Hiking along the Central Axis of Beijing City

You will be met by your tour guide at 08:00 A.M. and go to the Temple of Heaven by public transportation (bus or subway), which was initially built for the annual ceremonies by the emperors to pray to the god of Heaven for good harvest. In there, you may see local people practise Tai Chi, playing badminton/Chinese Chess/cards, or hundreds of people singing & dancing together as a competition. (roughly 1.5 hours in the Temple of Heaven)

Then you will walk all the way from Temple of Heaven to the Tiananmen Square (about 30 minutes walking), via the Qianmen pedestrian sreet. The Tiananmen Square, which occupies an area of 49 hectares (122 acres), big enough to hold half a million people. (20 minutes on the square).

Next, you will walk to the entrance of the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was the imperial palaces of the Ming and Qing dynasties. In early 15th century, large-scale construction involved 100, 000 artisans and one million civilians. The construction took 14 years and was finished in 1420. In the following year, the capital of the Ming Dynasty was moved from Nanjing to Beijing. Twenty-four emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties ruled from the Forbidden City. The last dynasty fell in 1911, but Emperor Puyi still lived in the inner court. It was not until 1925that the complex was converted into a museum. Since then the palace has been opened to the public. (1.5 hours in the Forbidden City).

Afterwards, you will walk out of the Forbidden City through the north gate and walk to the the old quarter of Beijing – Hutongs (about 40 minutes' walking or 20 minutes by bike) and you will have chance to enjoy your lunch in a local family. Hutong is a Mongolian word meaning water well. At nine meters wide, it is the name given to a lane or small street that originated during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368). Now they have become representatives of local culture, thus it is the first choice for people who would like to learn about the local history and culture. Also, you can walk to the end of the Central Axis – the Drum Tower, enjoy the bird-eye view of the axis and the old Beijing city. (about 1.5 hours at the Hutong area).