A vast and symmetrical metropolis, Běijīng is the orderly seat of the communist political power in China, so its architecture traces each and every mood swing from 1949 to the present, from felled hútòng (narrow alleys) to huge underground bomb shelters scooped out during the paranoid 1970s. One moment you are sizing up a blank Soviet-style monument, the next you spot a vast, shimmering tower rising up from the footprint of a vanished temple.

History may have been trampled in Běijīng over the past half century, but there’s still much more substance here than in China’s other dynastic capitals, bar Nánjīng or Kāifēng. You just need to do a bit of hunting and patient exploration to find the historical narrative. It’s also essential to sift the genuine from the fake: some of Běijīng’s once-illustrious past has been fitfully resurrected in the trompe-l’oeil of rebuilt monuments. Colossal flyovers and multilane boulevards heave with more than three million cars but ample pockets of historical charm survive. It’s the city’s epic imperial grandeur, however, that is truly awe-inspiring.

Experience all the splendor of Beijing with a 4-days/3-nights stay for P4800 instead of P11500 per person. The itinerary in detail:

Day 1: Arrival at Beijing airport, meet and transfer to hotel or proceed to Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and Tea Factory. Overnight in Beijing

Day 2: Breakfast at hotel, Beijing City Tour visiting Great Wall of China, Jade Factory, Herbal Facility and Olympic Village. Overnight in Beijing

Day 3: Breakfast at hotel, free time overnight in Beijing

Day 4: Breakfast at hotel, free time check-out & transfer to airport for departure