3．灿若星辰多古迹
北京具有悠久的历史文化，丰富的人文景观，大量的历史古迹，来到北京，就像来到了一个中国历史文化的大博物馆，需要你用足够的时间去领略它的魅力。
故宫 故宫以前称为紫禁城，是明清两代皇宫，也是中国现存的最大最完整的古建筑群。太和殿、中和殿、保和殿是古代皇帝处理政事的场所，乾清宫、交泰殿、坤宁宫是皇帝的生活区。所有的宫殿建筑都是木制结构、黄琉璃瓦顶、青白石底座，并饰以金碧辉煌的彩画。此外，皇家祭祀用的坛庙也很有特色，如太庙、社稷坛等。1988年，这组辉煌的建筑已经被联合国教科文组织列为“世界文化遗产”名录。
长城 长城是中华民族的象征，全长6000多千米，是世界上最伟大的建筑之一。八达岭长城是明长城中保存最好的一段，海拔1000多米，地势险峻，依山而建，是中国古代建筑工程的杰出代表。
颐和园 颐和园是中国现存规模最大、保存最完整的皇家园林，位于北京西北郊。占地面积达293公顷，主要由宫廷区、万寿山和昆明湖三个景区组成。园中的建筑布局巧妙，从万寿山的山顶向下，由佛香阁、德辉殿、排云殿、排云门、云辉玉宇坊，构成了一条中轴线。山下是一条长700多米的长廊，长廊面对着碧波荡漾的昆明湖。
颐和园中以仁寿殿为中心的行政区，是清朝慈禧太后和光绪皇帝坐朝听政和会见外宾的地方。仁寿殿后乐寿堂、玉澜堂和宜芸馆三座大型四合院分别为慈禧、光绪和后妃们居住的地方。
潭柘寺 潭柘寺位于北京市门头沟区潭柘山，是北京现存最早的佛寺。潭柘寺始建于晋代。寺前的上下塔院里有金、元、明、清各代塔群数十座，是历代有名的方丈及禅师的墓地，元世祖忽必烈的女儿妙严大师的墓塔也在这里。三圣殿东侧有一株名叫帝王树的银杏树，高30多米，树干粗达六七米，相传种植于辽代，已经有近千年的历史了。另外，殿西侧还有一棵树枝干丛生，传说每出生一个帝王，这棵树就增生出一株枝干，所以就叫作配王树。寺内现存建筑多为明、清时期所建。殿堂依山势而建，形成阶梯状，层层升高，错落有序。
在宗教建筑风格各异的北京，除了建筑最早的潭柘寺，还有作为历代北方佛教圣地的云山寺，辽代建筑的天宁寺，具有异域风格的真觉寺等。
另外，清代的王府邸、明十三陵，以及为数众多的名人故居都是重温历史的好地方。
胡同作为北京特有的古老城市小巷，最早形成于元朝，至今已有几百年的历史了。多达上千条的胡同分布在紫禁城的周围，排列有序，秩序井然。当时北京的普通老百姓就居住在这些纵横交错的胡同中，也形成了北京特有的市井文化。
北京人居住的四合院就分布在胡同中，四合院是一种由东西南北四座房屋，以四四方方对称形式围在一起的封闭式建筑。普通百姓的四合院建造比较简单，以木制结构为主，但布局却十分严谨，四合院内的房间都按照辈分进行排列。
在北京传统的名吃中，除北京烤鸭，还有众多的特色食品，例如酸梅汤、炸酱面和柿子。酸梅汤最早是为皇帝制作的解暑的饮料，后来传到民间，深受百姓的喜爱。炸酱面是用半肥瘦猪肉丁加葱、姜、蒜等在油锅炸炒，加黄稀酱制作而成，味道鲜美，油而不腻。每到10月就是柿子收获的季节，北京的柿子味道香甜，口味纯正，而且有多种吃法，可以晒制柿饼、熬粥等。
3. Historical Relics
Beijing, a land with time-honored history and culture, a land decorated by numerous man-made landscapes and historical relics, is a grand and glamorous museum of Chinese history and culture.
Imperial Palace
The Imperial Palace, also known as the Forbidden City was where the emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties worked and lived. It is the biggest and most complete one among all the ancient building complexes preserved until now in China. The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony were where the emperor handled state affairs while The Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Union and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility were the residences of the emperor. Built with wood, rested on the white marble stone, roofed with golden glazed tiles and decorated with glittering paintings, all the palaces reveal stateliness of the emperor and the nobility of the royal family. Shrines such as Tai Miao (the Imperial Shrine of Family) and Sheji Tan (the Imperial Shrine of State) to the south of the Forbidden City are also of unique features. In 1988, the Imperial Palace was listed as "the World Cultural Heritage" by UNESCO.
Great Wall
Winding along more than six thousand kilometers, the Great Wall is a symbol of the Chinese nation and one of the man-made wonders in the world. Badaling Great Wall is the best preserved section of the Great Wall of the Ming dynasty. Built in conformity of the landform of the mountain which is more than 1,000 meters above the sea level, Badaling Great Wall is a proof to the architectural excellence of the ancient China.
Summer Palace
Situated northeast of Beijing, Summer Palace is the biggest and best preserved imperial garden. Covering an area of 293 hectares, the palace has three major scenic areas: the adminstrative area, the Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. The construction of the buildings were so designed that one may visit the Tower of the Buddhist Incense, the Hall of Moral Brilliance, the Hall of Dispelling Clouds, the Gate of Dispelling Clouds as well as the Archway of Bright Cloud and Jade House one by one downward the Longevity Hill until he reaches the 700-meter Long Corridor to have a perfect view of the rippling water of the Kunming Lake.
The administrative area with the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity at the centre is where Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu held court and received foreign guests. Lying behind the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity are three large siheyuans (Siheyuan is a traditional residential compound in north China with rooms on four sides of a courtyard.): Hall of Joyful Longevity, Hall of Jade Billow and Yinyun Hall. They were the residences for Empress Dowager Cixi, Emperor Guangxu and his concubines respectively.
Tanzhe Temple
Located on the Tanzhe Hill in the Mentougou district, Tanzhe Temple (also known as Pool and Oak Temple) is the most ancient Buddhist temple in Beijing. First built in the Jin dynasty (265-420), now the temple is home to dozens of towers built in Jin (1115-1234), Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties as well as the tombs of abbots and Buddhist monks of noble character and high prestige including Emperor Kublai Khan's daughter Master Miaoyan. On the east side of the Hall of the Three Saints there grows a maidenhair tree thirty meters high and six or seven meters wide at the diameter of its main trunk. The tree is named as Emperor Tree and is said to be planted in the Liao dynasty. On the west side of the hall, there grows another tree. Legend has it that every time an emperor was born a branch would grow. Thus, people named it Emperor-accompanying Tree. Most of the buildings in the temple were first built in the Ming dynasty or the Qing.
Tanzhe Temple, together with Yunshan Temple, Tian'ning Temple, the exotic Zhenjue Temple and many others makes Beijing a city of religious diversity, while princes' mansions, the Ming Tombs and numerous old residences of celebrities make the city a land of historical legends.
Hutongs, a unique vista in today's Beijing, first appeared in the Yuan dynasty. Back in those days, Beijing local residents lived among the hutongs orderly built around the Forbidden City, forming a unique civilian culture.
Along hutongs are lined with siheyuans. They are square residential compounds with houses built on four sides of a courtyard. The ordinary people's dwellings were mainly built with wood and in a simple yet strict layout. Which room a family member should live in was decided by his position on the family tree.
In addition to Beijing roast duck, sweet-sour plum juice, Beijing noodles served with sauce and persimmon are also among the delicious traditional local food. Sweet-sour plum juice was first made as a summer drink for the emperor and has become the ordinary people's favorite since it went out of the imperial city. Beijing noodles wouldn't be so appetizing without the delicious yet not greasy sauce which is made by frying the bean source in a mixture of fried diced pork meat, shallot, ginger, and garlic. Autumn is the harvest time for persimmon which tastes sweet and can be eaten in several different ways. For instance, persimmon could be dried or put into porridge.
