Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
bone etc) of Late Pleistocene Man, who once inhabited Běijīng. The discoveries on dis-
play were unearthed during the excavation of the foundations of Oriental Plaza in 1996.
To find the museum, take Exit A at Wangfujing subway station.
|MUSEUM
CHINA ART MUSEUM
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( Zhōngguó Měishùguǎn; 1 Wusi Dajie; 9am-5pm, last entry 4pm; National Art Museum) This revamped
museum has received a healthy shot of imagination and flair, with absorbing exhibitions
from abroad promising doses of colour and vibrancy. Běijīng's art lovers have lapped up
some top-notch presentations here, from the cream of Italian design to modern artworks
from the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. The latter offers a chance to compare contemporary
mainland Chinese art - with its burdensome political baggage and recurring themes - with
the light-footed, invigorating and more universalist conceptions from the island across
from Fújiàn. English captions can be sporadic, but this is a first-rate place to see modern
art from China and abroad and, just as importantly, to watch the locals looking at art. Lifts
allow for wheelchair access. Note, you must bring your passport along to gain entry.
|RUIN
DŌNG'ĀN MÉN REMAINS
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( Míng Huáng Chéng Dōng'ānmén Yízhǐ; Imperial Wall Foundation Ruins Park, cnr Donghuamen Dajie & Beiheyan
Dajie; 24hr; Dengshikou or National Art Museum) In an excavated pit on Beiheyan Dajie sits a
pitiful stump, all that remains of the magnificent Dōng'ān Mén, the east gate of the Imper-
ial City. Before being razed, the gate was a single-eaved, seven-bay-wide building with a
hip-and-gable roof capped with yellow tiles. The remnants of the gate - just two layers of
18 bricks - may make for dull viewing but of more interest are the accompanying bricks
of the excavated Ming-dynasty road that used to run near Dōngān Mén. The road is
around 2m lower than the current road level, its expertly made bricks typical of precisely
engineered Ming-dynasty brickwork. The remains are located in the Imperial Wall
Foundation Ruins Park ( Huángchéng Gēn Yízhǐ Gōngyuán), a thin strip of park that
follows much of the course of the eastern side of the Imperial City Wall. To see how the
vast Imperial City and its once-towering walls used to look, check out the impressive di-
orama of the ancient complex, housed inside the free-to-enter Imperial City Art Trading
Centre OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP (
9am-4pm Mon-Fri) , southwest of here, off Nanchizi Dajie.
TOP SIGHTS
FRONT GATE
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