As a legendary old city that has endured more than 3,000 years of wind and rain, there are countless legends and secrets here. There are also many that even Beijingers may not necessarily know. Today, let me tell you some little-known facts about Beijing.
I. Travel category
1,”White for east-west, green for north-south”
Road sign on Yonghegong Dajie
Road sign on Wenjin Street
Behind the colors of Beijing’s road signs, there is actually such a profound meaning. In Beijing, road signs for north-south directions are green, and road signs for east-west directions are white.
“White for east-west” means that if a road sign is white, it must point in an east-west direction. Conversely, “green for north-south” means that as long as a road sign is green, it must point in a north-south direction.
Nowadays, streets in north-south directions use green backgrounds with white characters, and streets in east-west directions use white backgrounds with red characters. In addition to “white for east-west, green for north-south”, there are also road signs for alleys with red backgrounds and white characters. In some areas, road signs are blue on top and white on the bottom, in both Chinese and English, and there are also direction signs.
If you master this rule, won’t you get lost when traveling in Beijing?
2,”Misleading” subway stations
Qinghua Donglu Xikou Station
The Exit of West Qinghua East Road Station is 970 meters away from Tsinghua University and is just across the road from Beijing Forestry University.
Two sets of personnel manage the same subway.
The subways in Beijing are operated by two companies: Beijing Subway and MTR Beijing. Among them, MTR Beijing operates Lines 4, 14, and Daxing Line. Beijing Subway operates the other 15 lines. At the transfer station between Line 14 and Line 9, employees of the two companies maintain order without interfering with each other.
Beijing subway
3,Different “chatterboxes” in the same Beijing.
Nowadays, when Beijingers travel, the subway has become the preferred means of transportation. But did you know? The announcement methods of different subway lines are also different. Take Haidian Huangzhuang Station, the transfer station between Line 4 and Line 10. “Beijing MTR Line 4” inherits the consistent simplicity and clarity of Beijing MTR:
Beijing Subway Line 10
Welcome to take Beijing MTR Line 4. The next station is Haidian Huangzhuang Station. Passengers can transfer to Line 10.
And “Line 10” perfectly inherits the “chattiness” of Beijingers:
Welcome to take Beijing Subway Line 10. Passengers on long-distance trips please move to the middle of the carriage. The next station is Haidian Huangzhuang Station. Haidian Huangzhuang Station is a transfer station. There is a large passenger flow at the transfer station. Please move to the door in advance and transfer in an orderly and civilized manner.
4,The most easily confused stations.
Guozhuangzi Station
Can you tell the difference between Guozhuangzi Station, Zhangguozhuang Station, and Guogongzhuang Station? There is no connection between these three stations. Zhangguozhuang Station and Guozhuangzi Station are on Line 14. Guogongzhuang Station is the starting station of Line 9.
5,The true meaning of “Batong Line”.
The “Batong” of the Batong Line doesn’t mean accessible in all directions. “Ba” refers to Babaoshan (Eight Princes’ Tombs), and “Tong” refers to Tongzhou.
However, the Batong Line does not pass through Babaoshan. And the Babaoshan Station doesn’t exist anymore. This station has been renamed Dawanglu Station.
6,The deepest subway station.
Ciqi Kou Station
The Ciqukou Station is 32.5 meters deep. Visually, there are more than 100 steps. Looking up from below is quite spectacular. It is the deepest subway station in Beijing.
7,Ghost subway stations.
You may not have noticed. The number of the Apple Garden Station, the starting point of Line 1, is 103. Why aren’t there 102 and 101? Because Fushouling Station (numbered 102) and Gaojing Station (numbered 101) have never been open to the public since they were built in 1965. Now they have been completely closed and become ghost subway stations.
8,The subway line with the strongest Yuan Dynasty atmosphere.
Beijing Rail Transit Network Map
Among Beijing’s subway lines, Line 10 has the strongest Yuan Dynasty atmosphere. A section of Line 10 in the east-west direction is built according to the trend of the earthen city wall of Dadu in the Yuan Dynasty.
So there are subway station names like “Beitucheng” (North earthen city), “Xitucheng” (West earthen city), “Jiandemen” (Jian De Gate), and “Anzhenmen” (An Zhen Gate).
II. History category
The Forbidden City
1,Old Beijing city is not square.
Why isn’t old Beijing city square (referring to the current Second Ring Road)? In the Ming Dynasty, in order to defend against Mongolian cavalry, Emperor Jiajing originally wanted to build an outer city around Beijing to make Beijing into a “回”-shaped city. Building the outer city was too much work, so he first built a section in the south. After building this section of the outer city, the imperial court found that it didn’t have enough money to build the remaining parts of the outer city. So at the northern ends of the east and west walls of the completed section of the outer city, another section of east-west walls was built to connect with the inner city. So Beijing city became “凸”-shaped.
Old Beijing city
2. Different functions of Beijing’s city gates
The Zhengyang Gate was only for the emperor and empress to pass through. The emperor and ministers went through the Anding Gate to offer sacrifices to the earth at the Temple of Earth. They went through the Fucheng Gate to offer sacrifices to the moon and various stars. The army went out to war through the Desheng Gate or Anding Gate. After victory, they returned through the Anding Gate. When the Ming Dynasty emperors went to sweep tombs or hold funerals, they went through the Desheng Gate. For common people’s funerals in the inner city, they could only pass through five gates: Chongwen Gate, Dongzhimen, Anding Gate, Xizhimen, and Fucheng Gate. Checking goods in transit and collecting taxes was at Chongwen Gate. Grain transportation was through Chaoyangmen. The carts transporting water for the palace went through Xizhimen. Coal transportation was through Fucheng Gate.
Zhengyang Gate
3. “Liubiju” inscribed by a big traitor
Liubiju
The well-known “Liubiju” was originally called “Liuxinju” (for details, please refer to the TV series “Ming Dynasty 1566”). The calligraphy on the plaque is so wonderful that people can’t help but praise it. But what you don’t know is that it was written by Yan Song. He is the leading big traitor and villain in the Ming Dynasty.
4. The “brother” of Yonghegong was demolished
The Lama Temple
There is a place named Huangsi outside Andingmen. In the Qing Dynasty, there were East Huangsi and West Huangsi. The Dalai Lama lived in East Huangsi, and the Panchen Lama lived in West Huangsi. East and West Huangsi were as famous as Yonghegong as the most famous lamaseries in the capital. Later, during the Cultural Revolution, East Huangsi was demolished…
5. Tanzhe Temple is not its real name
Tanzhe Temple
Tanzhe Temple has never been called Tanzhe Temple. When it was built in the Jin Dynasty, it was called Jiafu Temple. In the Tang Dynasty, it was renamed Longquan Temple. In the Jin Dynasty, it was renamed Dawan Shou Temple. In the Qing Dynasty, it was renamed Xiuyun Zen Temple. However, because there is a Longtan behind the temple and a Cudrania tree beside the temple, people love to call this temple Tanzhe Temple. As people called it like this, it became popular.
6. Baiyun Temple was built by Yin Zhiping
Baiyun Guanshan Gate
Outside Yuandadu City, there is a place called Changchun Palace. In the Tang Dynasty, it was called Tianchangguan. Later, Genghis Khan employed Qiu Chuji. Kublai Khan used his title “Changchun” and renamed the Tianchangguan where Qiu Chuji lived after returning to Beijing as “Changchun Palace”. After Qiu Chuji passed away, his disciple Yin Zhiping built a lower courtyard on the east side of Changchun Palace. In the temple, Qiu Chuji’s body is buried. Yes, this is the current Baiyun Temple. People who are familiar with “The Legend of the Condor Heroes” might feel confused when they go there…
7. The tombs of emperors of the Jin Dynasty are all gone
The tombs of emperors of the Jin Dynasty
Where were the emperors of the Jin Dynasty buried after they died? What were the tombs called? – Dafangshan Jinling. This mausoleum has 18 imperial tombs and is the first large imperial mausoleum area in Beijing’s history. Unfortunately, Jinling was completely destroyed. Originally, in the late Ming Dynasty, Nurhachi rose up and called himself “Later Jin”. Emperor Tianqi of the Ming Dynasty then destroyed the imperial tombs of the Jin Dynasty at that time to break the feng shui, thinking that Nurhachi would be finished.
8. Beijing was once “separated by Manchus and Han people”
In the Qing Dynasty, Manchus and Han people lived separately. Han people were driven from the inner city to the outer city. As a result, the area outside Chongwenmen, Zhengyangmen, and Xuanwumen became prosperous due to the arrival of Han people. The so-called “Xuan-nan culture” is the product of the gathering of Han officials and scholars.
9. Jingshan is a pile of waste soil
When Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty built Beijing City, he used the soil slag from demolishing the Yuan imperial palace and the waste soil from digging the Tongzi River to pile up a small hill. Later, we called it Jingshan. Then Emperor Yongle also moved the south city wall of Dadu in the Yuan Dynasty southward a bit. On the vacated position, he built an east-west street. This street is later known as Chang’an Street.
10. Stones in Beihai Park
During the period of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, the “Manufacturing Bureau” in Hangzhou and the “Yingfeng Bureau” in Suzhou at that time searched for rare stones and treasures in the southeast region and transported them to the capital Bianliang (now Kaifeng) to build “Genyue”. (It is said that if Genyue could be preserved until today, it would surely become the most outstanding in the world’s garden art.) Wherever the “Flower and Stone Convoys” passed, the people complained bitterly and lived in misery. (See “Water Margin”). Later, when the Jin soldiers marched south and occupied Bianliang, they destroyed Genyue. All the rare stones and treasures inside were transported to the newly built “Jin Zhongdu”, which is today’s Beijing. Every time I step on these stones in Beihai Park, I will faintly feel that behind each step there is a history of blood and tears.
11. “Sanlitun”, “Liulitun”, “Balizhuang”…
Beijing now has Sanlitun
In 1729 AD, in order to facilitate the transportation of grain from Tongzhou to the capital, Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty ordered the construction of the stone road outside Chaoyangmen. Later, scattered villages began to form in the wilderness on both sides of the road. One of them, located six li away from Chaoyangmen, is called “Liulitun”. The one eight li away is called “Balizhuang”. The one ten li away is called “Shilibao”. As for Sanlitun, it is named because it is three li away from the inner city (that is, the second ring road).
12. The unsolved mystery of the great explosion in Tianqi period of the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty Tianqi Explosion (Imaginative)
Changchun Street used to keep elephants and was also called Xianglai Street. During the Tianqi period of the Ming Dynasty, a great explosion occurred near the gunpowder depot on Changchun Street. The elephants were frightened and trampled and injured many people… The cause of this explosion is unknown. The phenomenon is strange and the disaster is huge. It is an “unprecedented change in ancient and modern times”.
13. The “underground passage project” of New China
After the founding of New China, the famous architectural experts Liang Sicheng and Chen Zhanxiang proposed the “Liang-Chen Plan” for Beijing’s future urban planning. The “Liang-Chen Plan” clearly proposed that Beijing should avoid the development pattern of a “single center” and should completely preserve the ancient city of Beijing. Once the administrative region is set in the ancient city, major arterial roads may experience traffic congestion and can only be remedied by projects such as underground passages. Sixty years later, everything the old gentleman said came true.
14. The origin of Hepingmen
Hepingmen
In 1926, when Duan Qirui was in charge of Beijing, in order to facilitate transportation, a new city gate was opened between Zhengyangmen and Xuanwumen. It has two tunnels, no city tower, no barbican, and no watchtower. This is how Hepingmen came into being.
15. The origin of Liulichang
Liulichang
As the name suggests, Liulichang was originally a place for firing glazed tiles. Later, during the Qianlong period when the Complete Library in Four Divisions was compiled, famous scholars and literati from all over the country came to Beijing and developed the habit of going to Liulichang to search for rare books. Over time, Liulichang became popular. Now there are still such things sold there.
16. The City God’s Temple of Beijing No. 8 Middle School
City God’s Temple
There is a lonely ancient-style building beside the high school department of Beijing No. 8 Middle School. Some teachers and students of Beijing No. 8 Middle School call it “the big temple”. In fact, this is a small part of the Capital City God’s Temple. The Capital City God’s Temple is used to manage city god’s temples all over the country. Awesome!
17. The “history of city building” of Beijing
Jimen Bridge
The construction of Beijing dates back to the Shang Dynasty. The establishment of the capital dates back to the Jin Dynasty. As mentioned earlier, in the Binhe Park near the ruins of the palace in the Jin Dynasty near the Guang’anmen Overpass, there is a “monument commemorating the establishment of the capital of Beijing”. Beijing was established as the capital in 1153. As of this year, 2018, it has been 865 years. Now there is this “Jicheng Commemorative Pillar” in the Binhe Park near the Guang’anmen Overpass, which is to commemorate the construction of Beijing. Well, probably you also know where the “Ji” character in “Jimen Bridge” comes from.
18. Zhongguancun has a relationship with eunuchs
Nowadays, Zhongguancun
Originally, the “guan” in Zhongguancun was the character for “official”. Zhongguan means eunuch. Zhongguancun was the tomb of eunuchs. This area around Zhongguancun was purchased by wealthy eunuchs with the purpose of having someone sweep their tombs after they died. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, many eunuchs bought houses and properties here and were buried here. For example, one of Li Lianying’s former residences is on Caihefang Road in West Zhongguancun. Now it is the “Chaojianglou Club”. Zhongguancun was officially named after liberation. After liberation, when choosing this place to build the Chinese Academy of Sciences, people thought the two characters “Zhongguan” were not good. Only then was it renamed “Zhongguancun” at the suggestion of Mr. Chen Yuan, the president of Beijing Normal University.
III. Geography category
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Beijing has four “enclaves” in other provinces.
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- Beijing Shuanghe Farm is located at the junction of Meilisi District and Gannan County in Qiqihar City. This area is an “enclave” of Beijing in Heilongjiang Province.
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- Guanting Reservoir (only the water area) is located at the junction of Beijing and Hebei Province. Most of it is located in Huailai County, Hebei Province, and a small part is located in Yanqing District, Beijing. In fact, strictly speaking, only the water area is under the jurisdiction of Beijing, while the land ownership has not been changed and still belongs to Hebei.
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- Beijing Qinghe Farm is located in Ninghe District, Tianjin City and is under the jurisdiction of Xicheng District, Beijing. Covering an area of 115 square kilometers, it was established in 1949 with the approval of Nie Rongzhen, the mayor of Beijing at that time.
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- The mining area in Qian’an City, Tangshan City, Hebei Province is centered around Binhe Village. This area is the location of Shougang Group Qian’an Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. The Qian’an mining area is also the only college entrance examination site outside Beijing.
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The release location of “Beijing time” is not in Beijing.
- “Beijing time” is the standard time of our country. Every day, “Beijing time” is provided to the whole country on radios and television screens. But do you know where “Beijing time” is released from?
- In fact, the release location of “Beijing time” is at the Shaanxi Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the eastern suburbs of Xi’an, Shaanxi Province – the only “standard time dissemination center” in China.
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The benchmark of Beijing is located at Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital.
- The “benchmark” was built in 1915. It was designed and built by a Japanese businessman recruited by the Geodesy Bureau of the Ministry of the Army of the National Government. The exterior building imitates ancient Greek architecture.
- The “benchmark point” refers to the reference point for the altitude of a region. All topographic maps, buildings, underground structures, pipe networks, and various elevation control points take this as the reference.
- In plain language, for building houses, digging ditches, building roads, etc., the height reference is based on this point. This point cannot be changed due to road construction, ditch digging, etc.
IV. Humanities category
Many place names in Beijing have been “refined”.Here are some comparisons of place names before and after refinement
Coffin Alley – Guangcai Alley.
Stinky Water Street – Xiushui Street.
Bitter Well – Fusuijing.
Sow Alley – Meizhu Alley.
Pig Market Entrance – Zhushi Entrance.
Dog Tail Alley – Gaoyibo Alley.
Sheep Tail Alley – Yangwei Alley.
Zhang Baldy Alley – Changtuzhi Alley.
Hunchback Alley – Luogu Alley. (Yes, that’s the place where Nanluoguxiang is located.)
Widow Wang’s Slanting Street – Wang Guangfu’s Slanting Street.
Mute Alley – Yabao Alley. (This is the predecessor of Yabao Road.)
Stinky Water Street – Xiushui Street.
Bitter Well – Fusuijing.
Sow Alley – Meizhu Alley.
Pig Market Entrance – Zhushi Entrance.
Dog Tail Alley – Gaoyibo Alley.
Sheep Tail Alley – Yangwei Alley.
Zhang Baldy Alley – Changtuzhi Alley.
Hunchback Alley – Luogu Alley. (Yes, that’s the place where Nanluoguxiang is located.)
Widow Wang’s Slanting Street – Wang Guangfu’s Slanting Street.
Mute Alley – Yabao Alley. (This is the predecessor of Yabao Road.)
2. The Jingshan Sitting Statue
In February 1978, the garden landscape photo of Jingshan Park taken by China’s return remote sensing satellite resembled a sitting statue of an old man with closed eyes. Whether it is on a 1:5000 image or a 25,000:1 color infrared image, the image is very vivid. Looking north from Tiananmen Square, along the central axis, a magical image appears north of the Forbidden City. Surrounded by square frames, there is a statue in the middle that resembles an old man sitting. Is it a coincidence or was it intentionally built?
In February 1978, the garden landscape photo of Jingshan Park taken by China’s return remote sensing satellite resembled a sitting statue of an old man with closed eyes. Whether it is on a 1:5000 image or a 25,000:1 color infrared image, the image is very vivid. Looking north from Tiananmen Square, along the central axis, a magical image appears north of the Forbidden City. Surrounded by square frames, there is a statue in the middle that resembles an old man sitting. Is it a coincidence or was it intentionally built?
3. Beijing’s Mysterious Underground City
In Ximo Fang Factory Hutong in Beijing, there is a mysterious underground city. There are interconnected underground passages that can directly lead to administrative centers, Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven, and Beijing Railway Station. However, the specific location cannot be found in any travel guide.
In Ximo Fang Factory Hutong in Beijing, there is a mysterious underground city. There are interconnected underground passages that can directly lead to administrative centers, Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven, and Beijing Railway Station. However, the specific location cannot be found in any travel guide.
4. The “Rainbow Broken Bridge” of “Fuxingmen” and “Jianguomen”
If you have the opportunity to take Beijing Subway Line 2, you will find the names of many city gates. But the names of two city gates are particularly out of place, namely “Fuxingmen” and “Jianguomen”! The founders of these two city gates were actually the Japanese. Later, after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the Nationalist government took over Peiping and renamed these two city gates as “Fuxingmen” and “Jianguomen” to celebrate the victory over the Japanese invaders and express the hope of restoring the country soon. The current Fuxingmen and Jianguomen are represented by the “rainbow broken bridge” artworks. As for why it is a broken bridge… Because it is convenient for large vehicles to pass. Otherwise, if it were installed for show and had to be disassembled every three days, wouldn’t it be too troublesome…
If you have the opportunity to take Beijing Subway Line 2, you will find the names of many city gates. But the names of two city gates are particularly out of place, namely “Fuxingmen” and “Jianguomen”! The founders of these two city gates were actually the Japanese. Later, after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the Nationalist government took over Peiping and renamed these two city gates as “Fuxingmen” and “Jianguomen” to celebrate the victory over the Japanese invaders and express the hope of restoring the country soon. The current Fuxingmen and Jianguomen are represented by the “rainbow broken bridge” artworks. As for why it is a broken bridge… Because it is convenient for large vehicles to pass. Otherwise, if it were installed for show and had to be disassembled every three days, wouldn’t it be too troublesome…
Rainbow Broken Bridgen
5. Entering a “Dead End”
A dead end, as the name implies, means that after entering, there is no exit anywhere. There is a saying, “Accidentally walked into a dead end.” So, is there really a dead end? This place is located near Xisi, in the area of Ping’anli. The road signs here can be clearly seen. Why is this alley impassable? Don’t worry, here comes the 干货 (useful information). The reasons for the formation of dead ends in Beijing are generally threefold: Formed in history: A dead end is a recessed section of an alley in an alley. Some of these sections are slender, some are as wide as a large open space on the ground, and some turn left or right like a maze, but there is no exit. Newly built impassable alleys are generally named “li”, similar to “lilong” in Shanghai. For example, on the east side of Xisi South Street, there is a well-preserved “Yidali”. An originally passable alley that has become an impassable dead end is caused by people’s random construction or engineering construction that blocks the road.
A dead end, as the name implies, means that after entering, there is no exit anywhere. There is a saying, “Accidentally walked into a dead end.” So, is there really a dead end? This place is located near Xisi, in the area of Ping’anli. The road signs here can be clearly seen. Why is this alley impassable? Don’t worry, here comes the 干货 (useful information). The reasons for the formation of dead ends in Beijing are generally threefold: Formed in history: A dead end is a recessed section of an alley in an alley. Some of these sections are slender, some are as wide as a large open space on the ground, and some turn left or right like a maze, but there is no exit. Newly built impassable alleys are generally named “li”, similar to “lilong” in Shanghai. For example, on the east side of Xisi South Street, there is a well-preserved “Yidali”. An originally passable alley that has become an impassable dead end is caused by people’s random construction or engineering construction that blocks the road.
Dead End
6. “Daoxiangcun” is Not Native to Beijing
In those days, when Emperor Qianlong went down to the south of the Yangtze River, after tasting Daoxiangcun pastries in Suzhou, he praised them as “exquisite delicacies among food, with delicious tastes that are hard to come by” and inscribed an imperial plaque, making it famous all over the world. Daoxiangcun was originally a Suzhou tea pastry and not a native specialty of old Beijing. (I’m afraid I’ve been eating fake northern pastries.)
In those days, when Emperor Qianlong went down to the south of the Yangtze River, after tasting Daoxiangcun pastries in Suzhou, he praised them as “exquisite delicacies among food, with delicious tastes that are hard to come by” and inscribed an imperial plaque, making it famous all over the world. Daoxiangcun was originally a Suzhou tea pastry and not a native specialty of old Beijing. (I’m afraid I’ve been eating fake northern pastries.)
Daoxiangcun Pastry
7. Beijing’s Only Remaining “Ghost Market”
In old Beijing, there was a kind of market called “ghost market”, which is a night market. In the past, there were eight ghost markets in the four inner cities of Beijing, but now only one remains – the Dashu Liu Market in the east fifth ring road every Wednesday. (Please bring a flashlight when you go.)
In old Beijing, there was a kind of market called “ghost market”, which is a night market. In the past, there were eight ghost markets in the four inner cities of Beijing, but now only one remains – the Dashu Liu Market in the east fifth ring road every Wednesday. (Please bring a flashlight when you go.)
Ghost Market
8. “Borrowed Words” in Beijing Dialect
The word “gěrpì” is often on the lips of old Beijingers. But did you know? This word is a proper borrowed word: In Russian, “гибель” means death, destruction, sinking, submerging, and destruction; coincidentally, in German, “Krepieren” refers to the death of animals and is derogatory when used for people. There are also many words like this in Beijing dialect. For example, “lōu” (which means to look) is said to be from “look”; “xiaolìbār” refers to young hired workers who do manual labor. It is said to be from “labour”… The pronunciation is almost exactly the same! There are many similar “borrowed words”.
The word “gěrpì” is often on the lips of old Beijingers. But did you know? This word is a proper borrowed word: In Russian, “гибель” means death, destruction, sinking, submerging, and destruction; coincidentally, in German, “Krepieren” refers to the death of animals and is derogatory when used for people. There are also many words like this in Beijing dialect. For example, “lōu” (which means to look) is said to be from “look”; “xiaolìbār” refers to young hired workers who do manual labor. It is said to be from “labour”… The pronunciation is almost exactly the same! There are many similar “borrowed words”.
9. “Little Clever One” in Old Beijing
There is a jingle in old Beijing: “Clever ghost, transparent stele, little clever one, never suffer losses.” It is not referring to four naughty children, but four steles in Dongyue Temple.
There is a jingle in old Beijing: “Clever ghost, transparent stele, little clever one, never suffer losses.” It is not referring to four naughty children, but four steles in Dongyue Temple.
10. The City Gate That Appeared on Renminbi Earliest is Zhengyangmen
Zhengyangmen in Beijing in 1952
Zhengyangmen, also known as Qianmen. Both the arrow tower and the city tower are on the north-south central axis of Beijing City. The central axis is the central symbol of the ancient capital. Zhengyangmen not only has a long history and culture, but also things related to it have great collection value. The first set of Renminbi was the only legal currency printed and issued in December 1948. In terms of pattern themes, it chose patterns of economic construction and people’s lives in the new society at that time, which can vividly show people’s political, life, culture, and social aspects. And on a 500-yuan banknote of the first edition, it is actually our protagonist today – Zhengyangmen. Moreover, this is the only city gate on the entire set of banknotes, which shows how important its status is.
V,Beijing’s “Bests”
01. Tallest Building
China Zun
China Zun, with a height of 536 meters. The total height of the building is 528 meters.
02. Most Beautiful Bookstore
Liyuan Bookstore in Huairou
Liyuan Bookstore in Huairou.
03. Largest Library
National Library.
04. Tallest City Gate
Zhengyang Gate
Zhengyangmen. The overall height is 42 meters, 7.3 meters higher than the Tiananmen Rostrum.
05. Tallest Antique-style Tower
Yongding Tower
Yongding Tower, with a height of 69.7 meters.
06. Earliest Theater
Guanghe Lou
07. Most Complete Prince’s Mansion
Inside the Prince Gong’s Mansion
Prince Gong’s Mansion.
08. Oldest Mosque with the Longest History
Niujie Mosque
Niujie Mosque.
09. Earliest Catholic Church
Xuanwumen Catholic Church (South Church)
Xuanwumen Catholic Church (South Church).
10. Largest Forest Park
Banbidian Forest Park
Banbidian Forest Park.
11. First Overpass
Fuxingmen Overpass
Fuxingmen Overpass.
12. Oldest Multi-Arch Stone Bridge
Lugou Bridge
Lugou Bridge. It has a history of 826 years. The total length is 266.5 meters and the bridge width is 7.5 meters.
13. Largest Garden Bridge
Seventeen-Arch Bridge
Seventeen-Arch Bridge. The bridge is 150 meters long. The width under the bridge deck is 14.6 meters. The width on the bridge deck is 6.56 meters and the height is 7 meters.
14. First Ring Expressway
The Fifth Ring Road
The Fifth Ring Road.
15. Widest Street
Chang’an Avenue
Chang’an Avenue.
16. Shortest Avenue
Wenjin Street
Wenjin Street.
17. Shortest Hutong
Yichi Dajie (One-foot Street)
Yichi Dajie (One-foot Street).
18. Longest Hutong
Dongjiaominxiang Hutong
Dongjiaominxiang Hutong.
19. Earliest Shopping Mall
Dong’an Market
Dong’an Market. It started in the late Qing Dynasty and has a history of more than a hundred years.
20. First Department Store
Wangfujing Department Store
Wangfujing Department Store.
21. Longest Pure Electric Bus
Pure electric vehicle
The bus body is 18 meters long.
22. Longest Natural Gas Bus
Natural gas bus
The bus body is 13.7 meters long.
23. Most Complete Stone Buddha Statue
Northern Wei Taihe Statue
The Northern Wei Taihe Statue.
24. Earliest Five-star Hotel
Beijing Great Wall Hotel (now closed)
Beijing Great Wall Sheraton Hotel.
25. First and Largest French Supermarket
Xidan Laofoye Supermarket
French-style food supermarket in Galeries Lafayette, Xidan.
26. Largest Reservoir
Miyun reservoir
Miyun Reservoir.
27. Highest Mountain
Lingshan Mountain
Lingshan Mountain, with an altitude of 2303 meters.
28. Highest Observation Platform
Central Radio and Television Tower
The open-air observation platform (22nd floor) of the Central Radio and Television Tower, with a height of 238 meters, can overlook the scenery of the capital.
29. Largest Movie Theme Park
Beijing Universal Theme Park
Beijing Universal Theme Park
30. Largest Aquarium
Beijing Aquarium
Beijing Aquarium covers an area of 120,000 square meters, with a building area of 42,000 square meters. The total amount of artificial seawater is 18,000 tons. The total number of fish bred in the seabed organisms is 30,000 to 50,000.
31. Earliest National Hospital
The entrance of Peking University First Hospital
Peking University First Hospital. It was founded in 1915, six years earlier than Peking Union Medical College Hospital.
32. Earliest National University
The entrance of Peking University
Peking University. It was founded in 1898. Initially named the Imperial University of Peking. It has a history of 117 years.
33. Earliest School
Fuxue Elementary School
Fuxue Primary School. Its predecessor was the Shuntianfu School. It was an official school in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was built in 1368 and has a history of 647 years.