If you’ve ever picked up the remote in China, you know channel surfing here is like low-tech time travel. The small screen is dominated by elaborate imperial costume dramas, traditional Peking opera performances, and low-budget '50s socialist comedy (so unfunny it's almost funny!), lightly sprinkled with jarringly slick reality shows and imported soaps. But if you’ve made it all the way to Beijing, don’t waste your time staring at the tube. Whizzing around the mix of ancient and futuristic sites in the Chinese capital will give you the same disorienting rush–albeit without the perplexing commercials or kung-fu interludes.

Let’s start with some old school drama. Beijing’s been the capital for over a millennium, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s a higgledy-piggledy medieval mess. This city was purpose-built to be the ultimate theatrical set, a painstakingly planned pleasure garden for showing the emperor in his best light (seriously–the guy’s throne was at the exact center and highest point of the entire city). Sadly, many of the graceful palaces and temples were razed during China’s politically tumultuous 19th and 20th centuries, so sights aren’t as abundant as you’d expect–but what they lack in numbers they more than make up for in size and splendor.

Interested in special effects, Qing Dynasty style? Visit palatial wonders like the 9,999-room Forbidden City and the 720-acre Summer Palace, both built to make mere mortals feel tiny in the presence of the emperor. Because they’re so enormous, they’re day trips in themselves, so wear comfy shoes (you’ll understand why the emperor got carried around in a sedan chair), pack snacks (offerings in the park are dire), and block out a full day for a marathon palace viewing. If you find such overblown productions overwhelming, try the more intimate Lama Temple or Niu Jie Mosque. These ancient, still-functioning religious centers are a testament to Beijing’s rich cosmopolitan history; both were founded by pilgrims who made their way down the Silk Road from Tibet and the Middle East centuries ago.

As long as we’re talking history, there’s no escaping the primetime showpiece, the Great Wall–and at 4,000 miles long, we're talking an "epic" production. Head to “wild Wall” sites like Simatai or Huanghuacheng, where timeless nature wrestles with crumbling stonework and you’ll feel like you’re playing Marco Polo. Tired of time traveling? Try the 21st century take on the Ming Dynasty at Mutianyu or Badaling, where slick Disneyfied sections of the Wall are complemented with cable cars and Starbucks.

For all the ancient treasures though, this is a town that’s looking to the future, oftentimes at the expense of the past. Many a historic courtyard was “shifted” to make way for the superstar architectural wonders of Olympic Park including the “Bird’s Nest” stadium and “Water Cube” aquatics center. (If you do make the trek here, know that this is pure cinema–there’s nothing to do but ogle the buildings.) Sprawling contemporary Dashanzi Art District has converted a socialist factory complex into a temple to the avant-garde that easily rivals the Forbidden City in scale and wow-factor, while 1949 The Hidden City has turned 1940s warehouses into an urbane restaurant and gallery complex that draws a trend-setting crowd.

And if you can’t decide between the old school wonders and the cutting-edge design pieces, head to Ritan Park, the ultimate ancient-modern mash-up. Climb the elegant rockeries at this picturesque Ming Dynasty temple in the Central Business District, and you’ll be able to scope futuristic skyscrapers like Rem Koolhaas’s CCTV Tower while watching old timers practicing their tai chi under imperial pines. A touch better than a kung-fu interlude, don't you think?

Photo of the Lama Temple courtesy of DPerstin on Flickr Creative Commons