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Beijing Attractions & ActivitiesHistoric Sites
Ready to look into the past and learn about the heritage of Beijing's historic sites? We list historic homes, plantations, battlegrounds, and churches that are rich in Chinese history and provide for an educational travel diversion.
-- Katie Levans, Writer
Category: Historic Sites - Beijing Attractions & Activities
Address: Baiyun Guan Rd, Beijing
Known as the White Cloud Temple, this remarkable Daoist sanctuary was originally built in 739 to house a revered statue. While the temple was reconstructed in 1212, the statue remains intact inside this historic Beijing site. Daoism, China's only native religion, rejects the accumulation of wealth, and the monks living here wear blue frocks and...
Category: Historic Sites - Beijing Attractions & Activities
Address: Zhonglouwan Hutong, The Back Lakes, Beijing
Originally built during the Ming dynasty but later destroyed by fire, the current Bell Tower dates from 1747. It rises 33 meters (108 feet), but you can climb the staircase to the top to get some lovely views over the city. As the name suggests, this was where bells were rung every morning to signal the start of the day. A trip to this historic...
Category: Historic Sites - Beijing Attractions & Activities
Address: Goulou Dongda St, The Back Lakes
Dating back to the conquest of Kublai Khan, the Drum Tower marked the center of the Mongol capital in the 14th century. Originally it contained 24 large drums which were struck every evening to signal the closing of the city gates. It's a steep climb to the top, but a great photographic spot when you get there. Trips to this historic tower should...
Category: Historic Sites - Beijing Attractions & Activities
Address: 7 Fayuan Qian St
Dating back to the 7th century, Fayuansi is Beijing's oldest Buddhist temple. A huge 6700-square-meter complex, this religious site in Beijing's historic southwest quarter is comprised of a training academy, an extensive library and hallways filled with Buddhist statues. Among these are the reclining Buddha, laughing Maitreya Buddha and the oldest...
Guguan Xiangtai / Ancient Observatory
Category: Historic Sites - Beijing Attractions & Activities
Address: 2 Dongbiaobei Hutong, just off Jianguomen Wai St, Beijing
This remarkable tower was built in 1437 to house the astronomical observatory. During the Qing Dynasty, the Jesuits taught modern astronomy to the Chinese who used it largely for astrological calculations. Now a museum displays an interesting collection of astronomical devices, some locally constructed, others gifts to the emperor such as an...
Category: Historic Sites - Beijing Attractions & Activities
Address: 88 Luguouqiaochengnei W St, 16 km (10 miles) southwest of city center, Beijing
Named after the great Italian explorer to the East, this splendid bridge is Beijing's oldest and was built in 1189. The bridge supports 485 individually carved stone lions. It was also the scene of the outbreak of war between China and the Japanese invaders in 1937. There is a memorial hall to the war adjacent to the bridge, with macabre military...
Category: Historic Sites - Beijing Attractions & Activities
Address: Malanyu, 125 km northeast of Beijing city center, Zunhua County, Hebei Province
The Eastern Qing Tombs offer Chinese history buffs a chance to take in the culture of the country's last great rulers – the Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), essentially Mongol invaders who took advantage of an imperial court weakened by corruption to capture Beijing. Although much less visited than the Ming Tombs, there's a lot more to see here....
Category: Historic Sites - Beijing Attractions & Activities
Address: 12 Yonghe Gong St, Beijing
Perhaps the most interesting and most imposing Buddhist temple in the capital, the Lama Temple was remodeled in 1694 to serve as the residence of the future Qing emperor, Yongzheng. Today, it is an important repository of Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhist images and works of art, providing a chance to witness the fascinating culture of the Tibetans....
