Mysterious China Blog

The sprawling grounds of the Summer Palace (Yihe Yuan) served the Qing Dynasty as an imperial retreat from the stifling summer confines of the Forbidden City. Despite existing as an imperial park in earlier dynasties, it was not until the time of Emperor Qianlong, who reigned from 1736 to 1795, ...

Completed during the Ming Dynasty, the Temple of Heaven, more correctly known as Tian Tan, is one of the largest temple complexes in China and a paradigm of Chinese architectural balance and symbolism. It was here that the emperor ...

Forming the very heart of Beijing, the Forbidden City, officially known as the Palace Museum (Gugong), is China's most magnificent architectural complex and was completed in 1420. The huge palace is a compendium of imperial architecture and a lasting ...

Tiananmen Square, the Square of the Gate of Heavenly Peace, is a vast open concrete expanse at the heart of modern Beijing. President Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949 in ...