Travel to Beijing on Northwest Airlines

> Find airfare to Beijing on Northwest Airlines

When you travel to Beijing, China, you'll discover the amazement of seeing the sights and buildings of an ancient culture situated right in the middle of a bustling, modern culture — separated by nothing more than simple walls.

Along with Shanghai, Beijing is one of the largest cities in China, and holds a number of excellent tourist attractions. The standout sight to see when you travel to Beijing is the Forbidden City. Walled off from the metropolis surrounding it, the 600-year-old Forbidden City is an impressive imperial palace that dates back to China's Ming Dynasty. Now a museum, the many enormous courts and buildings of the palace served as the Emperor's home and seat of power for more than 500 years.

It is impossible to see the Forbidden City, however, without first crossing the expansiveness of Tiananmen Square. Infamous as a site of many protests in modern times, including the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, the Square is actually named after the Tiananmen, a gate at the north end of the square that is the entrance to Beijing's Imperial City. The name Tiananmen translates to "Gate of Heavenly Peace."

For people less interested in the teeming Beijing crowds and more interested in one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, a day trip from Beijing to the Great Wall can easily be arranged. Tourists to the Great Wall can choose from many different areas to visit; among the most popular is the Badaling section.

It is impossible to talk about travel to Beijing today without mentioning the city's massive overhaul in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics. The centerpiece of Beijing's efforts is the Beijing National Stadium, an 80,000-seat stadium with a unique concrete latticework exterior. Other preparations include an overhaul of Beijing's subway system as well, with plans to add a number of additional lines and stations to serve the influx of visitors for the event.

In all, your travel to Beijing should be a memorable one, of ancient cities and walls contrasting the city's more modern urban trappings and Olympic renovations