Weekend Walk: Past & Present on Chang'an Jie
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Weekend Walk is your guide to getting away in the city using nothing but your own two feet.
Chang’an Street is what separates old and new China, literally. Bisecting the capital from east to west, this ten lane road broke through ancient walls and gates to more or less provide a thoroughfare for good parades.
While the length of this monster of a street makes for a monumental stroll – British journalist and longtime Beijing expat Jonathan Chatwin has walked Chang’an Jie in its entirety, an endeavor he details in his 2019 book Long Peace Street – it’s still fun to walk portions of it. Thus, today’s walk does just that.
Not to be confused with the park of a similar name on the city’s east side which also makes an appearance in this walk, is another reconstructed section of the old city wall located inside another park, .
Here you can view a corner tower from what was originally the city wall near Xibian Gate and Fuxing Gate (复兴门 fùxīngmén).
After a bit of tooling around, the walk begins.
Is Mao watching you, or are you watching Mao?
From the north exit of Xibianmen Xiao Park, head north along Fuxingmen South Street (复兴门南大街 fùxīngmén nán dàjiē, just under the West 2nd Ring Road 西二环路 xī èr huán lù). Walk until you reach the intersection of Fuxingmen South Street and Fuxingmen Inner Street (复兴门内大街 fùxīngmén nèi dàjiē), then cross the street and head east.
From here it's on to , the Gate of Heavenly Peace. You'll see this gate on a great many city maps as a way of marking the center of Beijing, and for good reason. This is where Chairman Mao stood in 1949 when he proclaimed the creation of New China. Considering that it's also the entrance to the proper, it has the layered significance of being a marker of center, new, and old all at once.
Double back from Tian'anmen until you find South Chang Street (南长安街 nán cháng'ān jiē). Walk north along this lane until you find the ticketing gate for .
Amid trees and ancient walls, an altar can still be found here
This former imperial temple, the site for sacrifices upon the , was transformed into the city's first public park in 1913. Originally named Central Park, it received a name change in 1928, after the body of Sun Yatsen – aka Sun Zhongshan, the father of modern China – was temporarily placed in the park following his death.
Goldish green and red make stunning companions here every autumn
Today, the park is most popular in autumn, when the golden leaves on the trees contrast with the red on the former temple walls. It's a nice place to walk and take in a few oddities as well – like a seemingly unused theatre and an area with endless tanks of fish – before moving on.
Heading back onto Chang'an Street, pass Tian'anmen once again and continue east. This is quite the treat, fighting past throngs of tourists (depending on when you walk) and walking roughly three kilometers past sites like and to reach the next stop.
Once you've gone past , walk until you reach Beijing Station Street (北京站街 běijīng zhàn jiē) and go south to .
What's left of the southeast section of city wall
This could be considered a side stop – built the same year as the , it was part of 10 Great Projects for the PRC's 10th birthday – as it isn't exactly a place for visiting, unless you've got a train to catch.
Instead of lingering, turn southwest onto Beijing Station West Street (北京站西街 běijīng zhàn xī jiē) and walk as if you're going to on Line 2. Eventually, you'll find the next stop, another former city wall.
This is a section of wall that can be walked upon
This wall, which spans an area formerly occupied by Chongwen Gate and boasts a southeast corner guard tower nicknamed the Fox Tower, is also open to the public. Head up to check out the eerie interior of the guard tower and also to do some train watching while you're up top.
After you've taken in your fair share of city and train gazing, head down and exit the park to the east, then walk north along Chongwenmen East Street (崇文门东大街 chóngwénmén dōng dàjiē) until it becomes Jianguomen South Street (建国门南大街 jiànguómén nán dàjiē). Keep walking until you reach a curious looking brick tower adorned with celestial instruments of all kinds, and enter.
Observational instruments as seen from below
This structure is the . Considered to be one of the oldest observatories in the world, it was built in 1442 as a means of documenting the movement of the stars and reporting findings to the emperor.
In 1673, Jesuit missionary Ferdinand Verbiest was put in charge of the observatory. During his tenure, many of the instruments at the site were brought up to – what was at the time – modern standards, in order to better observe the stars, planets, and to create better yearly calendars.
Curious instruments, like stardials, can also be found here
You can still see many of these instruments today, as well as sundials, stardials, and halls detailing China's history of star observation (although it's best to note it's a mix of English and Chinese, so some parts may be difficult to follow).
After contemplating the cosmos, go on back to Jianguomen South Street and head south to Jiangoumen Inner Street (建国门内大街 jiànguómén nèi dàjiē). Turn east again and head on to the final stop, a straightaway for 1.9 kilometers until you've passed . Turn north and you'll soon find yourself among the skyscrapers and glass window offices of Guomao.
Formerly known as Dabeiyao (大北窑 dàběiyáo), the area is today considered the heart of Beijing's Central Business District, or CBD, and takes its name from the , located here.
The glitz and glamor of the CBD can be found in Guomao
This is the perfect place to end a walk, surrounded by sites like the , , and the recently finished building.
Grab a bite or a drink in one of the many restaurants to be found here. For the best view, head to the terrace to take in everything from above. Or if street level is more your thing (or you have a fear of heights) the at the Kerry Centre is also an excellent choice.
READ: Weekend Walk: Get in Touch with Your Spiritual Side on This Temple Trek
Images: Uni You
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