Xinhua News Agency reported that the Cu Dung Quan section of the Imperial Citadel in Beijing opened a helicopter tour service on February 14, giving visitors a panoramic view of the World Heritage Site.
According to the authorities of Xuong Binh District, where Cu Dung Quan is located in the suburbs of Beijing, the helicopter carrying 4 tourists took off at 10 am, marking the opening ceremony of the service.
Tourists can choose one of three routes for the service, operating from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day. In addition to Cu Dung Quan, visitors can also admire the scenery of the nearby Quang Khau Valley as well as the Minh Mausoleum on the remaining two routes.
The tours are 3, 5 and 15 minutes long, with prices for each person being 298 yuan (about 42 USD), 398 yuan (55 USD) and 888 yuan (124 USD), respectively.
The Ly Truong Thanh Temple has a total length of more than 20,000km, is a World Heritage Site recognized by UNESCO and includes many walls connected together.
Beijing has a total of 520km of the Ly Truong Thanh Volcanoe section in its territory and the Cu Dung panoramic section about 60km from the city center.
This is one of the three main gates of the Imperial Academy. The remaining two gates are Gia Duc Quan and Son Hai quan. Cu Dung Quan has two " sub-orders", one in the south of the valley and one in the north. The southern gate is called Nam Quan and the northern gate is Bat Dat Linh.
The name Cu Dung Quan was used in three dynasties. First was the Qin Dynasty when Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered the construction of the Imperial Academy. Cu Dung Quan was connected to Truong Thanh during the South-North Dynasty.
The current route was built during the Ming Dynasty and has been renovated many times since then. This is a place with a very important strategic position connecting the inland and the area near the northern border of China. It was used to defend Beijing's ancient citadel.
