Spend a splendid day to explore the elegant royal garden - the Summer Palace. Experience the nostalgic Beijing life in Hutong by taking the rickshaw and discover the Lama Temple embroidered with its iconic Buddha statues. Fully appreciate the fascinating scenery and the prosperous culture with the escorted guide. Capture the amazing and attractive views of the city.
Our tour guide will pick you up at your hotel lobby at 8: am. Drive to Summer Palace directly, begin our discovery in the beautiful and impressive site which is one of China’s largest and best-preserved imperial gardens. Have lunch at Chinese restaurant with local food. In the afternoon, visit the old residence--Hutong area by taking rickshaw. Then we will go to a tea house, take a rest and enjoy the Chinese Traditional Tea Ceremony before the tour ends. You can experience 4,700 years’ Chinese Tea Culture or take a meditation for a while or buy some featured Chinese tea as souvenirs. Next, go forward to the largest and the best-preserved lamasery in Beijing - Lama Temple. Known as one of the city’s most famous monasteries, the temple boasts five opulent halls replete with colorful carvings, sacred objects and detailed murals. After the day tour, drop off at the meeting point and tour ends.
Ten kilometers northwest of Beijing City, the Summer Palace of 290 hectares is one of China’s largest and best-preserved imperial gardens. It consists mainly of Kunming Lake of 210 hectares and Longevity Hill dotted with halls and pavilions. Places of interest in the garden include the Long Corridor of 728 meters, the Pavilion of Buddha’s Fragrance on top of Longevity Hill, the Marble Boat mooring forever by the lakeshore, a boat ride on the Kunming Lake by a private dragon boat with drinks and tea served.
For those who are willing to discover the way the Chinese live, a jaunt down the intricate maze of Beijing's hutongs is essential. Organized tours of Beijing hutongs are available. You will be taken by pedicab (a tricycle cab), which was very popular in the old days, to visit the hutong area. If sightseeing at the Imperial Palace, Ming Tombs and the Summer Palace is helpful in learning about the lives of China's emperors, the hutongs of Beijing reflect in turn the history of Beijing as a whole.
Officially Yonghe Temple (Palace of Peace and Harmony), the Lama Temple is a Tibetan Buddhist sanctuary located just north of the Forbidden City, and is one of the most important temples outside of Tibet. Of the Buddhist school of Gelug (Yellow Hat Sect), the temple is a fascinating combination of Han Chinese and Tibetan architectural styles. Built in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty, it was the residence of the Yongzheng Emperor when he was a prince. After he ascended to the throne in 1722, half of the building became a lamasery (monastery), whilst the other half remained an imperial palace. After Yongzheng died, his successor Qianglong Emperor, gave the temple imperial status and over time it began to serve as a residence for Tibetan Buddhist monks from Mongolia and Tibet. It is also the national centre of administrating Lamas.
Within the temple you’ll find a feast for the eyes, with frescoes, tapestries, decorative arches, prayer wheels and statues to admire. An active place of worship, the temple has a wonderfully vibrancy with pilgrims from far and wide prostrating themselves in its five halls. There are some particular art works to look out for – the 18 metre white sandalwood statue of the Maitreya Buddha and a bronze work of the Buddhas of the Three Ages.
