Exploration of the Great Wall

Like a fortress enclosed by a 10-meter-high wall and a wide moat, the 960-meter-long rectangular complex of the Forbidden City is located in the center of Beijing. There are a total of 890 palaces with 8,886 rooms on the site. According to a legend, there are actually 9,999½ rooms. The half room is symbolic in nature. According to it, only heaven was allowed to have a palace with 10,000 rooms. Built from 1406 to 1420, the Imperial Palace forms the largest ensemble of classical Chinese buildings. It is called the "Forbidden City" because no one but the emperor was allowed to enter on his own authority. With principal and concubines, children and eunuchs, up to 3,000 people lived here.

Structure and symbolism The ceremonial and functional buildings in the south of the Forbidden City occupy the larger part of the area; they were off-limits to women. Apart from eunuchs, high officials also worked there or envoys appeared for audience. In the north, the residential courtyards of the emperor and his harem are crowded. In both parts, the main buildings line up along Beijing's great north-south axis. Almost all are covered with yellow glazed tiles, the emperor's symbolic color, representing the empire founded on the yellow loess soil of northern China to the heavens. The cloud dragon is omnipresent in the Forbidden City's building decoration as the emperor's symbolic animal bringing blessings; in the rear halls it is joined by the phoenix, symbolic animal of the empress.

From the East China Sea deep into the deserts of western China, the Great Wall winds its way over mountains and through valleys. At the end of nearly 6,000 kilometers, the Great Wall reaches the Gobi Desert, where the Jiayuguan Fortress stands guard.

Although the process of building the wall began in the 7th century BC, the last section of the wall was not finished until 1878, a whopping 2,500 years later. It is therefore not surprising that the Great Wall is regarded as one of the largest constructions projects of all time.

Tauchen Sie ein in das leise Geheimnis des Pagodenwalds, wo Stein und Stille sich umarmen. Zwischen uralten buddhistischen Türmen, umgeben von dichtem Grün und Bergluft, spüren Sie die Zeit. Sie wandern entlang ehrwürdiger Pagoden, manche über Jahrhunderte gewachsen, und lauschen dem Wispern der Natur. Ein ruhiger Rückzugsort – weit weg vom Lärm der Stadt, nah an Chinas geheimnisvoller Seele.

Ein Pekingente-Abendessen in Peking ist mehr als nur ein Essen – es ist ein Fest für die Sinne! Genießen Sie die berühmte knusprige Ente, frisch tranchiert und serviert mit feinen Beilagen, in einem stilvollen Restaurant der Hauptstadt. Lassen Sie sich von der traditionellen Zubereitung und dem einzigartigen Geschmack begeistern und erleben Sie einen Abend, der die kulinarische Kultur Chinas auf köstliche Weise lebendig werden lässt. Ein absolutes Highlight für jeden Feinschmecker und ein unvergesslicher Moment Ihrer China-Reise!

Tauchen Sie ein in ein spektakuläres Abendessen, das Genuss, Tradition und Kultur verbindet. Die Peking-Ente zählt zu den berühmtesten Gerichten Chinas – mit über 600 Jahren Geschichte.

Der Koch tranchiert die Ente vor Ihren Augen in hauchdünne Scheiben; die knusprige Haut wird separat serviert – ein Erlebnis für alle Sinne. Mit dünnen Pfannkuchen, Gurken, Frühlingszwiebeln und süßer Bohnenpaste bauen Sie sich selbst kleine Köstlichkeiten zusammen. Der restliche Braten findet in Suppen oder Wokgerichten seine Fortsetzung – nichts wird verschwendet.

Erleben Sie beim Abendessen nicht einfach ein Gericht, sondern ein Stück Pekings kulinarische Seele – als würdiger Abschluss Ihres Tages in der Hauptstadt.

Northwest of Beijing is the Yihe Yuan Summer Palace, a gift from the Qianlong Emperor to his mother. However, the largest area of this garden palace is occupied by Kunming Lake. To make the trip worthwhile, you should take advantage of the Pavilion of Buddha Incense to enjoy the panoramic view of the complex with lake. This way you will enjoy all the sights from an elevated position. Beijing has so much of it to offer!

Tip: Take a boat tour on Kunming Lake and go to Nanhu Dao Island. For those who are afraid of water and not seaworthy, there is the elegant Seventeen Arch Bridge, over which you can also reach the island.

A very special Beijing sight can be found in the southern city with the Altar of Heaven and Temple of Heaven. Actually, one should stay at this main place of the ancient Chinese nature cult in bitterly cold winter night with power failure, thus illuminated only by moon and stars, to experience its whole magic. On the winter solstice, the emperor, supported by more than 100 participants, offered an elaborate nocturnal silk and animal sacrifice to the "Emperor of Heaven" on the circular altar terrace. If you count the design elements of the terrace, you will always come across the three or its power, the nine, and its multiples - in the steps, railing segments or the number of stone slabs. For the three possesses yang quality like the sky, whose circular shape the buildings also reflect. The third symbol of heaven is the blue of the glazed bricks. The terrace is located in the far south of the tree-covered grounds, which are much larger than the Forbidden City. Thus, the Temple of Heaven undoubtedly ranks among Beijing's sights!

To the north is the circular courtyard of the Imperial Celestial Vault, enclosed by the "Echo Wall". The soul tablets of heaven and imperial ancestors kept here were placed for sacrifice in blue tents on the altar terrace, as were the tablets of the sun, moon, celestial bodies and weather phenomena in the annexes. The wooden dome of the round hall is a marvel of carpentry. A white causeway leads north to the Hall of Harvest Prayer. This circular building with its triple blue roof symbolizes the circling of time measured by heaven: the four main columns correspond to the seasons, the inner wreath of twelve columns to the months, the outer wreath of columns to the twelve double hours of the day. Exhibitions in the side halls of the Temple of Heaven give an insight into the grandiose sacrificial rite.

Other Beijing sights in the southern city include the Liulichang antique alley, the main shopping district of Qianmen, and the partially restored remains of Beijing's former city wall. Tip: If you're looking for antiques and art treasures in Liulichang, head to the Rongbao Zhai art shop and take a break at the tea room upstairs to catch your breath. These are Beijing sightseeing at its best!

Tiananmen Square, which translates to "square in front of the gate of heavenly peace," took its current form in 1959 as the central parade ground of socialist Beijing. The square gained sad notoriety during the student demonstrations and their suppression in 1989. As early as 1919, students demonstrated in the square against the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles.

Every morning at sunrise, the national flag is hoisted over Tiananmen Square, an event that should not be missed.