To be an early bird, you must be able to catch the early morning life of the locals. Beijing in the early morning is just like a huge sports ground. Every morning Beijing finds as many as about 120,000 local residents participating in various public activities in almost all Beijing parks and other gathering places such as the open places under the overpasses. The activities range from running, jogging, singing, dancing, to Chinese calligraphy written on the ground with big brushes and Ta Chi accompanied by classic music.
Seeing the sunrise national flag ceremony at Tiananmen Square is a kind of interesting experience while travelling in Beijing. Of course, to see the ceremony, you have to get up very early!
These morning tours are given from a local perspective. It takes about 4 to 5 hours and it is "semi-private," which means that it is a smaller group so you can enjoy more stops and photo opportunities and spend more time at a favorite location on your tour. Get off the beaten path, explore the road less traveled and visit hidden locations. Some options include: Watch morning exercises in the park, visiting the morning market, taking in the view from Coal Hill, and visiting historic sites.
Morning tours are great for those who want to discover some of the hidden sights not included in the big bus tours of major operators or popular guidebooks! Seeing the sunrise national flag ceremony at Tiananmen Square is a kind of interesting experience in travelling Beijing. Of course, to see the ceremony, you have to get up very early! How early? You can decide to wake up according to the timetable for the ceremony. We usually pick you up from your hotel half an hour earlier before the ceremony. Each day has its different time for flag raising. On the Tiananmen Square, you will see a group of soldiers of guard of honor coming through the gate of Tiananmen Tower, south of the Forbidden City. It isn't long before the music starts. The Chinese National Anthem will be played when they ceremoniously attach the flag and slowly raise it. The whole ceremony lasts only 3 minutes. They time the flag raising to the exact moment of sunrise. Many people will sing along the national anthem.
After the ceremony, you have some time to have a close look at the square and its surrounding buildings. Then, our tour guide will take you to the Ming Dynasty City Wall Relics. A park being built on the one-kilometer-long ruins of ancient Beijing city walls, it was open to the public in May 2002. The rebuilding of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) City Wall Relics Park, with a designed area of 13 hectares, is part of the Chinese capital's efforts to protect its historical relics.
The Temple of Heaven is open at 8:00 am. So if you want to visit the main attractions in the park like the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (Qiniandian), the Hall of Imperial Zenity (Huangqiandian), the Circular Mound (Huanqiu), and the Imperial Vault of Heaven (Huangqiongyu), you are supposed to wait until after 8:00 am.
The two hours between 6:00 am and 8:00 am are prepared for the locals doing morning exercises. You are here to see and join in the activities going on here in the early morning of the Temple of Heaven. Some practice Tai Chi and dance; some do gym exercises and play Jianzi; while others fly kites or play cards and many more activities - a real picture showcasing early morning life in Beijing.
