Beijing has an ancient history. People began to live in its place more than 3 thousand years ago, although today, looking at the ultra-modern buildings and thoughtful infrastructure of the city, it is hard to believe. Beijing began to develop especially intensively about several hundred years ago. Its appearance changed a lot after 1949, when the city became the capital of the PRC. But even today, the capital of China is famous for its simply unimaginable number of attractions, among which there are especially many palaces and green gardens.
One of the largest surviving sections of the Great Wall of China is located 80 km from the city. This place is considered a must-see if you are in Beijing for the first time. The wall is striking in its colossal size, but it is worth thinking about how people erected it, having practically no construction equipment at their disposal, and the very fact of its existence begins to seem surprising. The length of the Great Wall is about 1000 km, the average height of the sections is slightly more than 10 m. The wall is built in such a way that if a person on one side of it says something, then he can hear him who presses his ear to the stone from the other side. This despite the fact that the thickness of the structure is almost 10 m! One of the most beautiful parks in Beijing, Yiheyuan, was created in accordance with the classical canons. It is a park famous for the art of the 15th century Jin masters who created it. In the past, it was called Qingyuan. Of great interest are the Beijing palace ensembles, and the most significant of them is the former residence of the emperor, which today is called Gugong, which translates as "Palace of the former rulers". The full name of the ensemble is Zijingchen, which means "Purple Forbidden City". Today it is just a huge museum, consisting of 9999 rooms, which contains amazing objects, antiques, works of art and everyday objects of the imperial persons. The name "Forbidden City" meant that ordinary people could not get there in any way. But after the formation of the PRC, Gugun became open to everyone. It will take several hours to get around it, so it is best to wear comfortable shoes. Acquaintance with Beijing will not be complete without visiting the Temple of Confucius. This famous Chinese philosopher is still highly revered today. In the XIV century, a majestic temple was built in his honor, and today you can see the names of all the students who were able to pass the Confucius exams well. The largest in the world, the Square of Heavenly Peace, in fact, has seen many very turbulent events in its lifetime. It was in this place that the imperial decrees were always read, and then, when at the beginning of the 20th century it was enlarged to its current size, the Museum of the History of the Revolution and the Great People's Palace were erected nearby. The square also houses the Mao Zedong Mausoleum.
