed into monastery in 1744. The Temple was opened to the public in 1981 and now it is the house of monks and novices coming from all over the country. Inside it you can admire the exhibition rooms with a large number of important relics and portraits of Dalai Lama. There are famous statues of Buddha, that is 18 metres high, that of the so called “Big Buddha” included, made out of an only piece of sandalwood tree.

Visit the Big Chinese Wall
It is a fundamental tour for all those who visit China and fortunately part of the Wall can be reached from Peking in one day. The nearest section is in Badaling and excursions with guides speaking English can be booked by one of the tour operators in the city. The negative aspect of this visit is that the place can be crowded, you could consider to visit it from the sections of Jin Shan Ling, Huang Shan and Si Ma Taiche which are farer but less crowded. The Wall is the biggest structure in the world ever made by man, it extends over 4,000 miles from the Shanghai pass to the east to Lop Nur and separates the North of China from the interior Mongolia. Its construction started in the 5th century b.C. and continued until the 17th century. Since 1987 it has been included in the UNESCO list of monuments belonging to the Heritage of Mankind .

Have a walk along Milu Yuan
This very beautiful park is the best place in Peking to look at and study animals, it houses a strange kind of creature similar to a deer, the Pere David (milu). It became extinct in China during the Qing dynasty but was saved by Lord Bedford who bought 18 of these animals from all zoos in Europe. There are now about one hundred heads of these animals freely going around the ecological centre. This park also houses the Cemetery of Species become extinct to give voice to the species going to become extinct.

Taste Peking style duck
Peking is really the house of this delicious dish. Many local restaurants serve it according to the real Chinese style together with other famous dishes.