Beijing - Some Tourist Sights

No visit to Beijing is complete without a trip to the Olympic Games development. This event is still very much etched in the minds and the urban fabric of this city. It will be interesting to see how this vast site and facilities change and integrate with Beijing...

This is the high point in the middle of Beijing. It overlooks the Forbidden City - and appears to be the only vantage point that does overlook the Forbidden City. We were advised that it was constructed from all of the rock and material taken from the ornamental lake in the centre of Beijing.

The Forbidden City is a real feature of Beijing. I was struck by how many Chinese people visit iconic places like the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China. "They come from the provinces..." I was advised...

A precious part of Beijing and China's past...

And barely a few kilometres away is this building - the Beijing Opera House. Located in the middle of its own lake and sheathed in titanium metal. Quite out of place...

And here I am in Tiananmen Square. Apparently the biggest formal open space in the world. And very well used. Check out the video clip for a bit more of a sense of how it is used - and how the 2012 Olympics featured.

Another shot of Tiananmen Square with Chairman Mao in the background.