This inactive Tibetan Buddhist temple can't be entered, but the elevated square in front, which forms part of a small park, is a peaceful little escape offering views of the surrounding reconstructed sìhéyuàn, luxury homes with garages that house government elites. The structure of the main hall is unusual in its Manchu style.
Before renovation work in 2001, the temple housed a school since the 1920s. For a few years until 2009 it was home of the Beijing Taxation Museum.
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Enclosed by 3.5km of citadel walls at the very heart of Beijing, the Unesco-listed Forbidden City is China’s largest and best-preserved collection of…
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An oasis of methodical Confucian design, the 267-hectare Temple of Heaven Park is unique. It originally served as a vast stage for solemn rites performed…
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A marvel of Chinese garden design and one of Beijing's must-see attractions, the Summer Palace was the royal retreat for emperors fleeing the suffocating…
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Flanked by triumphalist Soviet-style buildings, Tian'anmen Sq is an immense void of paved stone (440,000 sq metres, to be precise) at the symbolic centre…
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Beihai Park, inside the old Imperial City, looks much as it would have done in the 18th century when it served as Emperor Qianlong's private gardens. The…
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This immense fortress, part of the Ming City Wall Ruins Park, guarded the southeast corner of Beijing's city walls. Originally built in 1439 but repaired…
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Instantly recognisable by its giant framed portrait of Mao, and guarded by two pairs of Ming dynasty stone lions, the double-eaved Gate of Heavenly Peace …
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Contemporary art meets communist history at this thrilling enclave of international galleries installed within China's model factory complex of the 1950s…
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In two roadside excavations north and south of the crossroads here are the remains of the once magnificent Dong'an Men – the east gate of the Imperial…
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The east gate of the Forbidden City, through which you can exit but not enter. Inside are exhibitions belonging to the Gallery of Historic Architecture.
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One of the main halls within the Workers' Cultural Palace, but closed to visitors. It was used to store the spirit tablets of imperial ancestors in its…
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Known locally as the Resting Hall, this imperial building has a yellow-glazed eave-hipped roof. Closed for visitors.
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The main attraction within the Workers' Cultural Palace is the monumental Sacrificial Hall, as exquisite as any temple you'll find in Beijing. Built in…
6. Hall of Literary Brilliance
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The Hall of Literary Brilliance complex, just to the east of the Forbidden City's entrance at the Meridian Gate was formerly used as a residence by the…
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One of Beijing's best-kept secrets – despite being next to the Gate of Heavenly Peace – the Workers' Cultural Palace was gifted to the masses by Mao in…
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Monolithic shopping malls face each other across this prestigious avenue thronged with mostly out-of-town tourists. The late-20th-century Chinese…