From far-flung places in our recent Take the Subway series, we move closer to the city center for a look at a few spots that we think, while they may not be on any Beijing top sights lists, are definitely worth going out of your way to visit.
Last time, we took a look at the Working People’s Cultural Palace just southeast of the Forbidden City. Now, we continue our exploration around the Tian’anmen Square area with the…
Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall (北京市城市规划展览馆 Běijīngshì Chéngshìguīhuà Zhǎnlǎnguǎn)
Not too far from the Beijing Railway Museum and Qianmen lies this modern yet unassuming museum on the capital’s development. Opened to the public in 2004, the Exhibition Hall has four floors featuring maps and models of Beijing’s city layout, all meant to showcase the changes to Beijing in the past, present, and future.
Why Visit?
A lot is covered over these four floors, with a particular highlight being the massive scale model of Beijing that spans the entirety of the third floor. You’ll be able to see every nook and crevice of the city – and perhaps even spot your own neighborhood down there somewhere.
There are also two films regularly screened for visitors, one detailing Beijing’s ancient past, and the other jumping way into the future to see what the city might look like as far out as 2069.
The Details
Entry to the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall is free, and the space is open 9am-5pm (last entry at 4pm) every Tuesday to Sunday. English movie screenings in the multimedia movie hall take place at 10am, 11am, 2.30pm, and 5.30pm.
Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall 北京市城市规划展览馆
20 Qianmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng District
东城区前门东大街20号
Hours: Tues-Sun, 9am-5pm
Contact: 010 6701 7074
READ: Visit Here: The Working People’s Cultural Palace
Images: Uni You, Wikimedia Commons
