Beijing, China – Part Of The Forbidden City

Back in the years between 1406 and 1420, the Ming dynasty was established. It was also known as the Purple Forbidden City and it was placed in the middle of the city of Beijing.

In the beginning, The Forbidden City housed 24 Ming and Qing emperors. The area of the building was about a little over 720,000 square feet. Within the Forbidden City, they were able to rule over Beijing by getting with their ministers to have court meetings.

This area and the building surrounding it are considered one of the most maintained in the city of Beijing.

If you are interested in visiting Beijing, there are several ways you can get there. You can get a taxi, walking or public transportation or as the locals call it, the Metro. In addition to seeing the Forbidden City, you will also be able to see parts of the Great Wall of China, the Summer Palace and the Hall of Preserving Harmony, just to name a few.

There is also a memorial Hall named after Chairman Mao Zedong or (Mao Tse Tung), who was the founder of the Peoples Republic of China. He was known to most people as simply "Chairman Mao".

Soon enough, the city of Beijing will be turning a new leaf with the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Even though there are some who still believe to this day that Beijing is not up to the task, the city is trying its best to put on a good face for the millions of visitors who will grace their city in August for a little over two weeks.

The people of Beijing are into religion, but they don't necessarily have free reign to express themselves. Even though the Chinese constitution states that they can have freedom of religion, people have been punished for doing just that. Some have been put in jail, others have been killed for expression their freedom of religion.

People that do embrace religion are in one of several categories:

* Buddhism
* Islam
* Christianity
* Confucianism
* Daoism

The city of Beijing has lots of temples in the vicinity. Tourists who are interested can go and check them out along with the religion they practice. Two of the largest temples in the city are Tanzhe Temple, which is of the Buddhist faith, and there is also the White Cloud temple, which is of the Taoist faith.

If you're looking for the arts scene, the Beijing Opera has an opera house that is well known. Within this establishment, there are many restaurants that serve the highest quality food. You can also find things to do such as watch Kung-Fu movies and acrobatics.

Even though part of the Great Wall of China is still around, there are people who are not interested in going because of the erosion of the area. However, you can still see nice views from that part of the wall. That area has turned into a marketplace with people selling their wares, such as things like artwork.

Visiting Beijing will be an experience you will never forget—especially when you see some of the things they can't do in their city. Most visitors will be glad that they have the freedom that they do, compared to what they have here.