Prepare for amazement: lost in otherworldly Beijing

For a peaceful and interesting stroll, visit Beijing's many beautiful parks, such as Beihai Park, which was allegedly built by the Great Khan, centuries earlier than the Forbidden City.

Beihai (North Sea) Park is one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved ancient imperial gardens in China. This ancient garden, with over 1,000 years of history, is not only a classic combination of the grandiosity of the northern gardens and the refinement of the southern gardens in China, but also a perfect integration of magnificent imperial palaces and solemn religious sites.

Beihai Park was initially built in the Liao Dynasty (916 - 1125) and was repaired and rebuilt in the following dynasties including Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing (1115 - 1911). The large-scale rebuilding in the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) generally established the present scale and pattern of Beihai Park. In 1925, the park was first opened to the public and now attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world every year.

Beijing has lots of beautiful temples that once time served as the focus of religious life. The Temple of Heaven is the largest group of structures in the country dedicated to rituals that pay homage to the glory of heaven.

The Temple was built in 1420 A.D. during the Ming Dynasty to offer sacrifices to Heaven. As Chinese emperors called themselves 'The Son of Heaven’, they dared not to build their own dwelling, the Forbidden City, bigger than a dwelling for Heaven.

The Temple of Heaven is enclosed with a long wall. The northern part within the wall is semicircular symbolizing the heavens and the southern part is square symbolizing the earth. The northern part is higher than the southern part. This design shows that the heaven is high and the earth is low and the design reflected an ancient Chinese thought of 'The heaven is round and the earth is square'.

Besides carefully designed buildings, there are also some other areas that you can enjoy like Nine-Dragon Cypress. It got its name from the gnarled trunk which looks like it has nine dragons winding up it. It was said that the cypress was planted more than 500 years ago.

Another famous Beijing attraction is the Fragrant Hills Park. Situated in the eastern part of the western hills, 28 kilometers northwest of the Beijing City, Fragrant Hills Park is a large park made up of hills and forest, covering 160 hectares. Both its natural scenery and cultural relics are abundant. At 557 meters high Xianglu Peak (Incense Burner Peak) is its highest peak.

Since 1949, with a half-century's restoration and development by Chinese government, Fragrant Hills Park has been recognized as one of the ten most famous parks in Beijing. The most spectacular natural scenery in the Fragrant Hills Park is the red smoke tree leaves over the mountains. When autumn arrives, fiery red leaves blanket the entire mountain. Every year, thousands of tourists come to the park. The cable cars are a great way to take in the beautiful scenery.

If you have an interest in the real splendor of the Qing dynasty, Prince Gong's Mansion, which opened its doors to the public on August 20 after an overhaul, is a must-see.