CHINA : BEIJING, TIANMEN & CHENGDE

HJ ZULHEIMY MAAMOR

20 MARCH 2024

On 27 July 2001, I had the opportunity to visit the People's Republic of China with the staff of The Institution of Engineers, Malaysia. Our tour schedule covered 3 districts, namely Beijing, Tianmen, and Chengde.

BEIJING

Beijing, formerly known as Peking, is the capital of the People's Republic of China. Beijing is the second largest city in China after Shanghai. It is also one of the 4 Great Ancient Capitals of China.

Beijing has been the capital of China since the reign of the Ming Dynasty, when the Yongle Emperor was responsible for moving his capital from Nanjing to Beijing. Even the Yongle Emperor was the first to call it "Beijing".

Zhongguo Renmin Yinhang : The Renminbi (RMB) is the official currency of the People's Republic of China. 

TIANANMEN SQUARE, BEIJING

Tiananmen Square is a large square near the center of the city of Beijing, China. Tiananmen (Heaven's Gate of Peace) is located to the north and separates this square from the Forbidden City. This square is 40.5 hectares (100 acres) and is the largest squara in the world.

Near this square is also the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong (Founder of the People's Republic of China in 1949). This mausoleum was completed in 1977.

It was here on April 15, 1989, that a series of demonstrations led by students, intellectuals, and labor activists took place in the People's Republic of China. The death toll from the riots is between 2,000 and 3,000 people according to figures from the Chinese Students Association and the International Red Cross.

Wikipedia: 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre

SUMMER PALACE

The Summer Palace is located on the outskirts of Beijing, China, about 15 km from the capital city of Beijing. It became a tourist attraction and was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.

It was originally built during the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) in 1153 by Emperor Wanyan Liang. 

In 1912,  following the abdication of Emperor Puyi, the last Emperor of China, the Summer Palace became the private property of the former Imperial family of the Qing Empire. 

In November 1998, the Summer Palace has designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. 

THE FORBIDDEN CITY OF BEIJING

Among our tour schedule is a visit to the Forbidden City in Beijing. This Forbidden City brings back memories of watching three movies that were filmed here.

The film "The Last Emperor," released by Columbia Pictures in 1987, tells the story of Emperor Puyi, the last Chinese Emperor who was deposed in 1911.

The movie "Shanghai Noon," starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, was released in 2000.

The 1982 movie "Marco Polo" and American-Italian television miniseries by NBC. 

The Forbidden City is a palace Complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing. It was constructed from 1406 to 1420, and was the fomer the Chinese Imperial Palace and winter residence of the Emperor of China from the Ming Dynasty (since the Yongle Emperor) to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1924. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987. 

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

I remember when I was in school, in the subject of geography, we learned about the country of China. I still remember when I saw the picture of the Great Wall, I was so amazed and wanted to see it up close.

It turned out that my dream came true when I had the opportunity to visit China in 2001 with the staff of The Institution of Engineers, Malaysia. We had the chance to visit Beijing, Tianmen, and the Mountainous City of Chengde.

Information About the Great Wall of China:

The Great Wall of China is one of the 7 Wonders of the World and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. The length of the Great Wall of China is about 6,400 kilometers, starting from Shanhaiguan up to Bohai Bay, which is located near the border of China and Manchuria.

Built over 2,000 years ago by the first Chinese Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, during the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC).

A survey conducted by archaeologists in 2009, using modern technology equipment, reported that the total length of the Great Wall of China is 8,851 km (5,500.3 miles).

Although the Great Wall was built during the Qin Dynasty, what we see today is mostly from the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368 AD - 1644 AD). The wall extends for some 6,700 km, often tracing the crest lines of hills and mountains as it snakes across the Chinese countryside. 

13 MING TOMBS

The 13 Ming Tombs, located 50 kilometers from Beijing City. They are the burial place of the 13 Emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644), beginning with the Yongle Emperor (who moved the Chinese capital from Nanjing to Beijing). The Xiaoling Tomb is the burial site of the first Ming Dynasty Emperor, the Hongwu Emperor. The last Ming Dynasty emperor to be buried here was Emperor Chongzhen, who committed suicide by hanging himself on April 15, 1644.

TEMPLE OF HEAVEN

The Temple of Heaven was built by the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty from 1406 to 1420. However, it was enlarged and named the Temple of Heaven by the Jiajing Emperor in the 16th century.

The complex was visited by emperors from the Ming and Qing Dynasties for an annual prayer event, where they prayed to the gods of heaven for a good harvest in the upcoming year.

TOP CITY UNDER THE HEAVEN

Built in 1992 with an area of 380 thousand square meters combining modern architecture and history.

WONDERLAND AMUSEMENT PARK, BEIJING

In Chenzhuang Village, about 20 miles northwest of central Beijing, the ruins of a partially built amusement park called Wonderland sit near a highway, surrounded by houses and fields of corn. 

BEIJING HOTEL

While in Beijing we stayed in Beijing Landmark Tower and and Beijing Taiwan Hotel. 

Beijing Landmarks Tower located in 8, North Dongsanhuan Road in Chaoyang District, Beijing, China. 

Beijing Taiwan Hotel located in 5, Jinyuhutong, Wang Fujian North, Beijing, China. 

No trip to China is truly complete withoud visiting Beijing, especially you're wanting to explore some of the country's long history, culture and vibrant street. There are so many incredible and best things to do in Beijing. 

TIANMEN, CHINA

Tianmen, is a sub-prefecture-level city in central Hubei Province, China. It is on the Jianghan Plain, on the west side of Wuhan and the east of Jingzhou. Formerly known as Jingling, it was renamed to Tianmen in 1726 during the Qing Dynasty. 

CHENGDE, CHINA

Chengde formerly known as Jehol and Rehe, situated about 225 km northeast of Beijing. It is best known as the site of the Mountain Resort, a vast imperial garden and palace formerly used by the Qing emperors as summer residence. 

Xumi Fushou Temple is one of the eight outer temples in Chengde, Hebei, China. The Buddhist temple is in the north of the park complex of the Chengde Mountain Resort to the east of Putuo Zongcheng Temple on the north side of a slighly upward slope hill. The temple was designed in 1780 to celebrate the70th birthday of the Qianlong Emperor. 

Jinshangling Greatwall located in Luanping Country, Chengde, Hebei Province, 130 km northeast of Beijing. The Jinshangling section of the Great Wall is 10.5 km long with 5 passes, 67 towers and 3 beacon towers.It was intially built from 1368 to 1389 in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). 

The hotel where my friends and I stayed during our stay in Chengde.  Only a 5-minute walk from Chenge Railway Station and 10-minute drive from Chengde Mountain Resort. 

The Summer Resort Palace is a summer palace built between 1703 and 1792 during the reign of the Qing Dynasty. It took 89 years to complete, covering 5.6 kilometers, which is almost half of the area of Chengde Municipality in China. This palace was used by the Kangxi, Qianlong, and Jiaqing Emperors to escape the hot summer in Beijing. It was built almost like the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Putuo Zongcheng Temple located at Chengde, Hebei Province, China is a Qing Dynasty era Buddhist temple complex built between 1767 to 1771, during the reign of Qianlong Emperor (1735-1796). 

China is a safe country to travel. as long as you know where you're going and stay alert. China is visited by travellers  from all around the world, and is no danger to any person who understands local cultures and obey local laws. 

CERTIFICATE FOR CLIMBING THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

Lembah Keramat, KL

22 March 2024 > 12 Ramadan 1445H: 11.21 p.m