DK Travel : Beijing : Places of interest

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Beijing Railway Station

Prime illustration of 1959’s prevailing “size is everything” approach to architecture.
Beijing West Railway Station

1995 update on 1959-style architecture.
Beijing Zoo

Visit for the pandas, the famously rare bears that are native to China and nowhere else. The zoo has several, housed in a new “panda house.” However, most of the other 2,000 animals here are not so lucky; their cages are tiny.
Beijing Zoo

Most children will remain happily oblivious to the poor conditions that many of the animals are kept in and which are likely to upset older animal lovers. However, the pandas are well cared for and the setting is pleasant and leafy (see Beijing Zoo).
Bell Tower

This dates from 1745 and replaces an earlier tower that burnt down. The great 42-ton (42,674-kg) bell it contains used to be rung to mark the closing of the city gates in the evening. During Spring Festival visitors are allowed to ring the bell for a donation of ¥100. The views from both the Drum and Bell Towers over the neighboring hutongs are well worth the exhausting climb.
Blue Zoo Beijing

Not to be confused with Beijing Zoo, this is a small but beautifully done aquarium. It has an enormous coral reef tank containing an array of visually exciting marine life, including eels, rays, and sharks. A big plus is that the tanks are set low enough that toddlers can peer into them. There’s also a “marine tunnel” and twice-daily shark feeding sessions (see Blue Zoo Beijing).
Blue Zoo Beijing

Not a zoo at all, but an excellent modern aquarium, reckoned to be the best of its kind in Asia. The main attraction is a central tank holding literally thousands of fish, plus there are also 18 additional tanks with specifically themed displays (see Blue Zoo Beijing).
China Ethnic Culture Park

A theme park devoted to all 55 of China’s ethnic minorities, the complex is crammed with a weird and wonderful array of buildings such as the distinctive circular dwellings of the southern Hakka people, some of which are full-size replicas, while others are scale models. There is also a Chinese Song and Dance Theatre featuring daily performances by ethnic representatives in full costume. If you aren’t going to be traveling around the country, this is a fine way to get an idea of the diversity of China.
China Ethnic Culture Park

Like an overgrown model village, “China World” is filled with colorful models of buildings representing all the nation’s many and varied ethnic minorities. Some of the models are huge, and it’s all very colorful, as are the regular performances by ethnic musicians and singers in full costume (see China Ethnic Culture Park).
China National Museum

Two museums in one, this imposing building houses both the Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of the Revolution. Of the two, the former is by far the more interesting, with an unsurpassed collection of great works of Chinese art; the halls here are also used for temporary exhibitions. The rather dull Museum of the Revolution contains models, documents, and photographs connected with the history of the Chinese Communist Party – for political enthusiasts only.