Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall

  The Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall is located in the center of Beijing, on the east side of Qianmen Street, adjacent to attractions such as Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. It is a museum that displays the planning changes of Beijing from historical times to the present. Visitors can learn about what the urban area of Beijing looked like historically and how it has developed through various dynasties to become what it is today. They can also view a giant miniature of the Forbidden City and the panoramic view of Beijing, making it worth a visit.

  The Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall is divided into four floors, with multiple exhibition halls. Visitors can explore each floor and each exhibition hall at their own pace, typically taking about 1–2 hours.

  The first floor is the museum’s lobby, where you can see a bronze sculpture depicting Beijing’s terrain—surrounded by mountains on three sides with the plains resembling a bay. This sculpture is known as the “Beijing Bay” bronze sculpture. In addition to the spacious lobby with the sculpture, the first floor also hosts temporary exhibitions, which are often changing. If you happen to visit during one, it’s worth checking out.

  The second floor features several exhibition halls, including “Beijing—A Global City,” “Beautiful Beijing,” “Beijing Land Use Planning,” and “Beijing District and County Planning.” These mainly showcase modern Beijing and urban zoning. Each hall displays the functional distribution of Beijing’s urban areas and key landmarks and buildings, providing insights into the city.

  The third floor is the most fascinating part of the entire Planning Exhibition Hall. It includes major exhibits such as “The Transformation of Ancient Beijing,” “Protection of Beijing as a Historic and Cultural City,” “The Forbidden City Model,” “Sculptures of Beijing’s Urban Planners Through the Ages,” and the “Beijing Urban Planning Model.” Overall, this floor focuses on showcasing historical Beijing, allowing visitors to see what the city looked like in the past—it’s highly recommended. Highlights include the Forbidden City model and the Beijing Urban Planning Model. The Forbidden City model is 9 meters long and about 5 meters wide, featuring miniatures of all the structures within the Forbidden City, intricate and detailed, making it well worth seeing. The Beijing Urban Planning Model is even more impressive, spanning over 300 square meters and featuring a scaled-down replica of the entire city’s architectural landscape. Some sections are displayed under tempered glass, allowing visitors to stand above and look down, making it fun to locate familiar landmarks.

  The fourth floor primarily uses technology-based exhibits. It houses a dynamic cinema and a multimedia cinema where you can watch films about Beijing, though these require an additional fee of around 10 RMB. There are also exhibitions on topics such as Beijing’s transportation system and Olympic venues, all worth exploring.

  Address: No. 20 Qianmen East Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing (east side of the old Beijing Railway Station)

  Type: Exhibition venue

  Rating: AAAA

  Recommended visiting time: 1–2 hours

  Phone: 010-67017074

  Official website: http://www.bjghzl.com.cn/

  Opening hours:

  9:00–17:00 (last entry at 16:30), closed on Mondays.

  Ticket information:

  Gate price: 30.0 RMB

  Admission: 30 RMB; Multimedia cinema: 10 RMB; Dynamic cinema: 10 RMB.

The Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall is aAAAA-rated tourist attraction