This is the world's largest public square but is dotted with political offices instead of any pretty flowers or plants. This area serves as the final resting place for the communist chairman Mao Zedong. This square is famous for the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations in China which ended in bloody civilian deaths at the arms of Chinese soldiers. In many regards, this is the center of Chinese political power and the birthplace of communist China. The long name for the square is Tian'an Men Guangchang or the Square of the Gate of Heavenly Peace. In this area, you can visit the numueros government offices, monuments and the Chinese National Museum.

The Forbidden City

The city of the emperors once reserved for only members of the imperial court now is open to visitors from near and far abroad - the largest and greatest of palaces complexes from the “old” China. Over 24 emperors issued their edicts from the halls of this grand monument for over 500 years and still serve as the symbolic center of the universe for the children of Han (China). The palace has since been converted to a “Palace Museum” and opened to the public since 1949. Another many things to see is the Imperial Garden and the hall of Supreme Harmony (the throne room). This collection of buildings takes all of its visitors back to ancient china and even see places where historic moments were made.

The Great Wall of China

Within 40 miles from Beijing, the Great Wall of China is the most famous and visible of China's cultural and ancient history. The wall was created by numerous rulers after the unification of China into one empire by Qin Shi Huangdi in 221 BC. Most hotels in the region offer tourists the visit to the Great Walls and to the Ming Tombs that house the dead emperors of China's forgotten era. You can visit the four sites that have been preserved from the damage that have occurred to the walls and check out the Great Wall Museum which shows the history of the area from the Neolithic time period. Overall, this trip is an adventurers and a archeologists wet dream.

The Lama Temple

One of Beijing's most attractice places of worship is the Buddhist Lama Temple. It is made up of five different sections or halls, where each section or hall is taller than the pervious. Thus walking through the temple represents walking from earth into the heavens. The temple was originally the home of Yongzheng who became the Qing Emperor in 1722. There are many sites to visit including the Hall of the Wheel of Dharma, which shows the statue of Tsongkhapa who is the founder of Yellow Hat Sect of Buddhism led by the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama of Tibet. The temple has gone through extreme persecution at the hands of the Chinese authorities but slowly it is coming back. Now over 70 monks serve in the temple which was built to house over 1500 monks.

Hou Hai

The area is the cental hub for the city life in Beijing and the shopping center. Hou Hai has traditionally been the home to nobles and the wealthy in aristocratic China and most of the houses here offer a glimpse back in time. Many of the lakside restaurants, bars and vafes offer attratice views and waterfront terraces for visitors. There are many activities to do including Boating, Skating, and a cheap Rickshaw tour of the entire city. During the day time, it is perfect to visit the area to shop, visit the historic landmarks and homes. But at night, it is a romantic sight to behold. Candles are lit and floated into the waters while you enjoy your romantic dinner at the waterfront glimmering in the night's beauty. Hou Hai really captures the essence of modern China trapped within its past.

Siangde Temple is a scenic spot that is surrounded by green mountains resembles 9 lotuses and thus it is named as Nine Lotus or Jiuhuashan in Taiwan. It is situated on a plateau across the Liwu River where vehicles cannot reach and hence this temple remains as a tranquility place. This temple has become part of the wonderful scenery spots in Taroko National Park of Taiwan, which is near to the Taroko village of Tiansheng overlooking Pudu Bridge. Here an amazing sight of a 12-meter tall giant statue of the Earth Store Bodhisattva rises above the surrounding greenery.




The nuns at the temple are friendly and most welcoming. This temple not only allows you to worship Buddha but also lets you look down over the Tiansiang terraces and lovely gorge scenery. Each year, many believers besides foreign visitors come from all over the places to worship Buddha or practice moral teachings here.

Haeinsa Temple - Korea

Haeinsa Temple is the most beautiful sacred spot in Gayasan National Park which was established by two monks, Sunung and Ijong during the early 9th century to devote the studies of the sutra.

Literally, "Haein" means a reflection on a calm sea which is a phrase derived from the Avatamsaka sutra.

The main highlight in this temple is its Tripitaka Koreana which is 81,258 wooden printing blocks carved during the Goryo Dynasty (AD 918 - 1392). These carvings have been well kept as the best Buddhist scriptures in the world. Besides that this temple has many images of Buddha like Manjusri and Samantabhadra. It accommodates many other artifacts found at Cheongyansa Temple and the Stone Pagoda at Wolgwang Temple in Korea.

Angkor Wat - Cambodia

Angkor Wat is a huge pyramid temple built by the Khmer civilization between 1130 and 1150 A.D. at Angkor, Cambodia. It was built during the early year of the 12th century for King Suryavarman II (ruled 1113-1150 A.D.) in his state to honor the Hindu god Vishnu which is a symbolic representation of Hindu cosmology.

This temple is regarded as the supreme masterpiece of Khmer architecture as it is surrounded by a 655 feet wide moat and it is about 4 miles long. At the center of the temple, one can see a quincunx of towers.

Its five inter-nested rectangular walls and moats symbolizing range of mountains and the cosmic ocean. Its extensive bas-relief carvings and numerous devatas (guardian spirits) adorning its walls represent the mankind's high quality and most amazing architecture achievement. Angkor Wat is particularly well-known for its stunning sculpted murals on its interior walls of the palace and mortuary. Therefore, it is not surprising to hear that it is ranked among the foremost architectural wonders of the world as well as the largest religious monument in the world.

Shaolin Temple - China

Shaolin Temple (Shàolínsì) is a famous Chinese martial arts (or Wushu Chan) temple in China which is situated in Songshan Mountains, eight miles from Dengfeng and 50 miles away from the southwest of Zengzhou, the capital of Henan Province.

It was established during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386 - 534) in 495 A.D. Emperor Xiaowen, who was a believer of Buddhism decided to build this temple on Mt. Song to house Batuo (or Buddhabhadra), an Indian monk who came to Luoyang, the ancient capital in 464 A.D for spreading Buddhist teachings.

Another Indian monk, Damo (Bodhidharma, Bhadra or Fotuo) who was the creator of Chinese Zen came to Shaolin in 517 A.D. He was allegedly meditating in a cave for 9 years and was said to have written the famous "Yijinjing," the fundamental of Shaolin martial arts or Gongfu.

During the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), this temple attained its glory moment by housing over 1,000 soldier monks who were used by the government to combat against the rebellions and Japanese bandits. Nevertheless, during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) the martial arts was strictly prohibited. Between 1644 and 1928, the Shaolin temple was severely burnt several times, with the largest fire set in 1928 by the army of Shi Yousan in order to demolish the buildings of Shaolin Temple. The fire also destroyed almost all the temple's classical literature and records.

One can see over 300 ancient stone inscriptions with some of them created by the famous calligraphers, Ming-dynasty mural of 500 arhats adorning The Thousand Buddha Hall, about 200m up the hill from the temple are 232 pagodas (or the forest of pagodas) which are tombs of Shaolin monks from the 9th to 19th centuries with each inscribed with the names of the monk and his disciples, Qing murals adorning the White Robe Hall depicting the Rescue of Emperor Tai Zong by 13 Monks which show typical kung-fu moves, and many noted relics at Shaolin Temple. Other structures that greet visitors to this temple include a Bell Tower, a Drum Tower, Mahavira Hall, Hall of the Heavenly Kings, Fangzhang Hall (resting place for the temple's abbots) and over 5000 Buddhist sutras are well-kept in the library of the Sutra-Keeping Pavilion.

The most interesting relics are the murals adorning the Eastern Hall which depict groups of boxing monks. With such unique features, Shaolin Temple is well known in China and in abroad.

Wat Rong Khun - Thailand

Wat Rong Khun is the famous and impressed Buddhist temple located in a northern province in Thailand of Pa O Don Chai Sub-District, Mueang District, Chaingrai. This temple is about 5km away from Chiangrai, 10km from the Chiang Mai-Chiang Rai-Phayao Junction, 10km away from the Mae Suay Junction, 13km south of Chiang Rai City, or about 100m from the main superhighway to Chiangrai, Thailand. It was designed by Chalermchai Kositpipat, the famous national artist who has vowed to immerse himself deeply to serve the religion by constructing Wat Rong Khun since 1997 when he was 42 to the last day of his life to the temple.

His unique and majestic architecture and craftsman creations have been attracting large groups of foreign visitors visiting this temple. According to Thailand's tourist information, this temple had attracted over 1.8 million visitors, of which 140,000 were foreigners.

"Only death can stop my dream, but cannot stop my project," said Chalermchai Kositpipat, the creator of Wat Rong Khun in his book entitled "Sang Buddhasilp Puer Pandin" (Creating Buddhist arts for the Motherland) that his intention is to create the replica of magnificent and elegant temple as a heaven realm, an earthly paradise that humankind can experience.

Wat Rong Khun is a unique temple which is different from any other temples in Thailand as the Ubosot (consecrated assembly hall or chapel) has pure white color and white glittering mosaic glasses to enable it sparkles and shines throughout the day and night.

According to Chalermchai Kositpipat, the white color symbolises the Lord Buddha's purity while the white glass represents the Lord Buddha's wisdom that shines brightly all over the earth and the universe. This temple is a fine mixture of traditional Buddhist masterpiece and it is designed with small pieces of mirrored glass to add in a spacious and magical look particularly when it is viewed in the moonlight hours. The entrance to the main prayer hall has a disconcerting sea of hands, reaching out from the hell to beg for help. Inside this white temple are murals and paintings of the Buddha image and painted enamel ceramic floor.

While walking into the main chapel, you will be amazed by the statue of Lord Buddha, and this statue seems as though it is floating in the timelessness of space. There are 4 kinds of animals on its roof with the elephant represents earth, the dragon represents water, the swan's wings represent wind and the lion's chest represents fire. The bridge symbolises the crossing over from the cycle of rebirth to the Abode of Buddha while the small semicircle before the bridge symbolises the human world. The mouth of Rama or Rahu is represented by the big circle with fangs, meaning impurities in the mind and a symbolisation of hell or suffering as well.

Borobudur - Indonesia

Borobudur is regarded as one of the seven wonders and the largest and unusual Buddhist monument in the world.



It is located at Borobudur District, South of Magelang, and Central Jaya of Indonesia. It was constructed on a bedrock hill, 265meters (869 feet) above sea level out of an estimated 1,600,000 blocks of volcanic stones dredging from the river in the 8th and 9th centuries by the kingdom of Sailendra who ruled in Central Java at that time. The inscription dated 842 A.D. suggested that Borobudur was one time a sacred place for praying. Evidence explains that Borobudur was abandoned following the decline of Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms in Jaya and the Javanese conversion to Islam in the 14th century. It was then rediscovered by the British Governor of Java, Sir Thomas Raffles in 1814.

In 1968, the Indonesian government with the assistance of UNESCO launched a campaign of "Save Borobudur" to undertake restoration project to rebuilt Borobudur, and the major renovation of Borobudur was funded by UNESCO, who designated Borobudur as a World Heritage Site. Thereafter, in every May or June, Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak Day at Borobudur in order to commemorate the birth, death, and the time when Siddhārtha Gautama attained the highest wisdom to become the Buddha Shakyamuni. Now, Borobudur is Indonesia's major tourist attraction spot with approximately 2.5 million visitors annually.

Borobudur has an overall height of 42 meters, but its height is 34.5 meters after the restoration. It has a dimension of 123 x 123 meters or 15,129 square meters. Its nine-terraced temple symbolises the transition towards nirvana and is well-known for its 1,500 intricately carved reliefs.

This monument is facing eastward with 1460 panels (each with 2 meters in width) and is decorated with 2,670 bas reliefs (1,460 narrative and 1,212 decorative panels) and 504 Buddha statues (including the intact and damaged statues). The first floor up to the 6th floor is in square platforms, while the 7th to the 10th floor is in concentric circular platforms.

Borobudur has many Buddha statues. One can see 6 different postures of Buddha's statue from the bottom to the top representing "contact with earth," "giving and helping," "meditation," "no fear," "teach and learn" and "turn of wills." A main dome which is located at the center of the top platform is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.

The first circular platform has 32 stupas, the second 24 and the third 16, that sum up to 72 stupas. The cross-legged Buddha statues are seated in lotus position which is distributed on the Rupadhatu level (on the five square platforms) arranging in rows on the outer sides of the balustrades, and the Arupadhatu level (on the top platform).

The Temple of Heaven - China

The magnificent and colorful Temple of Heaven literally means the Altar of Heaven (Tiāntán) is a complex of Taoist temple that was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to offer sacrifice to heaven and pray for good harvests. It was constructed between 1406 and 1420 A.D. during the reign of Ming Dynasty, Yongle Emperor (1406 - 1420), who was also responsible for the establishment of the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Originally, the temple was established as the Temple of Heaven and Earth, but it was expanded and renamed as Temple of Heaven during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor (1522 - 1567) in the 16th century, who built three prominent temples include Temple of Sun (ri tan), Temple of Earth (di tan) and Temple of Moon (yue tan) which can be found respectively in the east, north and west of Beijing. In the 18th century, during the reign of Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Emperor (1736 -1795) ordered to renovate this temple. In 1914, it was recorded that the President of the Republic of China, Yuan Shih-kai performed a Ming prayer ceremony at this temple as part of his effort to declare himself as Emperor of China. In 1961, it was listed by the State Council as "one of the key monuments under the state protection" as it is regarded as one of the most strictly protected and preserved cultural heritages of China. By 1998, this temple was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Since the founding of New China, the government has allocated large amounts of money to protect the cultural monuments in the Temple of Heaven. Each year, about 12 million visitors visit this temple.

The Temple of Heaven is much bigger than the Forbidden City but smaller than the Summer Palace, occupying an area of about 2,700,000 square meters (667 acres) which is about 4 times bigger than the area of the Forbidden City. As the feudal Chinese emperors regarded themselves as "The Son of Heaven" with their roles as head of a feudal system with a mandate from the heaven and thus they dared not build their own dwelling in Forbidden City bigger than a dwelling in Heaven.

The Temple of Heaven is a worthwhile visiting place in Beijing as it was a grand masterpiece and magnificent architecture of the Chinese People in the ancient times, coupling with its long history, deep cultural properties and magnificent architectural style reflects the ancient culture of the Orient. The layout of the Temple of Heaven is in accordance with the numerology and principles dating back to pre-Confucian times; with its semicircular northern part wall symbolizes the heaven while the southern part is square symbolizes the earth. This layout of walls reflects the ancient Chinese concept of the cosmogony: The sky is round and the earth is square. The design of the northern part being higher than the southern part is due to the ancient Chinese religious belief that the heaven is higher than the earth. Similarly, the roofs of the important structures in this temple are all tiled in blue symbolizing the color of the heaven and sky. The symbolism was essential as it is served as the place where the emperor as the "Son of Heaven" dwelt in was directly beseeched Heaven to provide a bountiful harvest throughout the land. This was particularly of much importance as during the imperial period the base of China's wealth was agriculture.

The primary buildings in this temple are three-layer-terrace Circular Mount Altar (a place where the sacrificial rite was held on the winter solstice) with white marble in its south and the 38-meter-high Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests (a place where emperors prayed for favorable weather and ample harvests) with round roof and three layers of eaves in its north which are lined in the central axis of the whole temple and are connected by a 36-meter-long bridge.


Inside the hall are 28 huge posts with the four posts along the inner circle represent 4 seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter; the 12 posts along the middle circle represent the 12 months; and 12 posts along the outer circle represent 12 Shichen (one Shichen in the past equaled to 2 hours and a whole day was divided into 12 Shichen). Subsidiary buildings include Imperial Vault of Heaven, the Hall of Abstinence, the Long Corridor, Seven Meteoric Stones, a Beamless Hall, the Bell Tower, and relatively small halls.

Another unique feature for you to see is a Nine-Dragon Cypress which is branches resembles nine dragons wind with each other. It was told that the cypress was planted over 500 years ago.

Outside the gate of the Imperial Vault of Heaven is Three Echo Stones. Here, if you speak facing the Vault while standing on the first stone, you will hear one echo; standing on the second and the third stone, you will hear two and three echoes respectively. Other interesting place for you to visit is a round Echo Wall which encloses the Imperial Vault of Heaven with 193 meter (633 feet) in its perimeter.

If you and your friend stand at the east and the west roots of the wall and you whisper a word, then your friend will hear what you said clearly even he is standing at the wall with a distance of 100 to 200 meters (328 -656 feet). The main hall in the temple was built to be a round pavilion with dark blue roof symbolizing heaven.

The East Assistant Hall worships the gods of stars including the sun, the Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, dipper and Saturn. The gods of natural phenomenon including wind, lightning, rain and thunder are placed in the West Assistance Hall of the Temple of Heaven.

GuGong, China

• Airfare from New York (JFK) - $1,497; from Los Angeles (LAX) - $1,356; from London (LHR) - $1,071
• Nearest Hotel: Shangri-la China World Hotel; Cost per night (avg.) - $314
  

Imperial Palace or GuGong (Forbidden City, Zijincheng) in China was a Royal Administrative site for royal use and public access during the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Chinese history. It was recorded that the third emperor of dynasty Ming built this palace before he successfully took over the politic and crowned himself emperor. There have been a total of 24 emperors of Ming and Qing who dwelt in this palace. The palace has 9,000 rooms to accommodate imperial families, administrators, eunuchs, maids and soldiers. It has also served as a major location for discussing internal administrative affairs. Now, this palace has been turned into a national museum for tourists to visit and preserves many classical Chinese architectural structures of imperial splendor.

Located in the heart of Beijing, it has easy access to Tiananmen Square while the city of Wangfujing is located to the east. In 1961, this ancient palace was approved by the State Council as the National Palace Museum displaying protected heritages. By 1987, the palace was listed by UNESCO as a “World Heritage”, reflecting the cultural dimension of historical value which has gained international recognition.

The White House, United States of America

• Airfare from New York (JFK) - $136; from Los Angeles (LAX) - $226; from London (LHR) - $684
• Nearest Hotel: The Captial Hilton; Cost per night (avg.) - $399

The White House is one of the more well known symbols of America and is obviously home to the president of the United States and his family. This "palace" is a two-story building and is located in Washington, DC. It was initially established in 1792 and officially became the US President’s official residence in 1800. President Roosevelt first used the phrase “White House” in 1902, referring the to white color of the Presidential residence.

Buckingham Palace, England

• Airfare from New York (JFK) - ; from Los Angeles (LAX) - $614
• Nearest Hotel: Crown Plaza London St. James; Cost per night (avg.) - $296

Buckingham Palace was a palace originally established for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703. In 1761, George III used this palace as his private residence and it was then known as “The Queen’s House”. It became the royal palace of Queen Victoria in 1837 and includes 19 state rooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, 78 bathrooms and 52 principal bedrooms as reported in a 1999 book published by the Royal Collection Department. There is a well known statue of Queen Victoria created by the sculptor Sir Thomas Brock in 1911 in front of the main gate.

Grand Kremlin Palace, Russia

• Airfare from New York (JFK) - $972; from Los Angeles (LAX) - $1207; from London (LHR) - $520
• Nearest Hotel: Swissotel Krasnye Holmy; Cost per night (avg.) - $438

Grand Kremlin Palace or Great Kremlin Palace was built between 1837 to 1851 on Borovitsky Hill in Moscow, Russia. The exterior building portrays medieval Russian and Byzantine architecture and includes nine churches from the 14th, 16th and 17th centuries, and more than 700 rooms. It was reported that the former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and the former Soviet General Secretary Mikhael Gorbachev signed the INF Treaty at the Grand Kremlin Palace during the Moscow Summit on June 1, 1988.

Palace of Versailles, France

• Airfare from New York (JFK) - $629; from Los Angeles (LAX) - $759; from London (LHR) - $214
• Nearest Hotel: Pullman Versailles Château; Cost per night (avg.) - $237

Palace of Versailles or Versailles was built in the 16th century under Louis XVI. It is located in the city of Versailles, 16 km west-southwest of Paris, France. It includes a 70 meter long hall of mirrors, luxurious apartments built for the king and the queen and the famous Le Norte French park. Before the 1789 revolution, it served as the center of the French monarchy which housed 20,000 nobles and was finally turned into a museum by Louis-Philippe in 1837.

The Potala Palace, Tibet

Due to the present unrest in Tibet, travel anywhere near the palace is currently highly restricted.

The Potala Palace was established at an altitude of 3,700 meters on the side of the Marpo Ri in the center of Lhasa Valley in China. The palace was built by King Songtsen Gambo to greet his bride, Princess Wen Cheng of the Tang Dynasty of China. This palace has been recently named one of the “New Seven Wonders” by the American television show “Good Morning America” and the newspaper “USA Today”. The palace occupies an area of 41 hectares, is 115 meters in height and has a 13-storey main residence. It is divided into the “red palace” for religious affairs and the "white palace" for political affairs. The palace is richly decorated with paintings, jewels and ornaments.

The Topkapi Palace, Turkey

• Airfare from New York (JFK) - $1,262; from Los Angeles (LAX) - $1,239; from London (LHR) - $375
• Nearest Hotel: 7 Hills Hotel; Cost per night (avg.) - $322

The Topkapi Palace is a glorious building located on the Seraglio Point overlooking the Sea of Marmara and Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. Its initial construction commenced in 1459 and it was built under the orders of Sultan Mehmed II who was a conqueror of Byzantine Constantinople. From the 15th to the 19th centuries, this palace was the official and primary residence of Ottoman Sultans until the reign of Abdulmecid I (1839-1860). The palace portrays classic Ottoman architecture and also contains huge collections of Ottoman miniatures, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts and murals, robes, porcelain, shields, armor, and a large display of Ottoman treasure and jewelry as well.

Blenheim Palace, England

• Airfare from New York (JFK) - ; from Los Angeles (LAX) - $614
• Nearest Hotel: Macdonald Bear Hotel; Lowest per night (avg.) - $183

Blenheim Palace is one of England’s largest houses and was constructed between 1705 and 1722 in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. This palace was originally a gift to John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, in the military triumph against the Bavarians and French. The palace is surrounded by a magnificent lake, sweeping lawns and formal gardens. Inside the palace, the highlights of particular interest are the beautiful carvings and paintings, as well as the monumental Great Hall with its painted ceiling depicting the battle of Blenheim. The state rooms are decorated with numerous hanging tapestries and includes a room commemorating Sir Winston Churchill with elegant pieces of furniture and large collections of portraits by Van Dyck, Laguerre, Reynolds and Kneller. In 1987, this palace claimed its place on a list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Note: All prices are in US Dollars and are approximate/average prices from a general search. Airfares given are round-trip fares and do not necessarily include all taxes.

Once an old traditional silk street, now it's increased up to become a mall to rival USA. It has a wide selection of goods, mainly Electronics and Clothes. It also features a good selection of Departmental stores filled with imported goods. The quality is best as anywhere in Beijing. It contains several important stores such as a Tea Shop, the Foreign Language Bookstore (English), Wangfujing Bookstore(Chinese), The China Woman and Children Department and Hat Store.

It is located near the Xi Dan Street and Tienanmen Square on the Chang'an. It is served by the Beijing Subway. It is completely Car-Free except for the tour wagons and Small Police Golf-Like Cars. It is very common to see the street completely packed with lots and lots of people.

It starts from Wangfujing Nankou, where the Oriental Plaza and the Beijing Hotel are located. It then heads north, passing the Wangfujing Xinhua Bookstore, the Beijing Department Store as well as the Beijing Foreign Languages Bookstore before terminating at the Sun Dong An Plaza.

It contains many food stores and fast foods like Pizza Hut, McDonalds, KFC, Muslim Restaurants, etc.

It is the best downtown mall in Beijing and if you are visiting Beijing, don't forget to go to Wangfujing.