Beijing, with a population approaching 11 million is the capital of modern China and home to such great wonders as the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.

The centrepiece of the city is the massive public square known as Tiananmen Square notorious for the activist uprising in 1989 during which somewhere between 200 and 2,000 protesters were killed or injured.  The low estimate originates from the PRC government and the highest estimates from the Chinese student association.

The full name Tiananmen Gaungchang means "the gave of heavenly peace" notwithstanding there being not much peace on the day the massacre took place.  The square is home to Chairman Mao Mausoleum where after much time queuing and if one is fortunate enough to have employed the right tour guide company, one may get to walk past the embalmed body of the Chairman. 

Close by there stands the Great Hall of the People which is China's legislative seat.  Representatives of the people from all over China gather in this auditorium to review and enact laws.  The lower auditorium seats 3.700, with a further 3,500 in the balcony, 2,500 in the gallery, leaving the dais to accommodate the 300-500 of the most important officials.

Close to the city can be found the Forbidden City - home to the Last Emperor - Pu Yi - about whom an academy award willing biopic was created.  The edifice is the world's biggest palace complex covering almost 75 hectares and defended by a 6 metre deep moat around the perimeter.

A visit to Beijing cannot be signed off as complete without a visit to the Great Wall of China the nearest point of which is situated a relatively short coach journey from the centre of Beijing.  Withstanding the tests of time since it was built in the 7th century this construction is remarkable given its astonishing length.  It is difficult to estimate the actual length of the wall as over the centuries it was build in sections not all of which link up but the most popular estimate puts the length of the wall at around 2,700 km.  Tourists are allowed onto the wall and cal walk along the wall for some considerable distance in relative safety.  For around US$1,000, tour groups offer 5 day hiking excursions.