Tian'anmen Square occupies an area of 49 hectares (122 acres), big enough to hold half a million people. It was named after the Tiananmen which stands on its north side, separating it from the Forbidden City.
The Great Wall is a series of stone and earthen fortifications, built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from Xiongnu attacks.
UNESCO declared the Summer Palace an "outstanding expression of the creative art of Chinese landscape garden design, incorporating the works of humankind and nature in a harmonious whole."
The Ming Dynasty Tombs are located some 50 kilometers due North of Beijing at a specially selected site. The site was chosen by the third Ming Dynasty emperor Yongle (1402-1424), who moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing.
Lama Temple is one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. It houses a treasury of Buddhist art, including sculptured images of gods, demons and Buddhas, as well as Tibetan-style murals.
The Temple of Confucius is the second largest temple constructed for Confucius, ranking only behind the Temple of Confucius in Qufu, Shandong Province.
Because of its proximity to the Forbiddent City, this area was historically home to court officials and the city's elite. Some of their residence still stand.
The bell and drum towers are prominent landmarks symbolizing the ancient capital city. Both structures were built under the reign of Kublai Khan during the Yuan Dynasty.
