Best tips to keep in mind when visiting Beijing

When taking a tourist trip to a big city like Pekin, the capital of China, it is important to have a first vision of what you are going to find when you arrive there.

And it is also important to have a basic knowledge of the history of the Chinese capital that allows you to understand the significance of the main places you are going to visit.

To this end, here we are going to tell you various basic information and historical curiosities and we are going to give you some tips for your visit to Beijing, a totally essential visit on a trip to that great country that is China.

Curiosities of the history of Beijing

At the outset you should know that the name of Pekin It is the adaptation to Spanish of the name of the capital from the Chinese language.

And the name of Beijing which you will also see used frequently, is the Anglo-Saxon adaptation to English.

The origins of the city Beijing They date back to the first human settlements in 1.000 BC, but it was after the occupation by the Mongols, in 1215, when this city became more prominent in China.

Indeed, after being devastated by the Mongol invasion, a few years later it was rebuilt and became considered the Great Capital.

And when the dynasty Ming expelled the Mongols, after a period in which the capital of China was Nanjing, finally in 1405 the third emperor Ming definitively moved said capital to Beijing.

As a curiosity, I will tell you that it was at that time when the impressive Imperial Palace Forbidden CityAs well as Heaven Temple.

What is Beijing like today?

Today, Pekin It is a huge city with more than 17 million inhabitants, the second in population in China, after Shanghai, so the distances in your travels can be very large.

Although the city extends with large avenues and highways that cross or surround the city, there is a lot of traffic and traffic jams are constant.

Luckily, for numerous trips you have a subway network, which is not too extensive, but covers the most prominent areas of the city.

It is known that China It is a country that is in a rapid process of development towards modernity.

Thus, at the time of plan a trip to china, it can be said that if you visit Xian o Pingyao, you will see the China of the past.

Whereas in Shanghai You will find a reflection of what China will be in the future, one of whose best examples is the former colony of Hong Kong, integrated into this great country for years.

And in Pekin It finds you the best exponent of today's China, with a modernization process that reflects a mix between historical tradition and modernity.

What to see when visiting Beijing

As an example of this process of adaptation to modernity, in Pekin you can visit some of the most important historical monuments of china.

But, also, as you move around the city you will find large areas with neighborhoods of traditional houses.

These neighborhoods are called hutong, some of which, given the advance of modernity, have had to be protected.

On your visit to the hutong you will be able to see how people traditionally lived in Beijing, in low houses with a central patio, where in many cases several families lived together.

But the current image of Beijing shows completely modernized urban areas, with large and very modern skyscrapers.

Monuments in Beijing

From the monumental point, the nerve center of your visit will be the enormous Tiananmen Square, where some of the most important monuments of the city are concentrated.

Apart from monuments such as Monument to the People's Heroes or Memorial to Mao ZedongWithout a doubt the place to visit is Imperial Palace, better known as Forbidden City,

That is where much of the history of a country like China is concentrated, and during your visit to this palace complex you will visit numerous palaces and sites of interest.

Temples in Beijing

When it comes to temples, the great reference is known as the Heaven Temple, completed in 1420, a ceremonial monument used by Chinese emperors throughout history.

There you can walk through corners like the Tiantan Park, Circular Altar or the Imperial Vault of Heaven.

Summer Palace in Beijing

Another notable corner of the city is the summer Palace, the summer residence of Chinese emperors, where you will walk through extensive gardens, sail on a lake and tour numerous palatial buildings.

Beijing surroundings

In around Beijing You have another visit that must be essential on your trip to China.

I mean close Wall of China, great construction of the from the capital you can visit several sections with different characteristics.

From the most touristic stretch of Badaling, even the native of Simataia.

Finally, another interesting place to visit near Beijing is the Ming Tombs, a place where up to 13 emperors of said dynasty of emperors are known to have been buried, although only three of them have been brought to light.

Beijing tours in Spanish

For your trip you also have the option of getting to know the Chinese capital accompanied by a guide who speaks to you in Spanish, and without a doubt the best way is to hire one of the various Beijing private tours.

Specifically, you can sign up for Top 3 in Beijing in one day, tour in which you will visit the Forbidden City, summer Palace and Heaven Temple.

Or also to Beijing Contrasts Tour, in which you will see everything from the hutongs and historic temples, to the Olympic Village and the most modern and commercial streets.

And, of course, you also have the option of signing up for Tour to the Chinese Wall, in which you will choose which sector you prefer to visit.