Day or weekend excursions from Beijing

One day excursion - Great Wall and Ming Tombs
The Great Wall extends for thousands of miles across China, the nearest section to Beijing being at Badaling. The wall stretches between watchtowers and is wide enough for five horsemen. Badaling Great Wall is open daily (0900-1630) and admission is approx. RMB25.

The Ming Tombs are reached by the Spirit Way, which is guarded by huge statues of animals and men. Thirteen of the Ming emperors were buried around the valley but only one of the underground burial chambers - at the Ding Ling tomb - is open to the public. The tombs are open daily and admission is approx. RMB20.

Half day excursion - tour of Hutongs
These are ancient areas of housing where small single-storey dwellings arranged around courtyards form a maze of narrow streets. The ideal way to see the hutongs is by bicycle or on foot. Taking along an English-speaking guide will ensure an opportunity to talk to the locals and maybe even see their homes.

One day excursion - fragrant hills
Located more than 20km (12 miles) to the northwest of Beijing and best reached by taxi, the Fragrant Hills are thickly wooded with pine trees and were popular with the emperors as a hunting ground. Pagodas, temples and pavilions can be found dotted around the park, which is open daily. The summit of the highest peak can be reached by a chair lift.

One day excursion - summer palace
The Summer Palace in the northwestern suburbs, was used by the royal court as a retreat to escape from the heat of the city. The former imperial residences are located on the shores of Kunming Lake, which contains small islands, ornamental bridges and a marble boat that was once a teahouse.

One day excursion - Beijing Zoo
Beijing Zoo, situated to the west of Beijing Exhibition Center, was known for a short time after the founding of the People's Republic as the Western Suburbs Park (Xijiao Gongyuan). The grounds combine cultivated flower gardens with stretches of natural scenery, including dense groves of trees, stretches of grassland, a small stream, lotus pools and small hills dotted with pavilions and halls.

In the 18th century, the zoo was known as the Sanbeizi Gardens, supposedly named after the third son of Emperor Kangxi, Prince Cheng Yin. Another explanation is that Sanbeizi refereed to the Qing courtier Fu Kang' an and the Gardens the site of his villa. In fact, as early as the Ming Dynasty, an imperial mansion called the Garden of Happiness and Friendship constructed for Prince Kang stood here, and during the Qing, part of the Sanbeizi Gardens called the Garden of Continuity (Jiyuan) became the private property of an official in the Bureau of Palace Affairs.

The zoo has developed rapidly and by 1987 it covered an area of over 40,000 square meters. Bears, elephants, pandas, lions, tigers, songbirds, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, antelopes and giraffes were brought in the late 1950s, and a gorilla cage, leaf-monkey cage and aquarium house, was opened, containing specimens of over 100 species of reptiles from all over the world, including crocodiles and pythons.

At present, the zoo houses over 7,000 creatures of 600 different species, including the giant panda, red-crowned crane and Pere David's deer-all unique to China-as well as the African giraffe, rhinoceros, chimpanzee and antelope; American continent; wild ox from Europe; and elephant and gibbon from India.