Walking south along the West Side Road of Tiananmen Square, you’ll come across a relatively narrow alley — this is Xijiaominxiang. In the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, because the adjacent Dongjiaominxiang was a hub for foreign banks, Chinese-capital banks that were gradually emerging chose to set up their institutions in Xijiaominxiang, located to its west...
Liuyang Guild Hall is located at No. 41 Beibanjie Hutong, Xicheng District, and is listed as one of the eighth batch of municipal-level cultural heritage protection units in Beijing. Built in the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1870), it covers an area of over 1,000 square meters. The guild hall faces east and sits west, with its current layout relatively well-preserved. During the Hundred Days' Reform, Tan Sitong lived in a suite of rooms in the main building, which he named “Mangcangcang Zhai.”
The courtyard at No. 93 Fuchengmennei Street is located at No. 93 Fuchengmennei Street, Xicheng District, and is listed as part of the seventh batch of municipal-level cultural heritage protection units in Beijing. Built during the Republican era, it faces south and is a medium-sized traditional courtyard house. The complex consists of three courtyards, with the middle courtyard featuring a five-bay main hall. Its roof is uniquely constructed with stacked stone slabs, and all doors and windows are built with brick arches...
No. 10 Liangliudian Street Inn is located at No. 73 Liangliudian Street, Xuanwu District, and is listed as one of the sixth batch of municipal-level cultural heritage protection units in Beijing. It faces east and is built with a brick-and-wood structure, consisting of two floors, spanning seven bays in width, and laid out in a "日"-shaped plan. The building features two inner courtyards, with rooms arranged around the courtyards. Four sets of staircases are located on the gable side of the wing buildings, and flat-roofed connecting corridors are added between the front porches of each floor to form a covered gallery. The architecture is finely crafted, simple, and well-proportioned.
The Lu Zhengxiang Family Tomb is located at No. 8 Baiwanzhuang Road, Xicheng District, and is listed as part of the sixth batch of municipal-level cultural heritage protection units in Beijing. Lu Zhengxiang (1871–1949) once served as the Minister to the Netherlands and Russia, as well as Minister of Foreign Affairs. The tomb faces southeast and is oriented toward the northwest, with a façade designed in the style of an ancient Greek temple. The four walls of the tomb chamber are inlaid with stone inscriptions of eulogies from prominent figures of the Beiyang Government and notable personalities from various fields, such as...
The former site of the National Mongolian and Tibetan School is located at No. 33 Xiaoshihu Hutong, Xicheng District, and is listed as part of the sixth batch of municipal-level cultural heritage protection units in Beijing. In the second year of the Yongzheng reign (1724), the Qing government established separate schools for the left and right wings to educate imperial clan members, with the Right Wing Clan School situated here. In 1913, the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission opened a specialized school for Mongolian and Tibetan studies on this site. In the autumn of 1923, Li Dazhao, Deng Zhongxia, and others came to the school to carry out revolutionary work. Between 1924 and —, a group of young students including Kui Bi and Ji Yatai became the first group of Mongolian members of the Communist Party of China in history, and they established the first Mongolian Party branch here.
The facade of the former site of Xiangyi Silk and Cloth Store is located at No. 1, Dashilan Street, Qianmen, and is listed as part of the fifth batch of municipal-level cultural heritage protection units in Beijing. The two-story wooden structure features an exterior adorned with wrought iron floral decorations, an iron awning overhead, and finely crafted iron floral cornices hanging beneath the awning—currently well preserved. …
The former facade of Ruifuxiang is located at No. 5, Dashilan Street, Qianmen, and is listed as part of the fifth batch of municipal-level cultural heritage protection units in Beijing. Originally built in 1893, it was rebuilt after being destroyed by fire in 1900. The two-story brick structure features a wooden roof truss, with a Western-style iron-sheet canopy in front of the shop. The façade is adorned with pilasters, flanked by semi-circular viewing walls decorated with carved floral and bird patterns. It is now well preserved.
The former facade of Qianxiangyi is located at No. 5 Zhuangshi Street and is listed as part of the fifth batch of municipal-level cultural heritage protection units in Beijing. The building is a two-story wooden structure. The first floor features Western classical columns that divide the façade into three sections, each with an arched doorway. The second floor has an iron-railed veranda, with walls adorned by pilasters and overhanging eaves. The roof is finished with a parapet, and the overall façade is intricate and well-preserved. …
The former site of Ping-Sui Xizhimen Railway Station is located at Beijing North Railway Station and is listed as part of the fifth batch of municipal-level cultural heritage protection units in Beijing. It was built during the construction of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway under the direction of Zhan Tianyou. The site includes the station building, platforms, locomotive shed, and staff dormitories. It is the only relatively well-preserved facility among the remaining structures of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway. The station building (currently the waiting hall of Beijing North Railway Station)...
The former site of Xinzhong School and Youzhen Girls' School is located at No. 2 and No. 4 Jiaochang Hutong, and is among the fourth batch of municipal-level cultural heritage protection units in Beijing. Originally, they were two secondary schools affiliated with the French Catholic Missionary Congregation of the Holy Spirit. Two surviving classroom buildings and one auditorium remain. The structures feature a brick-and-wood construction and follow the European Eclectic architectural style. The facades are divided into three horizontal sections, with red-tiled sloping roofs and red brick walls...
Yang Jiaoshan Ancestral Hall (Songyun Nunnery) is located at No. 12 Dazhi Bridge outside Xuanwu Gate and No. 2 San Tiao of Jiaochangkou, and is among the third batch of municipal-level cultural heritage protection units in Beijing. During the Ming Dynasty’s Jiajing era, it was the residence of Yang Jiaoshan (also known as Ji Sheng), who fearlessly impeached the powerful prime minister Yan Song. In the 52nd year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1787), it was converted into Yang Jiaoshan Ancestral Hall. Yang Jiaoshan twice submitted critiques of the current political situation...
The ruins of the Ming Dynasty Beijing City Wall are located near Xibianmen and to the east of Chongwenmen in Dongcheng District, and are part of the third batch of municipal-level cultural heritage sites in Beijing. The remaining sections of the Ming Dynasty Beijing city wall (a section east of Chongwenmen and two sections near Xibianmen) are important physical evidence for studying the evolution of Beijing’s city walls. …
The former site of the French School of the Catholic Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame is located on Qianmen West Street (inside Xuanwumen), and is listed as one of the third batch of municipal-level cultural heritage protection units in Beijing. Built in the late Qing Dynasty, it is a representative example of Sino-Western architectural fusion in Beijing and was once the site of Nantang Middle School. To its west was originally Nantang Primary School, both being remnants of the Catholic Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame's architectural legacy.…
No. 87 Xijiaomin Lane and No. 112 Beixinhua Street Courtyards in Xicheng District, Beijing — Batch: Third Batch of Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units of Beijing; Location: Xicheng District; Reason for Protection: Originally the residences of capitalists from the Shuanghesheng Brewery. The courtyards are spacious, with the western garden featuring rockeries that create a unique landscape. No. 87 served as living quarters, and...
The courtyard house at No. 23, Liutiao, Xisi North Street is located on Xisi North Street in Xicheng District. It follows a four-courtyard layout. Facing south, the main gate is situated at the southeastern corner of the residence and is a guangliang (grand) gate, flanked by mounting stones on either side. Inside the gate, there is a screen wall directly ahead, with two wing rooms on the east and six on the west. The second courtyard is smaller, with rooms on the east and west sides. The...
No. 15 Qian Gongyong Hutong Courtyard is located on Qian Gongyong Hutong in Xicheng District. It features a three-courtyard siheyuan layout, covering an area of over 6,000 square meters with a construction area of more than 2,700 square meters. The complex faces south and has its main gate positioned at the center. Inside, there are five northern rooms, the front one featuring an open veranda. The upturned eaves are adorned with brick carvings of lions playing with a ball. On the east and west sides of the house, there are...
Destination Introduction Jintai Academy is located in the western part of Chongwen District, at No. 203 Dongxiaoshi Street, outside Chongwenmen. It was established as an academy in the mid-Qing Dynasty (1750) in the capital city. The predecessor of Jintai Academy was the private residence of Hong Chengchou, a surrendered Ming general—Hong Manor. In the 39th year of the Kangxi reign (1700), the...
Destination Introduction The Stele on the Dredging of the Drainage Channels by Zhengyang Bridge is located in the western part of Chongwen District, at No. 78 Hongmiao Street. Built in the 56th year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty (1791), the inscription on the stele documents the waterways of Beijing and holds significant value for the study of the city’s geography and historical changes. In 1984, it was designated as a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit. This stele...