Beijing

Beijing is a capital of monumental memory. Palaces, ceremonial axes, hutongs, contemporary architecture and political gravity give the city a scale and symbolism unlike any other in Asia.

Beijing has been the capital of China, with brief interruptions, since the Yuan dynasty of Kublai Khan, and the Ming and Qing emperors gave it its form. The Forbidden City, the largest palace complex in the world, sits on a central axis that runs nearly eight kilometres from the Yongding Gate in the south to the Drum and Bell Towers in the north, with Tiananmen Square before it and Jingshan Park behind.

Around the axis lie the hutongs, lanes of courtyard houses around the Houhai lakes and Nanluoguxiang; the Temple of Heaven, where emperors prayed for the harvest; and the Lama Temple. To the north-west, the Summer Palace spreads around Kunming Lake. Contemporary Beijing extends east into the towers of the Central Business District and the galleries of the 798 Art District, and the Great Wall is within reach at Mutianyu.

Autumn, from September to late October, is Beijing’s finest season: dry, clear and mild, with the maples of the Fragrant Hills turning red. Spring is pleasant but short, with blossom in the imperial parks and occasional dust blowing in from the north. The first week of October, the National Day holiday, brings vast domestic crowds to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall and is best avoided.

Summer is hot and humid, with most of the year’s rain falling in July and August. Winter is cold and dry but often bright, and the quietest season for the palaces; the frozen lakes of Houhai and the Summer Palace become skating rinks, and snow on the Great Wall is a rare and striking sight. Chinese New Year brings temple fairs across the city.

Beijing’s best hotels divide between the historic centre and the newer districts. The Peninsula Beijing stands near Wangfujing, a short walk from the Forbidden City; Aman Summer Palace occupies courtyard pavilions beside the east gate of the Summer Palace; Waldorf Astoria Beijing is on Jinyu Hutong, close to Wangfujing; Park Hyatt Beijing rises above the Central Business District; and Four Seasons Hotel Beijing stands in the Liangmaqiao embassy district.

LVXVRY books the Waldorf Astoria, Park Hyatt and Four Seasons through Hilton for Luxury, Hyatt Privé and Four Seasons Preferred Partner — at the official hotel rate, with the privileges each programme attaches to the stay. For The Peninsula and Aman Summer Palace, LVXVRY advises on and arranges the stay. In autumn and around the October holiday, early reservations are advisable.