10 must-sees during your 72 hours visa-free transit in Beijing

Since January 1st 2013 visitors who hold a passport issued by any of the 45 countries eligible for Beijing's 72-hour visa-free transit policy that will remain in Beijing for no more than 72 hours while in transit can apply for 72-hours visa free transit stay in Beijing. If you fulfill all the necessary requirements for a visa-free transit stay in Beijing, you can check by clicking here and read everything you need to know about this new policy.

1) Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was initially an imperial palace in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was built in the year of 1420 and it has 980 buildings of different ages and artistic styles. As an imperial residence and political court for centuries, the Forbidden City was off limits to ordinary civilians for 500 years. In history, there had been 24 emperors lived and ruled China. So come and have a marvelous view of this royal palace of much mystery.

Tiananmen Square. Photo provided to China Daily

2) Tiananmen Square

Designed and built in 1651, the Tiananmen Square is not only an important site of political and historical events of China but also the third largest city square in the world. The historical events like May Fourth Movement in 1919 and the proclamation of the People's Republic of China by Mao Zedong in 1949 all happened in Tiananmen square and had great historical significance to Chinese people. On every National Day, mass military displays are an indispensible part of the ceremony. In terms of the architectural structure of the Tiananmen Square, it covers an area of 880 meters from north to south and 500 meters from east to west able to accommodate 1000,000 people at a time. Thus, the Tiananmen Square is one of the most favorite places of Chinese tourists.