From there it was a short hop to catch up with some of the city’s most famous residents – the Giant Pandas in Beijing Zoo. With plenty of area to roam around in, it’s hard to take your eyes off these incredible animals, even if their lives revolve around eating bamboo and then sleeping off all that effort.
But to see block after high-rise block of apartments and neon-lit offices disappearing over a horizon many miles away is one of the wonders of the modern world.
One of the reasons Beijing lays out so clearly to travellers landing at Beijing Capital International Airport is its flatness; there are just three hills surrounding a city that takes up 6,300 square miles.
To put that into context, it’s not far off the size of Wales.
Add to that it has an estimated 22 MILLION residents; roughly seven times the amount of the principality, in just one huge city. (Even that figure though, does not make it the biggest city in China – a title held by Shanghai’s staggering 24 million populace.)
And yet, Beijing conjures up an image and a character all of its own; dripping with culture, it is a place where ancient meets ultra modern. It has the sights, the sounds, the hotels and the scenery to make it one of the world’s top tourist destinations in the next few years.
More and more people are heading to China as the country embraces its tourism opportunities.
And now Hainan Airlines is operating direct flights from Manchester Airport, which is just 90 minutes up the M6, to Beijing, there’s never been a better time to visit this incredible city.
Flight time is around 10 hours 30 minutes on board a modern fleet of passenger jets that give the first taste of China – literally. The food on board was among the best you’ll find anywhere in the world and the cabin crew could not have been more helpful or friendly.
Our trip began with a visit to the Capital Museum, a huge imposing building, housing some of China’s most treasured exhibits.
The world-famous zoo is definitely worth a visit and although there will be large crowds vying to see the amazing pandas, their enclosures are big enough to get a good view from most spots.
One of the key elements about the city is its desire to maintain its character, so it is worthwhile taking time off the normal tourist trek to visit the brilliantly-named Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Centre in the Xicheng District.
Here, staff and volunteers give classes about the importance of traditional Chinese opera masks and you can even have a go at making one.
If you think that sounds dull, you’re missing out – it’s actually a really great way to spend an hour or so and build a better understanding of the local culture.
Undoubtedly, however, it is the BIG locations that pull the largest crowd and Tianamen Square does not disappoint.
And while the local guides may be reluctant to discuss the famous 1989 student protests, the sheer scale of the city’s centrepiece makes it worth a visit.
Flanked by huuuuge government buildings and the National Grand Theatre, Chairman Mao’s mausoleum sits as the focal point for the 109 acre square – that’s roughly 70 football pitches.
It can now hold around 600,000 people in one go and its other main feature is a 38-metre (125 ft) high Monument to the People’s Heroes.
It is, quite frankly, an unmissable part of any visit to the city; breathtaking in scale and symbolic of so much about the Chinese state.
A short walk from the square is the Forbidden City, the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty from 1420 to 1912. Home to the emperors it is now approached past a huge portrait of Chairman Mao, fitting as this was the political centre of Chinese government for almost 500 years. It retains both staggering size and grandeur as one incredible gatehouse leads to another before reaching the historic throne rooms.
In short, this World Heritage Site is an absolute must-see, full of ornate wooden buildings, each with their own story to tell over hundreds of years of tightly-wound history.
As a bonus, film fans will recognise many of the buildings from the hit 1987 film The Last Emperor
Read more at http://www.shropshirestar.com/entertainment/2016/10/10/travel-review-beijing-china/#5my5uJWeL3OgJ2HS.99
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