Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Red Gate Gallery and the ¥10 entry fee to the watchtower is waived. An exhibition
on the 2nd floor details the history of Beijing's city gates and includes some fascinat-
ing old photographs.
BEIJING RAILWAY MUSEUM
( Beijing Tielu Bowuguan; 6705 1638; 2A Qianmen Dongdajie; 2A admis-
sion ¥20; 9am-5pm Tue-Sun; Qianmen)
Located in the historic former
Qianmen Railway Station, which once connected Beijing to Tianjin, this mu-
seum offers an engaging history of the development of the capital and China's
railway system, with plenty of photos and models. Its size, though, means it
doesn't have many actual trains.
Museum
Sanlitun & Chaoyang
DONGYUE TEMPLE
( Dongyue Miao; 141 Chaoyangmenwai Dajie; adult ¥10, with guide ¥40;
8.30am-4.30pm Tue-Sun; Chaoyangmen)
Dedicated to the Eastern Peak
(Tai Shan) of China's five Taoist mountains, the morbid Taoist shrine of Dongy-
ue Temple is an unsettling albeit fascinating experience. With its roots poking
deep into the Yuan dynasty, what's above ground level has been revived with
care and investment.
Taoist
RITAN PARK
(
Ritan Gongyuan; Ritan Lu; 6am-9pm; Chaoyangmen
) Meaning 'Altar
of the Sun', Ritan (pronounced 'rer-tan') is arguably the most pleasant area to
spend time in this part of Beijing. One of a set of imperial parks, which covers
each compass point, Ritan dates from 1530 and is the eastern counterpart to
the likes of the Temple of Heaven Park (
Click here
) and Temple of Earth (Dit-
an Park).
Park
