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Chinese Tour Guide Barry Dawkins
The Forbidden City • Off-limits to the general public for more than 500 years, the Forbidden City, called Gu Gong in Chinese, is a collection of ancient buildings lying in the center of Beijing. This was the site for the imperial palace of both the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The remains of the city are dated circa 15th century, yet are considered some of the best-preserved ruins in the world today. The City is open to tourists of both home and abroad today.
The Great Wall of China • Winding through the surging mountains of Northern China can be found one of the Seven Wonders of the World-the Great Wall of China. In Chinese, the Wall is referred to as WanliChangchen (Ten Thousand Li Long Wall). The Wall is one of the largest building construction projects ever completed-stretching for more than 10,000 Chinese li (equivalent to 5,000 km). • Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China, built the Wall over 2,000 years ago as a means to keep out warring states. Signal fires from the Wall provided early warning of an attack. The Wall was since renovated from time to time after the Qin Dynasty.
Tiananmen Square • Tiananmen Square lies at the heart of Beijing, and is a sprawling showground for both citizens and visitors. In its 120 plus acres, it is the largest square in the world and is said to be able to accommodate over 1 million people. Today it used mainly for recreational purposes such as bicycling and kite flying, but was once a gathering place for imperial leaders. • Through the decades, the Square has been home to many historic events such as the Declaration of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the rallies launching the Cultural Revolution in 1966, the deaths of Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai in 1976 when millions of mourners packed the square, and the tragic scene in 1989 when student protestors occupied the square for nearly two months and were driven out with violent force.
Worker’s Stadium • often called Gongti or Gong Ti, is a multi-purpose stadium in the Chaoyang District of north-eastern Beijing, China. It is mostly used for football (soccer) matches. The stadium was built in 1959 and it was last renovated in 2004. It currently has a capacity of 70,161. It is one of the Ten Great Buildings constructed in 1959 for the 10th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. • The stadium was the main venue for the 1990 Asian Games, where the opening and closing ceremonies were held. Some high attendance matches of the Beijing Guo'an Football Club are also held at the stadium. it is also the Final venue of 2004 AFC Asian Cup