Get a closer look at historical Beijing with a rickshaw tour through the city’s hutongs—historic residential neighborhoods full of narrow streets (also called hutongs) lined by traditional courtyard houses called siheyuan. From the Mongolian word for “town,” hutongs appeared during the Yuan Dynasty (1027-256 BC) and were built in concentric circles around the Forbidden City during the Ming Dynasty (15th century AD). While many of Beijing’s hutongs have been replaced by modern structures, those still standing remain an important cultural element of the city. In a city full of palaces and monuments, the Beijing hutongs represent the lives of ordinary Beijinger people throughout history.
On a guided sightseeing tour of Beijing you will explore the landmark sights of ancient and modern China. Covering the area of 90 football fields, Tiananmen Square can hold over 300,000 people and has always been the site for public proclamations and demonstrations. Mao Tse Tung announced the founding of Communist China here in 1949, and 40 years later student protests against the excesses of that government led to the massacres that unfortunately remain the square’s foremost association in the minds of most visitors. The gate at the southern end of the square marks the old city walls, not removed until 1958. See the nerve center of modern China in the adjoining People’s Hall, the legislative building, where each of the 32 reception rooms is lavishly
decorated in the style of a different province or city. In the main hall, 500 light bulbs
illuminate the enormous red star on the ceiling. Move into ancient China in the Forbidden City, the formidable 9,000-room palace complex — protected by a 170ft.-wide moat — that housed China’s emperors from 1421 until 1923. Think that’s grand? The 700 acres of the Summer Palace, a seasonal retreat for the emperors, include a half-mile hallway painted with scenes from China’s history, the most beautiful gardens in the country, and a 118ft. carved marble boat decked out with stained-glass windows so that the empress could enjoy her palace lakes in private.
Ready to go? Choose any of our student travel itineraries to Asia for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.