Entry to the Imperial City of Beijing is through the Gates Of Heavenly Peace and suddenly the largest square in the world becomes a contemporary symbol of the enormity of China and the irresistible fascination, both ancient and modern, of its people, history and culture.

The Forbidden City, home to 24 Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, is a supreme spectacle of power, and the enormous dimensions of the Emperor’s Palace demonstrate the Emperor’s time-honoured function as being mediator between Heaven and Earth.

The Emperor’s Garden, The Confucius Temple, The Garden of Harmonious Unity, The Perfumed Mountain and The Temple of the White Pagoda, are but a few of the enchanting names associated with China’s most enigmatic, yet revealing, city.