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Xicheng is also highly commercial. It has various business zones and some of the best
shopping spots in the city. Whether you want to forage through wholesale clothing markets
or shop for high-end couture, this is the district to come to.
Other advantages of setting yourself up in Xicheng include being able to immerse your-
self in Chinese culture without really sacrificing too many comforts. Thanks to the new
subway lines, the district has become extremely convenient. You'll be able to zip over to
the east via Line 1, 2, or 6, and if you're anywhere along Line 4, getting to university in
Haidian will be a breeze.
A final distinguishing feature of the district is its concentration of religious sites. Not
only are Buddhist and Taoist temples to be found here, but it is also home to many of
Beijing's most important churches and mosques.
LAY OF THE LAND
Xicheng is the second smallest district in Beijing (after Dongcheng), covering 51 square
kilometers (20 square miles). This is almost twice the size it was prior to 2010, when it ab-
sorbed Xuanwumen district in the south. At the last census, taken later in the same year, the
registered population in the area was 1.2 million people, making it the city's most densely
populated district, with an average of 24,599 people per square kilometer. (Dongcheng
came in second with 21,954 people per square kilometer.) It definitely can feel a little
crowded in parts, especially at rush hour.
The district is roughly shaped by the western half of the Second Ring Road. The city's
central axis through the Forbidden City and Tian'anmen Square forms its eastern border
where it meets Dongcheng, and along its other borders it neighbors Fengtai, Haidian, and a
smidgeon of Chaoyang.
Chang'an Jie cuts right through Xicheng's middle, giving it a belt that is heavily studded
by stark and brutish government buildings. South of this, elements of the district's original
character have long been flattened by bulldozers and replaced by stock standard local apart-
ment compounds. There is little in this south half that will draw you to it on a regular basis.
Muslim people may be the exception.
North of Chang'an Jie, the district morphs through more styles. Financial Street, Jinrong
Jie ( 金融街 ), is perhaps the area's most glamorous strip. Located here are the head offices
of many of China's Fortune 500 hundred companies, such as China Mobile and China Con-
struction Bank. To meet the needs of its corporate tenants, a good handful of five-star hotels
have set up shop. You'll also find one of the city's better storehouses of international fash-
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