Most people's attention will be firmly focused on events on the field during the Games but the ancient city has a lot to offer on the days when there is a gap in the schedule.
Poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge tells us that 'in Xanadu did Kublai Khan a stately pleasure dome erect'. The jury is still out on whether Beijing counts as a Xanadu, but the same Kublai Khan, grandson of the famous warrior Genghis Khan, can claim credit for turning Beijing into a proper city during the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368).
The first tourist of note was Marco Polo, who pitched tent here and travelled with Kublai Khan. Marco Polo ended up staying in Beijing for 20 years before heading back to Europe with fantastic stories of a great eastern civilisation, which some doubt to this day.
Most of what we understand as modern Beijing was built during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). It was built to show off the power of the emperor and is based on specially built temples and altars for staging rites and ceremonies. The design of the city reflects Confucian principles of order, ethical conduct and the importance of rites to express filial duty.
Massive Tiananmen Square lies within the boundaries of one of the old city walls and is formally accessed through Zhengyang Gate. Chairman Mao's tomb is in the path of the gate, while on one side you have the People's History Museum and on the other, the Great Hall of the People, which is used for major government meetings, state occasions and even to stage Riverdance.
Tiananmen Square is in front of the Imperial City, within which lies the Forbidden City, probably Beijing's most famous landmark. The red walls and the huge portrait of Mao Zedong are in strong contrast to the grey surroundings.