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Indeed, in traditional thinking all under heaven belonged to Yongle,
a belief emphasized by the country’s name for itself: Zhong Guo, the Middle Kingdom.
There was a reason for this. At the time, China was still the world’s economic superpower. With no competitors (Europe was in its infancy), China was confident of its superiority, and Yongle’s capital was appropriately grand, a throne fit for the Son of Heaven.
At the capital’s centre was Yongle’s Palace, The Forbidden City. Spread over 250 acres, this vast complex is a maze of courtyards and ceremonial halls surrounded by towering walls.
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The Great Wall of China
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06 ENDLESS VACATION
It is designed to humble you, and it does. For 500 years it was a fitting home for an emperor.
Even more forbidding is the Great Wall of China. Stretching almost 4,000 miles across northern China, it took 1,800 years and countless lives to build. Stretching almost 4,000 miles, several sections are easily accessible from Beijing.The most famous is Badaling, an hour’s drive northwest of the city.
About an hour northeast of the city, the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall has expansive scenery, and fewer tourists. About three hours northeast of the city are the semi-ruined sections of Simatai and Jinshanling, which though overgrown are still beautiful.
Go For Gold
As host of the 2008 Olympics, Beijing today bears little resemblance to the one Yongle knew. Modern Beijing’s own imperial palace is one
of the most talked-about buildings
in Asia. The grand Olympic stadium, dubbed the Bird’s Nest, is alien to any Chinese architectural tradition.
Adjacent to the Bird’s Nest is an angular, rectangular structure whose exterior is a honeycomb of blue bubbles. Known as the Water Cube, it was the stage for the Olympic swimming and diving events.
The essence of Beijing is more than its buildings.