Beijing Private Tour with Lama Temple, Temple of Confucius, Hutong+Folk Art Show

Your tour guide will be welcoming you at your hotel at 08:30 a.m.. Then, we will transfer to Lama Temple by public transportation and start the interesting walking tour. The Lama Temple (Yonghegong), one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist temples outside Tibet, began as a palace for Emperor Yongzheng before he became the third emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Today, the resplendent temple, with its halls, courtyards, ponds, and bronze mandala, is a lamasery for some two dozen Tibetan monks. Inside you'll find five large halls, ornately decorated with Buddha statues in various incarnations, murals, and carvings.

Guozijian Museum Guozijian was the Imperial Academy during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, and it was the highest institute of learning in China's traditional education system. Emperors in imperial China would frequently visit to read Confucian classics to thousands of students. The Temple of Confucius (北京孔庙) The Temple of Confucius is right next to Guozijian. It is the second largest Confucian Temple in China, after the one in Confucius' hometown Qufu. There are many carvings inside the temple, and there is a large collection of ancient Chinese musical instruments in the Hall of Great Perfection. Nowadays the temple houses part of the art collection of Beijing Capital Museum. To seek the footprints and to feel the wisdom of Confucius - the great master of oriental philosophy, visitors should visit the Temple of Confucius as well as Cemetery of Confucius and Kong Family Mansion. At noon, we will taste traditional Beijing cuisine for lunch.

The Drum Tower was equipped with bronze clepsydras and drums that were beaten to mark the hours. The drum was beaten quickly for 18 times and then slowly for 18 times to mark the hour. You have the opportunity to climb to the top of Drum tower for an excellent view of drumming performance which lasts for 20 minutes.

Hutong(胡同) is the name given to a narrow lane, alley, or small street between rows of single-storey Siheyuan(四合院) dwelled by Beijingers in the past. People say that the real culture of Beijing lies in the culture of Hutong and Siheyuan. They give an insight to the old lifestyle of ordinary Beijingers and have special appeal to tourists. Cricket Show 蟋蟀表演 In Beijing, cricket refers to a kind of insect and its Chinese name is Qu Qu(蛐蛐). Keeping cricket has a history of more than 1500 years in China. People like to keep the cricket and watch the cricket fighting. The lifetime of the cricket is only 100 days. It may seem strange that such a little insect could bring great popularity to a place, but the crickets are indeed an extraordinary and indispensable feature. Paper-Cutting 中国剪纸 Paper-cutting(剪纸) is a very distinctive visual art of Chinese handicrafts. It originated from the 6th century when women used to paste golden and silver foil cuttings onto their hair at the temples, and men used them in sacred rituals. Today, paper-cuttings are chiefly decorative. They are pasted on the walls, windows, doors, columns and lanterns to express people’s hopes, gratitude and other emotions.

Jingshan Park is superbly landscaped with hills to ascend by steps, clear lakes and dignified ancient buildings. It used to be one of the ancient imperial gardens in Beijing, and now has developed as a peaceful public park. Because of close to north of the Forbidden City, Jingshan Park is the best place for a bird's eye view of the Forbidden City and central Beijing. At dusk, we will climb the Jingshan and have a bird’s eye view of Forbidden City. At this time, it is particularly beautiful, palace eaves decorated with golden rays of the setting sun.

Lao She Teahouse is located in Qianmen Street, covering a business area of 2,600 square meters. Decorated mainly in a traditional Chinese style, it is simple and elegant with a Beijing-styled environment. Neatly arranged square tables, backrest chairs, palace lanterns hung from the ceiling, wooden tablets marked with a tea table on the counter, and paintings and calligraphy couplets hung on the wall make you feel like you are entering an old Beijing folk museum. It embodies the flavor of Beijing, where not only can the tea be tasted but the culture can also be appreciated by visitors. People there can enjoy splendid performances every day combined with outstanding folk arts, such as operas, acrobatics, magic, and face changing while enjoying famous tea, palace snacks, as well as traditional Beijing-style snacks. Afterwards, we will back to your hotel by public transportation, Wrap your memories and say good-bye in your hotel.