Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Beijing & the Great Wall
Beijing is China's supreme historic capital. Other Chinese towns may trumpet
lengthier histories, but none offers such tangible proof of its dynastic heritage or
concocts the same imperial splendour. Yet Beijing (the name means 'Northern
Capital') is also the up-to-the-minute capital of a nation undergoing the greatest
transformation that China - and the world - has ever witnessed. You'll en-
counter modernity and a switched-on, confident populace, but it's the backdrop
of enchanting alleyways, imperial palaces and incense-wreathed temples that
makes Beijing so unique.
Shedding bricks willy-nilly into gullies and ravines, the Great Wall is China's
standout ruin, careening haphazardly across Beijing's undulating north. Even
though its remains crumble across northern China, the wall is essentially syn-
onymous with Beijing, its most popular access point. To the east, the Hebei
town of Chengde is home to a magnificent imperial resort and a delightful
sprinkling of Qing-dynasty temples.
