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Hour by Hour Schedule |
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08:30-09:30 |
Transfer from hotel to the Tian’an Men Square |
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09:30-12:00 |
Visit to the Tian’an Men Square and the Forbidden City |
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12:00-12:30 |
Transfer to the Local Restaurant for lunch |
| 12:30-13:30 |
Lunch at the Local Restaurant |
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13:30-15:30 |
Visit to the Hutong Area |
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15:30-16:10 |
Transfer back to the CNCC Grand Hotel |
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US$150 per person |
Remarks:
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Situated at the heart of Beijing, the Forbidden City is approached through Tiananmen Gate. It is a location endowed with cosmic significance by ancient China's astronomers. The Forbidden City was built from 1406 to 1420 by the third Ming emperor Yongle who, upon usurping the throne, determined to move his capital north from Nanjing to Beijing. In 1911 the Qing dynasty fell to the republican revolutionaries. The last emperor, Puyi, continued to live in the palace after his abdication until he was expelled in 1924. Twenty-four emperors lived and ruled from this palace during this 500-year span.
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A Hutong is a unique form of community that exists only in China. The Hutong, built during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, is the narrow network of lanes created by closely built quadrangular homes. The houses and courtyards, hidden away and boxed, are closed off with wooden gates that often have carved characters intended to bring good fortune to the house owner. |
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Making a rickshaw tour through the Hutong will give you the opportunity to experience the different aspects of the past and the present of Beijing city, the society and the daily life.
After rickshaw ride, follow an expert into the curved Hutong alleyways around the Drum and Bell Towers of Beijing. Listen to stories of opium dens and vast mansions of former officials. Gain a profound understanding of old Beijing during a fun and interesting afternoon.
Along the way we will discover lanes so narrow that not even the tricycle rickshaws will be able to reach us. We will hear about the incredible transformation of this area from high society dwellings, over workers accommodation, to the peculiar mixture of generals, workers, romantic foreign fools and politicians residing in the area today.
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