Mansion of Prince Gong

Beijing’s most complete example of a historic mansion is situated in a charming hutong district west of Qian Hai. It was supposedly the inspiration behind the residence portrayed by Cao Xueqin in his classic 18th century novel Dream of the Red Chamber. Built during the reign of the Qianlong emperor, the house is extensive and its charming garden is a pattern of open corridors and pavilions, dotted with pools and gateways. Originally built for Heshun, a Manchu official and the emperor’s favorite, the residence was appropriated by the imperial household after he was found guilty of using regal motifs in his mansion design. It was later bequeathed to Prince Gong in the Xianfeng emperor’s reign. The house is popular with tour groups, so early morning is the best time to visit and afterwards, the local hutong can be explored. In summer, Beijing opera is performed in its Grand Opera House.

Drum Tower

Located on the north-south meridian that bisects the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, the Drum Tower (Gu Lou) rises up from a historic Beijing hutong district. The squat structure seen today was originally built in 1420 during the reign of the Ming Yongle emperor. Visitors can clamber up the steep stairs to look out over the city and inspect the 25 drums there. The one large and 24 smaller drums were beaten to mark the hours of the day. A short walk north of the Drum Tower, the Bell Tower (Zhong Lou) is an edifice from 1745, which replaced an earlier tower that had burnt down. Suspended within the tower is a 15 ft high and 42 ton bell, that was cast in 1420. During Spring Festival, visitors can pay to ring the bell for good luck.

The Ancient Observatory

Beijing’s ancient observatory (Gu Guanxiangtai) stands on a platform alongside a flyover off Jianguo Men Nei Dajie. Dating to 1442, it is one of the oldest in the world. A Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) observatory was also located here, but the structure that survives today was built after the Ming emperors relocated their capital from Nanjing to Beijing. The Belgian Jesuit Father Verbiest (1623-88) was appointed to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, where he designed a set of astronomical instruments in 1674. A collection of reproduction astronomical devices lie in the courtyard on the ground floor, some decorated with fantastic Chinese designs including Loong. Steps lead to the roof, where there are impressive bronze instruments, including an azimuth theodolite, used to measure the altitude of celestial bodies, and an armillary sphere, for measuring the coordinates of planets and stars.

Wangfujing Street

Bustling Wangfujing Street (Wangfujing Dajie), Beijing’s main shopping street, is filled with department stores and giant malls such as the Sun Dong’an Plaza. Everything from curios, antiques, clothes, and books are available here. The huge Foreign Language Bookstore is a good place to buy a more detailed map of Beijing. The street has a lively mixture of pharmacies, laundry and dyeing shops, as well as stores selling silk, tea, and shoes. However, the street’s highlight is the Night Market, with its endless variety of traditional Chinese snacks, including skewers of beef, and more exotic morsels such as scorpions. Other offerings include pancakes, fruit, shrimps, squid, flat bread, and more. The Wangfujing Snack Street, south of the Night Market, also has a range of colorful restaurants. The impressive triple-domed St. Joseph’s Church, known as the East Cathedral, is situated at 74 Wangfujing Dajie. One of the city’s most important churches, it has recently been restored at a cost of $2 million. It was built on the site of the former residence of Jesuit Adam Schall von Bell (1591-1669) in 1655, and has been rebuilt a number of times after being successively destroyed by earthquake, fire, and then during the Boxer Rebellion. It is fronted by an open courtyard and an arched gateway. One of the best times to view the church is at night, when it is illuminated.

Beijing Natural History Museum

Housed in an enormous 1950s building covered in creepers, this museum is the largest of its type in China, with about 5,000 specimens arranged into three collections: zoology, paleontology, and botany. The most interesting collection is found in the Paleontology Hall which displays a selection of the dinosaurs and prehistoric animals that populated China between 500 million and one million years ago. Exhibits to look out for include the large handed Lufengosaurus from the early Jurassic period, and a skeleton of the spine-nosed Qingdaosaurus (Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus), from the late Cretaceous period, whose skull sported a horn-like crest. The zoology section displays an abundance of marine, bird and plant life to explain and illustrate the course of evolution from simple aquatic to far more complicated land-based forms.