Dora in Beijing

Sitting at the park behind Forbidden City is so relaxing

Snapshot at Great Wall

Random Snaps in Northern China

Some of my personal favorite snaps for this Northern China Trips (15-22 Nov 2009).

Bird's Nest & Water Cube

A visit to the Beijing Olympic Green sitting at the north end of the Beijing city's axis is often on the top list of any Beijing trip. Water Cube Aquatic Centre is just few hundred metres away from the Bird's Nest Olympic stadium.

Lama Temple, Gong Wang Fu & Beihai Park

Yong He Gong(Lama Temple) was built in 1694 as the residential palace of Prince Yin Zhen. In 1723, when the prince became the Emperor Yong Zheng and moved into the Forbidden City, the building was retiled in imperial yellow and converted to a temple.

The Prince Gong's Mansion Garden used to be the private residence of He Kun, a famous scholar in the reign of Emperor Qiang Long (1736-1796). It is distinct by its three rows of buildings. Main buildings cover 20 different types including Bat Hall, Moon-inviting Platform, Goodwill Hall, Study Room, Theatrical House, Refreshing Pavilions, Gaily-painted Pleasure Boat, etc. The distinctive halls, platforms, houses and pavilions, together with waters and plants have created a delicate and elegant scenery.

Another winter palace for emperors for successive dynasties called Beihai Park. The lake is Beijing's largest and most beautiful public waterway.

The Great Wall

The Great Wall, symbolizing China's ancient civilization is one of the world most renowned projects. Construction of the wall began during the 7th century B.C. It's total length of 6,700km. Badaling section is the highest point of the wall, 800m above sea level.

Temple of Heaven & Summer Palace

Temple of Heaven is a park in south Beijing. It is nearly 4 times larger than the Forbidden City. Here emperors used to worship heaven and pray for good harvests.


Located northeast of Beijing are Summer Palace consists of longevity Hill and Kunming Lake. It was a palace where the imperial of Qing dynasty handled their government affairs, spent their summer, celebrated their birthdays and came for relaxation. The Summer Palace is a classical imperial garden embracing hills and lakes.

Forbidden City

Forbidden City is located north of Tian'anmen Square. It was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Now known as the Palace Museum, it is the world's largest palace complex consisting of 9,999 rooms. Listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987, the Palace Museum is now one of the most popular tourist attractions world-wide. Construction of the palace complex began in 1407 and it was completed fourteen years later in 1420. In ancient days, general public were forbidden from entering the compound of the palace.

Tian'anmen Square

Tian'anmen Square is the geographical center of Beijing and the largest square in the world. Flag raising ceremony performed everyday at dawn and dusk. I traveled to China on 15 Nov 2009, the same day US president obama visited Beijing.