China (Beijing)
The capital of China, Beijing is a global city and is the political, economic and cultural/historical centre of the country. Did you know that Beijing is one of the oldest cities in the world with history dating back over 3000 years? We are able to find all the tourism highlights here – the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Ming Tombs, Zhoukoudian, and of course the Great Wall of China!
At-A-Glance
It was a stopover as we made our way from Singapore to Beijing to Hawaii – and we had a full 12 hours in Beijing. We stopped over twice (outbound on the way to Hawaii, and inbound as we made our way back to Singapore) so the below highlights were covered across two full days with a driver and vehicle – so much more to see in a separate trip in itself
Main Highlights
Great Wall of China: There are several choices when visiting the Great Wall – we picked Mutianyu, which was fully-restored and less crowded. This section claims to be the most child-friendly section of the Great Wall, and is recommended for family tours with kids. We also took a cable so we were able to save our energy on getting the little Beans to smile!
Ming Tombs: These tombs are collection of mausoleums built by the emperors from the Ming dynasty – also known as the Thirteen Tombs of the Ming dynasty. It was odd to see our little Beans walk among the buried royalty who once upon a time had thousands of soldiers at their service
Summer Palace: An imperial palace from the Qing dynasty, this is a vast combination of palaces and pavilions, bridges and lakes, flowers and gardens!
Forbidden City: Did you know that the Forbidden City served as the home of Chinese emperors and their households for over 500 years – it spans nearly a thousand buildings with nearly 9000 rooms!
Bird Nest: Built for the 2008 Olympics, the Water Cube was designed off an inspiration of the natural pattern of bubbles in soap lather – it underwent a renovation to become a public water park in 2010, then again in 2019 to become the Ice Cube to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. Right beside the Water Cube is Beijing National Stadium, otherwise known as the “Bird’s Nest”
Photo Reel
Fresh off the plane:
Redeye from Singapore – but the little Beans looked fresh out of a good night’s sleep
Endless view:
Did you know that several of these walls were built from as early as the 7th century BC?
Mu Tian Yu:
We got to the top with a gondola lift up from the foothills (an exciting way to descend is using the toboggan that takes on a winding metal track – which we unfortunately couldn’t try)
World Heritage Site:
Designated as one of the components of the World Heritage Site – this is a place of rich history and culture
The Spirit Way:
The road named “Spirit Way” leads into the complex and is lined with statues of guardian animals
Small girl in front of the big pavilion:
Shengong Shengde Stele Pavilion sits at the start of the sacred walk leading to the tombs
Entrance:
The Summer Palace was also designated on the World Heritage List since 1998
Kunming Lake:
The three islands in this lake – Nanhu, Tuancheng and Zaojiantang were built to represent the three divine mountains in the East Sea
Hide and seek:
Almost as if this little Bean was a princess from many years ago playing hide and seek under the summer sun
Little one:
Looking over one of the many bridges in the Palace contemplating about life
Baby play:
Resting their little feet outside The Forbidden City
Sibling love:
Hugs and kisses outside one of the many squares within the City
Once upon a time:
Sometimes we wonder what life would have been if we were casted back a few hundred years living within these walls
Run:
Running in front of the giant National Aquatics Center – the “Water Cube”
Twist:
Little princess twist in front of Beijing National Stadium – the “Bird’s Nest”
Up:
Something in the air must have intrigued the little Beans in this photo
Related Overseas Itineraries
