If you visit Beijing, there should be some must-go attractions to enrich your Beijing trip. Maybe you could know there attractions’ English names, but do you know how to say it in Chinese? The next part will briefly explain its English and Chinese names and tell you how the names come.

1. Forbidden City
To visit Beijing, Forbidden City could be the first one on everyone’s visiting itinerary. The same as its English names, such as Forbidden City, Imperial Palace or the Palace Museum, its Chinese names are also verified. “Forbidden” is called “Jin” and “City” is called “Cheng”, and together with “Purple” which according to Chinese ancient astrological theory symbolizes the emperor and in Chinese it is called “Zi”, thus Forbidden City corresponds with Zi Jin Cheng in Chinese language. “Palace” is pronounced “Gong” in Chinese language, and both “Imperial Palace” and “Palace Museum” could be said as “Gu Gong”. “Gu” means the old or the former, and “Gu Gong” means it is the old palace for the emperors living in before. “Museum” is called “Bo Wu Yuan”. Therefore, “Imperial Palace” is said to be “Gu Gong”, and “Palace Museum” would be “Gu Gong Bo Wu Yuan”.

2. Great Wall
In English, we capitalize “great” and “wall” to symbolize the wonder in Beijing, China. In Chinese language, we only have one word to name it which is “Chang Cheng”. “Chang” means long and boundless, and “Cheng” means the city. The difference with English name is as Great Wall stands several meters high to protect again the outside aggression, it is just like a huge city wall for a country and “city” seems stronger than “wall”, so we use “Cheng” but not “Qiang” which corresponds with “wall” in Chinese.

3. Summer Palace
Chinese people call “Summer Palace” to be “Yi He Yuan”. Perhaps its English name comes from its function as a summer resort which was built for imperial members. Once you visit this palace, you would find there is not simply a palace included, but many pavilions and a large artificial lake. “Yi He” could be derived from Chinese classics, which means having good nourishment and constitution. “Yuan” simply means a garden in English.

Other famous attractions like Temple of Heaven or Fragrant Hills Park are directly translated from Chinese names. “Temple of Heaven” is called “Tian Tan”, “Tian” standing for the heaven and “Tan” for the temple. “Fragrant Hills Park” is pronounced “Xiang Shan Gong Yuan”, “Xiang” for “Fragrant”, “Shan” for “Hills” and “Gong Yuan” for “Park”.

When you travel to Beijing, don’t be afraid to say the Chinese names of the Beijing attractions which you want to visit. And with these native sayings of these places, your China Beijing tour would be more interesting and typical http://www.chinatouronline.com/china-tours/beijing.html.