Beijing is a world-famous ancient capital, and its rich historical and cultural heritage is a golden business card. When visiting Beijing, many heritage parks and museums are worth visiting, from the "Peking Man" site dating back hundreds of thousands of years ago to the newly opened Chinese Archaeological Museum.

Peking Man Site in Zhoukoudian

The Peking Man Site in Zhoukoudian is located in the Fangshan District about 50 kilometers southwest of Beijing, backed by the undulating Taihang Mountains and facing the vast North China Plain, with a small river flowing in front of the mountain.

This place is rich in natural resources and has a pleasant climate. It is where the "Peking Man" lived from 700,000 to 200,000 years ago, the early Homo erectus from the fourth location from 200,000 to 100,000 years ago, the Tianyuan Cave people from about 42,000 to 38,500 years ago, and the Shandingdong people from about 30,000 years ago.

The Peking Man Site in Zhoukoudian has discovered 27 locations of fossils and cultural relics from different periods, with more than 200 human fossils, over 100,000 stone tools, and a large number of fire traces, animal fossils, etc. It has become a world-renowned human fossil treasure trove and a comprehensive research base for many disciplines such as paleoanthropology, archaeology, paleobiology, stratigraphy, chronology, environmental science, and karstology.

The Peking Man Site in Zhoukoudian Museum is located about 500 meters south of the site and is an important part of showcasing the site's profound culture. The museum covers an area of more than 8,000 square meters, and its rough and tough architectural appearance is derived from the earliest tools made and used by the "Peking Man" - stone tools.

The museum has a collection of more than 7,000 cultural relics, with more than 1,000 on display. The museum has temporary exhibitions, basic displays, and a 4D cinema, covering science popularization interactive exhibitions, simulated scenes, souvenir sales, public services, and other contents.

Address: Zhousheng Road, Zhoukoudian, Fangshan District, Beijing

Jinzhongdu Park

Jinzhongdu City was built in the third year of Jintiande (1151 AD) and witnessed the beginning and history of Beijing. Today, the Jinzhongdu Park, rebuilt on the site, is a street-centered park built along the moat, with a rich historical background.

Jinzhongdu Park is located at the northeast corner of Caihuying Bridge, at the intersection of West and South Moats. The newly built ancient city gate, corridor, and sculptures are good places for a stroll after a meal.

The park is mainly based on the culture of building Jinzhongdu City and is located on the site of the former imperial city. It is an open park that fully reflects the history and culture of Beijing's founding.

The architectural decoration inside the park is characterized by the Jin Dynasty style, reflecting the construction style of "Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty". The designer has set up five scenic spots from south to north, including the city platform, the city building, the Jin people's nomadic life, the main entrance square, and the Xuan Yang post station, connecting many historical nodes in Jin culture.

In addition to experiencing the relics of the Jin Dynasty city, the park's landscaping is also remarkable, with various flower beds, ancient trees, and fountains complementing each other, and winding paths leading through the shady trees.

Address: South Binhe Road, Xicheng District, Beijing

Yuan Dynasty Capital City Wall Ruins Park

Beijing Yuan Dynasty Capital City Wall Ruins Park was built on the site of the capital city wall ruins of the Yuan Dynasty.

The park starts from Xueyuan South Road, Mingguang Village, Haidian District in the west, goes north to Huangtingzi, turns east through Madian, Qijiahuozi, and ends near Shao'aoju in Chaoyang District. It roughly overlaps with the northern section of Subway Line 10.

The soil wall near Madian is 12.5 meters high and 31 meters wide. Outside Deshengmen, there is a place called Tuchengguan, which is the site of the Yuan Dynasty Jian Demen.

Emperor Shizu Kublai Khan spent 18 years building the Yuan Dynasty Capital City, which had a total wall length of more than 28,000 meters and was built of rammed earth.

The construction of the Yuan Dynasty Capital City was located in the northeast suburbs of the Jinzhongdu City, laying the foundation for today's Beijing. Its planning and design inherited the tradition of the construction of the capital city in China's history.

When the Ming Dynasty built Beijing City, the north city wall was moved 5 li to the south, making the northern soil city abandoned and preserved as a site. The preserved wall ruins are a part of the original west and north sections of the Yuan Dynasty Capital City Wall, with a remaining length of about 12 kilometers.

The Yuan Dynasty Capital City has experienced a history of 700 years, and only the ruins of the north section of the west soil city and the north soil city have been preserved to this day. In 1957, the site was listed as a key cultural relic protection unit in Beijing. In 1988, it was officially approved by the People's Government of Beijing Municipality to build a park and named "Yuan Dynasty Capital City Wall Ruins Park."

Address: 24 Anwai Xiaoguan Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing

Ming Tombs

The Ming Tombs are the collective name for the tombs of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. The tomb area covers an area of 80 square kilometers and is the most complete preserved tomb building and burial site of emperors in the world today.

The construction of the tombs began in the seventh year of the Ming Yongle period (1409) and ended in the early Qing Dynasty, lasting more than 200 years.

The order of construction of the tombs according to the time of construction is: Changling, Xianling, Jingling, Yuling, Maoling, Tailing, Kangling, Yongling, Zhaoling, Dingling, Qingling, Deling, and Siling.

There are defense facilities such as city walls and horse-blocking walls built at the 10 natural mountain passes around the tomb area to ensure its safety.

Address: Changchilu, Shisanling Town, Changping District, Beijing.

Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park

Yuanmingyuan was built in the 46th year of Kangxi (1707) and consisted of three gardens: Yuanming, Changchun, and Qiyuan. It covers an area of 350 hectares, including a water surface area of about 140 hectares, with over 100 scenic spots and a building area of over 160,000 square meters. It was a large imperial palace garden created and operated by the emperors of the Qing Dynasty for over 150 years.

It inherited the excellent traditional Chinese garden design for over 3,000 years and is known as the "model of all garden art" and the "garden of all gardens."

Today's Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park, with the ruins as the theme, has formed a unique tourist landscape that combines solid history with a vibrant garden atmosphere.

The mountain and water system in the Yuanming, Changchun, and Qiyuan areas has been restored to its original appearance, presenting a charming landscape of mountains and water. A plant landscape with pine, bamboo, willow, and lotus as the main theme has been initially formed, with hundreds of thousands of trees forming a forest and seasonal flowers blooming like colorful clouds.

Some important ruins have been protected and restored, and a few rebuilt garden buildings, such as the new gate of Qichun Garden, Jianbi Pavilion, and the European-style maze of Changchun Garden, have regained their former glory. The foundations of some buildings can still be found, and several rockeries and stones are still visible. The stone carvings of the Western-style building site are particularly eye-catching.

The entire ruins park forms a grand ruins complex represented by Western-style buildings, giving people profound historical enlightenment. It has both the natural charm of mountains and forests and the characteristics of ruins, as well as the functions of a park, making it a rare place for leisure and sightseeing.

Address: 28 Qinghua West Road, Haidian District, Beijing

Chinese Archaeological Museum

Chinese Archaeological Museum is located in the China Academy of History at the northern end of Beijing's central axis. It is the first national professional museum named after archaeology in China.

On September 15th, the Chinese Archaeological Museum officially opened to the public. The permanent exhibition hall covers more than 7,000 square meters, with over 6,000 exhibits.

The basic exhibition is themed "Bronze Civilization in Ancient China" and is divided into five sections: "Origin of Civilization," "Residence in China," "Unification of the Great Nation," "Harmony of All Nations," and "National Awakening," showcasing cultural relics and documents from various periods from the Paleolithic era to modern times.

In the "Origin of Civilization" section, visitors can see China's earliest blade grinding stone tools in a simulated cave scene and experience the production and living scenes of that time.

The "Residence in China" section mainly tells the history of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, with many exhibits being national treasures.

The "Harmony and Integration of All Nations" section simulates the Silk Road and showcases the outside the Dingding Gate in Luoyang City, which bears the camel prints of a thousand years. Through 3D modeling, the details of archaeological artifacts are reproduced, allowing visitors to experience the prosperity of the Silk Road.

The Chinese Archaeological Museum is not only a public museum but also serves archaeological research. In order to enhance the visitor experience, the museum has set up a "hands-on area" where visitors can touch pottery fragments from thousands of years ago in display cases and experience the work of archaeologists.

Address: 1-4 floors, Chinese Academy of History, at the intersection of North Road of the Stadium and Beichen East Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing.