Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The parks
Tian'anmen gate is flanked by two parks -
Zhongshan
to the west, and the grounds of the
Working People's Culture Palace
to the east. These are great places to escape the rigorous
formality of Tian'anmen Square, not to mention the crowds of the Forbidden City; they also
double as a highly pleasant alternate means of access to the latter.
Zhongshan Park
中山公园
, zhōngshān gōngyuán • Entrances on Xichang'an and Nanchang Jie •
Park
Daily 6am-9pm •
￥
3 •
West subway (line 1)
Delightful
ZhongshanPark
boasts the ruins of the
AltarofLandandGrain
, a site of bien-
nial sacrifice during the Qing and Ming dynasties. It was built during Yongle's reign in 1420,
and hosts harvest-time events closely related to those of the
Temple of Heaven
. Elsewhere in
the park you'll find a series of pavilions and a
concert hall
; somewhat incongruously, you'll
also be able to have a go on the
bumper cars
(
￥
10), each of which sports pictures of the
American flag and the Statue of Liberty - these, perhaps, compensate for the removal of
Star-
bucks
from the neighbouring Forbidden City. You'll also have to pay extra for the
flowerex-
hibition
and the
HuifangGarden
; the former is a so-so flower collection located in a green-
house of sorts, while the latter is a beautiful, bamboo-strewn section of the park.
Working People's Cultural Palace
劳动人民文化宫
, láodòng rénmín wénhuàgōng • Entrances on Dongchang'an Jie and Nanchizi Dajie • Daily
6.30am-7.30pm •
￥
2, or
￥
15 including Front Hall •
www.bjwhg.com.cn
• Tian'anmen East subway (line
1)
The wonderful
WorkingPeople'sCulturalPalace
is
so
much more interesting than its name
may suggest - it was symbolically named in deference to the fact that ordinary Chinese were
only allowed within this central sector of their capital following the communist takeover in
1949. Though far smaller than the Forbidden City, it's also far more manageable, infinitely
less crowded, and equally beautiful in parts - proof of which (of sorts) is provided by its
status as Beijing's number-one venue for wedding photos. The park is centred on the
Ances-
tral Temple
(
太庙
, tài miào), today a sort of Forbidden City annexe; this is a stupendously
beautiful place, though you'll need an extra ticket to peek inside the first of its three halls (the
other two are, sadly, closed off). Surrounding these are a number of exhibition halls, often
worth checking out for their temporary art shows.
Tian'anmen Square
天安门广场
, tiānānmén guǎngchǎng • Daily sunrise to sunset • Free • Tian'anmen East, Tian'anmen West (both
line 1) or Qianmen subway (line 2)
