Beijing – Around Town : Greater Beijing

Summer Palace

It’s
only a short bus or taxi ride from Bagou subway station to the
unmissable Summer Palace. The grounds are arranged as a microcosm of
nature, with hills and water complemented by bridges, temples and
walkways. It manages to be both fanciful and harmonious at the same time.

Yuanming Yuan (Old Summer Palace)

The
name Yuanming Yuan derives from a Buddhist term and can be translated
as “Garden of Perfect Brightness”. This was the largest and most
elaborate of all the summer palaces of the Qing era. It once contained
private imperial residences, pleasure pavilions, Buddhist temples, a
vast imperial ancestral shrine, pools for goldfish, and canals and lakes
for pleasure boating. The Qianlong emperor even added a group of
European-style palaces designed by Jesuit missionary-artists serving in
the Qing court. Today, all that’s left are graceful, fragmentary ruins
after the complex was razed to the ground during the Second Opium War
(1856–60). A small museum displays images and models of the place as it
was.

• 28 Qinghua Xi Lu

• 6262 8501

• Subway: Xizhi Men, then bus 375 or 438, or taxi from Wudaokou

• Open 7am–7pm daily

• ¥10

Xiang Shan Park

The
wooded parkland area, also known as Fragrant Hills Park, is 2 miles (3
km) west of the Summer Palace. It boasts fine views from Incense Burner
Peak, which is accessible by a chair lift (¥30). Close to the park’s
main gate is the Azure Clouds Temple (Biyun Si), guarded by the menacing
deities Heng and Ha in the Mountain Gate Hall. A series of farther
halls leads to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall, where the revolutionary
leader’s coffin was stored in 1925, before being taken to his final
resting place in Nanjing.

• Wofosi Lu

• 6259 1155

• Bus: 331 from Summer Palace or 634 from Xizhi Men

• Open 6am–6:30pm

• ¥10; Azure Clouds Temple ¥10

Great Bell Temple (Dazhangoi)

The
18th-century Da Zhong Si follows a typical Buddhist plan, with a
Heavenly Kings Hall, Main Hall, and a Guanyin Bodhisattva Hall. What
distinguishes it, though, is the 46.5 ton (47, 250 kg) bell – one of the
world’s largest – that is housed in the rear tower. The bell was cast
between 1403 and 1424 and Buddhist sutras in Chinese and Sanskrit cover its surface. Hundreds more bells can be seen in another hall on the west side of the complex.

• 31A Beisanhuan Xi Lu

• 6254 1971

• Subway: Dazhangsi

• Open 8:30am–9:30pm daily

• ¥10

Beijing Botanical Gardens

About
a mile (2 km) northeast of Xiang Shan Park lie these pretty gardens,
containing some 3,000 plant species and some pleasant walks. The
garden’s Sleeping Buddha Temple (Wofo Si) is renowned for its
magnificent 15-ft (5-m) bronze statue of a reclining Buddha. China’s
last emperor, Pu Yi , ended his days here as a gardener.

• 6259 1283

• Bus: 331 from Summer Palace or 634 from Xizhi Men

• Open 7am–7pm daily

• ¥5

China Ethnic Culture Park

A theme park devoted to all of China’s ethnic minorities (see China’s Peoples),
the complex is crammed with a weird and wonderful array of buildings
such as the distinctive circular dwellings of the southern Hakka people,
some of which are full-size replicas, while others are scale models.
There is also a Chinese Song and Dance Theatre featuring daily
performances by ethnic representatives in full costume. If you aren’t
going to be traveling around the country, this is a fine way to get an
idea of the diversity of China.

• 1 Minzu Yuan Lu

• 6206 3640

• Subway: Olympic Sports Center

• Open 9am–7pm daily

• ¥60

• 
  www.emuseum.org.cn
  

Science and Technology Museum

Exhibits
begin with ancient science, highlighting China’s “technological
pre-eminence in history.” The technology comes up to date with Chinese
space capsules, robots, and an Astro-vision Theater incorporating
state-of-the-art cinematography. The museum provides good educational
fun for both young and old.

• 1 Beisanhuan Zhong Lu

• 6237 1177

• Subway: Beitucheng

• Open 9am–4:30pm Tue–Sat

• ¥30

• 
  www.cstm.org.cn
  

China National Film Museum

Reportedly
the world’s largest, this film museum is housed in a modern
glass-and-steel structure and features 20 exhibition halls, an IMAX
theater, a digital projection theater, and several 35mm theaters. One
hundred years of Chinese cinema are represented by 1,500 films and 4,300
stills from the works of 450 film-makers.

• 9 Nanying Road, Chaoyang

• 6434 6100

• Bus: 418 from Dong Zhi Men

• Open 9am–4:30pm Tue–Sun (last adm 3:30pm)

• ¥20

• 
  www.cnfm.org.cn
  

798 Art District

Although
it’s called the 798 Art District, Factory number 798 is only one of
several former industrial units that have been taken over by artists and
galleries. Although increasingly gentrified, the 798 still features
some of Beijing’s best galleries, including UCCA .

China Railway Museum

The
last passenger steam services in China came to an end in 2006, but a
short taxi ride northeast of the 798 Art District is this new museum
with a sizeable collection of old locomotives. Some of the cabs can be
boarded. An exhibition on the history of China’s railways is promised,
and some of the machines will occasionally be in steam. In the meantime,
the engines are a must for boys of all ages.

• 1 Jiuxian Qiao Bei Lu

• 6438 1317

• Open 9am–4pm Tue–Sun

• ¥20