Qianmen Street

“qianmen” literally means “Front Gate”. Qiamen Street is located south of Qianmen Tower on the south of Tiananmen Square, hence the name of the street. Neon nights are dotted around the street, surreal atmosphere.

It is one of the last remnants of the business centers of old Beijing. It has been transformed into a modern commercial pedestrian street, the second walking street after Wangfujiang Street in the downtown shopping district Beijing.

Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square is oft-lauded as the largest public square of this kind in the world, a geological center of Beijing as well as a political barometer of China. Apart from the historical events and myths related to the square, Tiananmen Square has much to offer in terms of the significant buildings and solemn red flag raising and lowering ceremonies.

Visiting Tiananmen Square at different times of a day, you get different views of the square – Sunrise View of Tiananmen Square, Sunset View of Tiananmen Square. The awesome view comes when the night falls with sparkling lights dotting the buildings, towers and the ground.

North of Tiananmen Square is Beijing Tiananmen Tower ( Gate of Heavenly Peace ) . The tower sits on the platform which is a building with double-eaved roof and yellow-glazed tiles. It has five archways with the middle gate used as the passage for Ming and Qing emperors.

View Night of Forbidden City Turret and Moat

Though not allowed to enter Forbidden City for a night view, people still have the opportunity to see Forbidden City’s night beauty. You may walk to the moat along on the northern wall of Forbidden City.

The night view of the turrets of Forbidden City is stunning with traditional buildings coated with lights.

The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA)

It is one of the 4 most important landmarks in Beijing. The egg-shape theatre is absolutely worth having a glimpse. It was designed by French architect Paul Andreu. Construction started in December 2001 and the inaugural concert was held in December 2007.

The total cost for its construction is said to be over RMB 3 billion. The theatre has total 5473 seats with each seat costing about half million! The exterior of the theater is a titanium accented glass dome that is completely surrounded by a man-made lake. It just likes like an egg cut half.

Shichhai Night View

“Shichahai”, literally “Ten Temple Lake”, actually refers to a large historical area (147 hectares) including the present three lakes – Houhai (Back Lake), Qianhai (Front Lake) and Xihai (West Lake) in the north of the central Beijing.

There used to be 10 temples in the area, hence the name of “Shichahai”. Some of the temples are still there, including Guangji Temple, Huitong Temple, Huoshen Temple, Guangfu Guan ( a taoist temple ), etc.

Acclaimed as “Historical and Cultural Scenic District” by the municipal government of Beijing in 1992, Shichahai has become one of the much-visited place equivalent of other highlights in Beijing such as Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace and the Great Wall of China.

Shichahai is a place where modernity meets tradition – historical hutongs and courtyards; trendy bars and restaurants. It is also a scenic area with willow lined lakes – boating in summer and skating in winter.

Shichahai is a delight to explore either on foot or by bike. You’ll need 2 0r 3 hours to savour the picturesque Shichahai which is often referred to as “Houhai” by foreign visitors.

Shichahai in different seasons or even at different times of a day give you different views and activities. Shichahai at night is most attractive with great fun – neon lights, crowded and bustling, stuffed with all manner of bars, restaurants, stalls and gifts shops. It is an entertaining place to browse. In a word, Shichahai is an ideal hangout on your Beijing night tour no matter.

The Red-lantern Night View of Gui Jie

The over-1000 meter Guijie ( Gui Jie) is located between Dongzhimen Subway Station of Line 2 and Bexinqiao Subway Station of Line 5. So you may walk from Dongzhimen Station or Beixinqiao Station to the brilliant food street with Beixinqiao being closer.

Gui Jie ( Ghost Street 簋街) is an almost 24-hour food street with numerous eateries on both sides. It is quite popular with local Beijing people, expats, tourists, etc. Almost all the restaurants here are decorated in red – red store-front plaques, red lanterns and red lights with great vibe, a great place for friends, families and couples all to meet for dinner here.

The bright red lanterns hanging at the restaurant fronts and over sidewalks pose stunning views at night, an interesting iconic night view in Beijing.

Source: www.tour-beijing.com/