Mini Group Tour: The Historic Beijing of Summer Palace, Lama Temple and Panda!

Itinerary
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Stop At: Lama Temple (Yonghegong), No.12 Yonghegong Street, Beixinqiao, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100007 China

Lama Temple [Lamastry of Eternal Peace]: a yellow hat Tibetan Buddhist Lamasery is the most celebrated Buddhist temple in Beijing. Its main halls are filled with exquisitely detailed tanka paintings and carved or cast Buddha images. Originally a palace for Prince Yongzheng, it was transformed into a lamasery after he ascended to the throne as the 3rd Qing Emperor in 1725. The temple is renowned for its three priceless treasures – a 60-foot sandalwood Maitreya Buddha sculpted from a single tree, a niche of Buddhas carved from the nanmu tree and the “mountain of 500 arhats,” made from precious stones and metal. The temple combines many different architectural styles and the brilliance of the blue, green and gold detail on the sharp red pagoda is simply stunning. This temple has remained active throughout the history of the Republic of China.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Beijing Zoo, No.137 Xizhimenwai Main Street, Xicheng District, Beijing 100044 China

Beijing Zoo: Outside the Xizhimen Gate, West of the Beijing Exhibition Hall, is Beijing Zoo. It was originally an Imperial Park during the Ming Dynasty and in the late Qing period (1908). Here a Menagerie, 1.5 hectares in area, was built. Known as The Garden of Ten Thousand Beasts (Wanshengyuan), it was constructed for Emperor Dowager Cixi’s pleasure. Now the Zoo covers over 50 hectares, with more than 600 species from all over China and other countries.

Many Halls and Menageries were built for Giant Pandas, a "living fossil" of the Ancient Mammals. The Golden Monkey from China's Southwest Sichuan Provide, Yangtze Alligators, Red Crowned Cranes, Tigers from the Northeast of China and Milu. The Zoo houses all these rare Chinese species many of whom are housed in enclosures that date back to the Qing Dynasty, making it a natural, cultural and historic visit all rolled into one.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Summer Palace (Yiheyuan), No.19 Xinjian Gongmen Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100080 China

The Summer Palace is one of the finest landmarks in Beijing. The site has long been a royal garden and was considerably enlarged and embellished when Dowager Cixi began rebuilding in 1888 using money that was supposedly reserved for the construction of a modern navy academy. The lovely Kunming Lake occupies three quarters of the area, and weather permitting you will get to travel part of the lake by boat. After this walk back along the Long Corridor. Somewhat similar in style to the covered bridge in Lucerne, this 728-meter long open sided corridor is decorated with 8,000 scenes including many from the emperor’s travels around the country.

Duration: 2 hours