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Apart from intensive training, we will also visit various historical and cultural sights in Beijing, including: the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square and the Summer Palace.
Summer Palace
Situated in the western outskirts of Haidian District, the Summer Palace is 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from central Beijing. As its name implies, the Summer Palace was used as a summer residence by China's imperial rulers - as a retreat from the main imperial palace now known as the Palace Museum (or 'Forbidden City') - a pleasure ground in the countryside, yet near to the city.
Having the largest royal park and being well preserved, it was designated, in 1960 by the State Council, as a Key Cultural Relics Protection Site of China. Containing examples of the ancient arts, it also has graceful landscapes and magnificent constructions. The Summer Palace is the archetypal Chinese garden, and is ranked amongst the most noted and classical gardens of the world. In 1998, it was listed as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO
The halls, pavilions, bridges and temples, Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill, all blend together harmoniously in spite of their individual styles. Ingeniously conceived and elaborately designed, the Summer Palace, featuring the garden styles of both northern and southern China, is justifiably known as the 'garden of gardens'.
Tiananmen Square
 
Tiananmen Square is one of the largest city squares in the world. It is located at the center of old Beijing. At Tiananmen Square stand several buildings that commemorate signicifant moments in the history of the People’s Republic, such as the Monument to the People's Heroes, the Chairman Mao Zedong's Mausoleum and the Great Hall of the People. On the north side of the square is the gate "Tiananmen" (The Gate of Heavenly Peace). It was built in 1417 and served as the entrance gate to the Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City
 
The Palace Museum, known as the Forbidden City in the West, 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 finish in 1420. In the following year, the capital of the Ming Dynasty was moved from Nanjing to Beijing. Twenty-four emperors - “Sons of Heaven ” of the Ming and Qing dynasty ruled from the Forbidden City. The last dynasty fell in 1911, but emperor Puli still lived in the inner court. It was not until 1925 that the complex was converted into a museum. Since then the palace has been opened to the public. The Forbidden City is a national architectural treasure, covering an area of 72 hectares with almost 1000 palaces and more than 90 courtyards of various sizes.
Great Wall
 
The Great Wall of China was built over 2,000 years ago, by Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China during the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C - 206 B.C.). After subjugating and uniting China from seven Warring States, the emperor connected and extended four old fortification walls along the north of China. Armies were stationed along the wall as a first line of defense against the invading nomadic Huns. Signal fires from the Wall provided early warning of an attack.
The Great Wall is one of the largest building construction projects ever completed. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Great Wall was enlarged to 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles) and renovated over a 200 year period, with watch-towers and cannons added. It is widely considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
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