Beijing

With a history dating back over three millennia, China’s mammoth capital is a proud celebration of old and new — showcasing shiny modern skyscrapers alongside the imposing Ming and Qing-era Forbidden Palace. Like China itself, the city has been transformed over the last century, from an ancient walled city to a stylish metropolis and seat of the ruling Communist Party. Politics are never far away in Beijing, and any trip would be amiss without a visit to the vast pedestrianised Tiananmen Square — site of Chairman Mao Zedong’s mausoleum and the National Museum of China.