Prepare for amazement: lost in otherworldly Beijing

As a famous ancient city and the cultural center of China, Beijing is a wonderland for many dream-seeking travelers who yearn for the grandiose buildings and the idyllic landscape. If, considering your time and budget, you can visit only one city in China it would make sense for it to be Beijing, which boasts many otherworldly attractions and beautiful palaces and parks.

The magnificent Forbidden City is the largest and the best-preserved Imperial Palace complex in the world. It had 9,999 rooms in the flourishing period, just a single room short of the number that represents 'Divine Perfection' in ancient Chinese belief – many were desolated and now there are around 8,000 that have been restored. It is surrounded by a moat that’s six meters deep and ten-meter high wall.

For five centuries this palace functioned as the administrative center of the country as well as being the residence of emperors and empresses of Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Thus, the place itself is not to be missed by any Beijing visitor. Splendidly painted decorations on the royal architectural wonders, the grand and deluxe halls, with their magnificent treasures will certainly satisfy 'modern civilians'.

The Summer Palace is another sight that is definitely a 'must see', a famous classic imperial garden of breathtaking beauty. It holds a special place in the history of Chinese gardens.

Situated in the western outskirts of Haidian District, the Summer Palace is 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from central Beijing. Having the largest royal park and being well preserved, it was designated a Key Cultural Relics Protection Site of China in 1960 by the State Council

Containing examples of the ancient arts, it also has magnificent constructions build on a graceful landscapes overlooking a man-made lake. The Summer Palace is the archetypal Chinese garden, and is ranked amongst the most noted and classical gardens of the world. In 1998, it was listed as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

Composed mainly of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, The Summer Palace occupies an area of 294 hectares (726.5 acres), three quarters of which is water. Guided by nature, artists designed the gardens exquisitely so that visitors would see marvelous views and be amazed by perfect examples of refined craftwork using the finest materials.

To the east of the Summer Palace exits the Ruins of Yuan Ming Yuan. To be distinct from other traditional Chinese gardens, its construction and horticulture is a harmonious blend of typical Chinese scenery and western architecture.

As the most magnificent garden in the history, the great Yuan Ming Yuan spanned a three-hundred-fifty hectare area with a fairyland of hills, ponds, lakes, ancient trees and palaces filled with one and half centuries of imperial treasure collections. However, it was tragically burned by the allied forces of the eight powers in 1860.

For 139 years, Yuan Ming Yuan served administration, vacation and living purposes for the six generations of emperors YongZheng, QianLong, JiaQing, DaoGuang and XianFeng in the Qing dynasty. The emperor and his wives would live in Yuan Ming Yuan after Chinese New Year until the end of autumn. Yuan Ming Yuan was the largest and most luxurious imperial garden, with a host of scenery sites representing different Chinese gardening styles. In terms of artistic and architectural values, Yuan Ming Yuan has a number of unique characteristics.

For a peaceful and interesting stroll, visit Beijing's many beautiful parks, such as Beihai Park, which was allegedly built by the Great Khan, centuries earlier than the Forbidden City.

Beihai (North Sea) Park is one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved ancient imperial gardens in China. This ancient garden, with over 1,000 years of history, is not only a classic combination of the grandiosity of the northern gardens and the refinement of the southern gardens in China, but also a perfect integration of magnificent imperial palaces and solemn religious sites.

Beihai Park was initially built in the Liao Dynasty (916 - 1125) and was repaired and rebuilt in the following dynasties including Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing (1115 - 1911). The large-scale rebuilding in the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) generally established the present scale and pattern of Beihai Park. In 1925, the park was first opened to the public and now attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world every year.

Beijing has lots of beautiful temples that once time served as the focus of religious life. The Temple of Heaven is the largest group of structures in the country dedicated to rituals that pay homage to the glory of heaven.

The Temple was built in 1420 A.D. during the Ming Dynasty to offer sacrifices to Heaven. As Chinese emperors called themselves 'The Son of Heaven’, they dared not to build their own dwelling, the Forbidden City, bigger than a dwelling for Heaven.

The Temple of Heaven is enclosed with a long wall. The northern part within the wall is semicircular symbolizing the heavens and the southern part is square symbolizing the earth. The northern part is higher than the southern part. This design shows that the heaven is high and the earth is low and the design reflected an ancient Chinese thought of 'The heaven is round and the earth is square'.

Besides carefully designed buildings, there are also some other areas that you can enjoy like Nine-Dragon Cypress. It got its name from the gnarled trunk which looks like it has nine dragons winding up it. It was said that the cypress was planted more than 500 years ago.

Another famous Beijing attraction is the Fragrant Hills Park. Situated in the eastern part of the western hills, 28 kilometers northwest of the Beijing City, Fragrant Hills Park is a large park made up of hills and forest, covering 160 hectares. Both its natural scenery and cultural relics are abundant. At 557 meters high Xianglu Peak (Incense Burner Peak) is its highest peak.

Since 1949, with a half-century's restoration and development by Chinese government, Fragrant Hills Park has been recognized as one of the ten most famous parks in Beijing. The most spectacular natural scenery in the Fragrant Hills Park is the red smoke tree leaves over the mountains. When autumn arrives, fiery red leaves blanket the entire mountain. Every year, thousands of tourists come to the park. The cable cars are a great way to take in the beautiful scenery.

If you have an interest in the real splendor of the Qing dynasty, Prince Gong's Mansion, which opened its doors to the public on August 20 after an overhaul, is a must-see.

Prince Gong's Mansion is Beijing's largest and the best preserved Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) princely mansion and is located at Qianhai Xijie to the north of Shichahai. This fine example of ancient Chinese architecture with its cultural connotations is important not only for its aesthetic value but as an asset to those who wish to study the lifestyles of the privileged classes in the feudal society of a bygone era; it also has an interesting history.

The mansion was constructed around the year 1777 and was originally the private residence of Heshen. A member of the imperial guard, the handsome and intelligent twenty-five year old Heshen came to the attention of the Qing Dynasty Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796). Before long Heshen was promoted to positions normally occupied by the most experienced officials, including those controlling finance and the appointment of civil servants; thus enabling him to acquire great wealth. The aging Qinglong did nothing to curb Heshen's corruption but his successor, Emperor Jiaqing (1796-1820), had Heshen executed and his property, which was assessed at over 800 million ounces of silver, was confiscated. The mansion was passed to Prince Qing in 1799. Eventually Emperor Xianfeng (1851-1862) transferred the ownership to Prince Gong and it is his name that was to become that of the mansion.

The dwelling is a traditional courtyard mansion of a style that was so popular in imperial Beijing. The complex covers a total area of 60,000 square meters (14.9 acres). Just over half of this is the residential portion, while the remainder is devoted to an ornamental garden to the rear.

The Western-Style Gate is a perfect harmonization of the western style with ancient Chinese carvings. The timber walled Grand Theater House is to be found in the eastern part of the garden with a collection of old-time pavilions standing beside it. It has withstood more than 100 years of northern China's changeable weather and still stands firmly. The Beijing Opera, Kunqu Opera and selections of royal music are performed on the spacious and traditionally decorated stage each day. Arriving in the center of the garden, you will be absorbed by the man made hills. The stele was placed in a cave. The Chinese character 'fu' carved on the about 8-meter-long stele is a copy of the Emperor Kangxi's (1622-1723) handwriting.

Besides, there are other absorbing sightseeing spots such as Liubei Kiosk, Anshan Hall, Dule Peak, and Yaoyue Platform, etc.

It is a place really worthy of a visit and you can be assured that every aspect puts the culture and life style of the Imperial China's elite into perspective.