A Walk Through Beijing

In 2021, I once walked through Beijing…

Walked through Tiananmen, the Forbidden City, the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the Altar of Land and Grain, the Temple of Heaven, the Temple of Earth… Walked along Chang'an Avenue, Beinan Heyan Street, Wangfujing, Dongjiaomin Alley, Nanluogu Alley, Sanlitun… Walked through Beihai, Shichahai, Jingshan, Yuanmingyuan Park, the Summer Palace, the Olympic Park… Walked through Tsinghua Garden, Weiming Lake, Xueyuan Road, Zhongshuge Bookstore… Walked through the former residences of Ji Yun, Lu Xun, Lao She, and Qi Baishi… Walked through Panjiayuan, Liulichang West Street, the 798 Art District, Jing Man Gen Stone Art Museum… Walked through the National Museum of China, the Capital Museum, the Poly Art Museum, the Guanfu Museum, the Confucius Temple and the Imperial College, Prince Kung's Mansion, Lugou Bridge, the Ming Tombs, the Natural History Museum, the Geological Museum of China, the National Art Museum of China, the China Rosewood Museum, the Beijing Yingjie Hard Stone Art Museum, the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution, the China Court Museum… Walked through the National Centre for the Performing Arts, the Capital Theatre, Xinjiekou De Yun She, the Broadway Cinematheque MOMA… Walked through Tanzhe Temple, Hongluo Temple, Zhihua Temple, Yunju Temple, Dajue Temple, Yonghe Temple, Xihuang Temple, Miaoying Temple, Zhenjue Temple, Baiyun Taoist Temple… Walked through Jiufeng Peak, Fragrant Hills, Badachu, the North and South Tianmen Mountains… Walked through Nanxinfang, Liuli Qu, Cuandixia, Lingshui Village, and Gubei Water Town… Walked through Badaling, Juyong Pass, Mutianyu, Huanghuacheng, and Simatai…

2. Alleys and Hutongs

3. Universities and Primary Schools

4. Former Residences of Celebrities

7. Buddhist Temples, Confucian Temples, Taoist Temples, Churches, and Mosques

Tiananmen Square and its surroundings are generally the first stop for tourists to Beijing. "I love Tiananmen in Beijing, and the sun rises over Tiananmen…" A dense cluster of national symbols—Tiananmen itself, which also appears on the national emblem, Chang'an Avenue, the Five-Star Red Flag fluttering across the square, the Monument to the People's Heroes, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, the Zhengyangmen Gate Tower to the south, the National Museum of China to the east, and the Great Hall of the People to the west. This is no longer merely a scenic spot; for Chinese sons and daughters, Tiananmen carries profound symbolism—it is the root of the Chinese nation's spiritual home, the center of national politics and culture. Tiananmen has also witnessed and experienced the rise and fall, honor and disgrace of this nation over several centuries since its tower was built in the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, right up to today's path of rejuvenation…

Tiananmen Square—National Day flower basket

National Museum of China

Monument to the People's Heroes

Chairman Mao Memorial Hall

Zhengyangmen Gate Tower—Arrow Tower

2. Alleys and Hutongs

Beijing's streets and hutongs are the face of the city and the everyday life of true Beijing. The main roads, even wide thoroughfares like Chang'an Avenue or the North Fourth Ring Road, are ceaseless rivers of traffic day and night. Thousands of hutongs, with their countless courtyard houses, are the daily backdrop for ordinary Beijingers' lives. Of course, some—like Nanluogu Alley—have become bustling scenic spots and bar streets, which is also an authentic present. On one hand endless glamour, high-rises towering; on the other, centuries of custom and character condensed into alleys and lanes. This is Beijing—modern and traditional at once…

To the south of the Forbidden City runs Chang'an Avenue. Its name derives from the ancient capital Chang'an, meaning "long-lasting peace and stability." In a narrow sense, it stretches from Dongdan to Xidan, divided into East and West Chang'an Avenues by Tiananmen. Broadly, it is the central axis artery spanning the capital from Mentougou in the west to Tongzhou in the east.

Beinan Heyan Street, east of the Forbidden City, extends southward across Chang'an Avenue as Zhengyi Road. The supreme judicial, procuratorial, and public security organs of the People's Republic of China are all located here. Also on this road are the Qiushi Magazine office and the Western Returned Scholars Association (the former site of Pufusheng Temple). On the access road to Beiheyan Street, on Donghuangchenggen Street, there is the former site of the Sino-French University, one of the early activities bases of the Chinese Communist Party; Comrade Chen Yi once studied and served as Party branch secretary here.

Former site of the Sino-French University

Supreme People's Court

Supreme People's Procuratorate

At the intersection of Beiheyan Street and Wusi Avenue stands the May Fourth Movement Monument, reminding us to look back at the great patriotic student movement that swept through nearly all major cities a hundred years ago in 1919. A little further west along Wusi Avenue brings you to the Beijing New Culture Movement Memorial Hall—also the "Red Building of Peking University," the birthplace of the May Fourth Movement.

May Fourth Movement Monument

Beijing New Culture Movement Memorial Hall

Nearby on Jiangan Hutong is the former residence of Chen Duxiu. Chen came to Beijing in early 1917 as a professor and dean of arts at Peking University, living at No. 9 Jiangan Hutong. Courtesy name Zhongfu, pseudonym Shi'an, from Huaining, Anhui. He was an advocate, initiator, and main standard-bearer of the New Culture Movement, "commander-in-chief of the May Fourth Movement," a principal founder of the Chinese Communist Party, and an early leader. The New Culture Movement began in 1915 with La Jeunesse (Youth Magazine), renamed New Youth the following year, edited by Chen. Its main propositions: advocate democracy, science, new morality, and new literature; oppose autocracy, superstition, old morality, and old literature.

Chen Duxiu's Former Residence—former editorial office of New Youth

Wangfujing Pedestrian Street—Beijing's most famous commercial pedestrian street. The Beijing Department Store (with a Beijing Winter Olympics licensed merchandise counter on the ground floor), the Foreign Languages Bookstore, the Commercial Press (with its iconic red and white covers of the Chinese Translation of World Academic Masterpieces series), the Capital Theatre (where Lao She's Teahouse is performed), Wangfujing Catholic Church (East Hall), etc. To the east of the pedestrian street is Peking Union Medical College Hospital, one of the best comprehensive hospitals in China.

Beijing Department Store

Wangfujing Catholic Church—East Hall

At the northern end of Beiheyan Street lies Nanluogu Alley, one of the best-preserved and oldest hutong areas in old Beijing, crisscrossed with lanes. Hutongs first appeared during the Yuan Dynasty. One theory suggests the word may be a transliteration of a Mongolian word for "water well," later extended to mean a populated marketplace, or simply a place where northern "barbarians" gathered; now it essentially means a lane or alley. The typical dwelling unit in a hutong is the siheyuan—a courtyard house with rooms on the east, west, south, and north sides. Historically, Nanluogu Alley was home to many princes, nobles, dignitaries, and celebrities, hence the numerous heritage sites. More recent examples include Qi Baishi's former residence on Yu'er Hutong, Mao Dun's former residence and Chiang Kai-shek's temporary residence on Houyuanensi Hutong, and Feng Guozhang's former residence on Mao'er Hutong. At the corner of Nanluogu Alley and Dongmianhua Hutong is the Central Academy of Drama, once the mansion of Jin Yunpeng, Premier of the Beiyang Government.

Houyuanensi Rear Street—Chiang Kai-shek's Temporary Residence

Beibingmasi Hutong

Dongjiaomin Alley and Xijiaomin Alley were originally a single hutong dating back to the Yuan Dynasty. Because it was a vital route for grain transportation from the south to the capital, it came to be called Jiangmi Alley (Cargo Rice Alley), which then lay outside the city walls of Dadu. After Emperor Yongle moved the capital to Beijing and built the Chessboard Street, the lane was divided into East and West Jiangmi Alleys and enclosed within the city. During the Ming and Qing, Dongjiaomin Alley housed important government offices and ministries. After the Second Opium War in 1860, foreign legations began to move in.

In 1900, the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China, forcing the Qing government to sign the humiliating Boxer Protocol, which "designated Dongjiaomin Alley as a Legation Quarter, allowed foreign powers to station troops for protection, and forbade Chinese from residing within." Thus Dongjiaomin Alley became a state within a state, and China was reduced to a semi-colonial, semi-feudal society. In early 1949, when Beiping was peacefully liberated, Chairman Mao ordered that troops entering the city must pass through Dongjiaomin Alley. On February 3, units of the People's Liberation Army entered from Qianmen and then moved east into Dongjiaomin Alley…

After the founding of the PRC, the legations here all relocated—by 1959 to the Sanlitun embassy area—but many historic buildings remain. The architecture here is therefore largely Western-style, unlike other hutongs. In 1992, the Dongjiaomin Alley Legation Buildings were designated a Patriotic Education Base of Dongcheng District, and in 2004, they were included in the conservation plan for Beijing's 25 historic and cultural protection areas. Main structures include St. Michael's Church—a two-story Gothic Catholic church, the former Belgian Legation, the former French Post Office, etc., but most are not open to the public and cannot be entered freely.

On Dongjiaomin Alley, there is a clothing shop called Hongdu. In its two bright display windows stand crisp Zhongshan suits and cheongsams. A closer look reveals a photograph of the first-generation national leaders, and the inscription "Hongdu" is in Mao Zedong's calligraphy. It turns out to be the headquarters of the Beijing Hongdu Group, the only state-owned garment enterprise in the capital, which once tailored clothing for several generations of national leaders and visiting foreign dignitaries.

Former Belgian Legation Site

Former French Legation Site

Beijing Tianyu Law Firm

Shibei Hutong—the area including the current National Centre for the Performing Arts to its east is roughly the site of the Ming Dynasty Imperial Guard

Guanshuyuan Hutong near Yonghe Temple

Tongrentang—founded by Le Xianyang, originally from Ningbo, Zhejiang, in 1669 (the eighth year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty). His son Le Fengming inherited the business and wrote in the Tongrentang Medicine Catalogue: "...following the emergency prescriptions, discerning the origin of ingredients, though the preparation is complicated we never dare save labor; though the materials are expensive we never dare skimp on quality."

Sanlitun SOHO—"SOHO" stands for Small Office, Home Office, meaning a mix of commercial, office, and residential spaces. The developer is SOHO China Ltd., chaired by Pan Shiyi.

There are several De Yun She cross-talk venues; the one in Sanlitun SOHO is the smallest and the one at Xinjiekou the largest, with upstairs and downstairs seating. The interior somewhat resembles the tea houses in my hometown, except those have square tables and backless benches while here there are square tables with armchairs.

Sanlitun SOHO De Yun She

Xinjiekou De Yun She

The Capital Theatre is right on Wangfujing Street. "The Player" is already a classic play by the Beijing People's Art Theatre, starring Feng Yuanzheng and Yan Rui, telling the joys and sorrows of two generations of a master-apprentice pair around antique collecting over nearly half a century.

At the Broadway Cinematheque MOMA: "The Battle at Lake Changjin," an era long past but not one we should forget. The glory for this country and nation was forged by that generation in unimaginable hardship and sacrifice. Without their bloodshed, who knows what kind of world we would be living in now…

The National Centre for the Performing Arts sits west of the Great Hall of the People at Tiananmen Square. Designed by French architect Paul Andreu, its semi-elliptical form floating on water has a surreal look. Situated next to the six-hundred-year-old Forbidden City, it creates a striking visual impact and a collision of Chinese and Western cultures—at least partly why the design once sparked widespread controversy. In the end, an expert panel was organized to evaluate it, and the final proposal was submitted to the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee for approval. The underground passage from Tiananmen West subway station leads directly to the ticket office. Inside the theatre complex are the Opera Hall, Concert Hall, Drama Theatre, and smaller performance spaces.

"Frozen Melody"—Sculpture Exhibition: Li Bai, Spring, Verdi

Opera Hall—Top Dancer's Night

Small Theatre Peking Opera "Sealing the Gold and Shedding the Robe / Reunion in the Ancient City" — Guan Yunchang's loyalty and righteousness; who in past or present can surpass him? Neither high official posts nor riches could sway his resolve. He hung up the seal, sealed the gold, crossed five passes and slew six generals… We all know that Guan Yu's life ended imperfectly—carelessness cost Jingzhou, defeat at Maicheng… But that hasn't prevented him from being deeply rooted in the hearts of later Chinese people as the foremost paragon of loyalty and righteousness, worshipped as Lord Guan across the land. No one is perfect, gold is never 100% pure. So there's no need for us ordinary folk to be excessively demanding; understand that an imperfect life is the real one. As the saying goes, "Do your best and leave the rest to fate"—this also helps us face the uncertainties of life more calmly and handle its vicissitudes with equanimity…

NCPA—Small Theatre

Liulichang West Street—During the Yuan Dynasty, kilns making glazed tiles were built here, hence the name. In the Ming and Qing, examination candidates gathering in Beijing often stayed around this area, leading to shops selling writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, which later evolved into a hub for antique books, calligraphy, paintings, and curios. Qi Baishi himself once sold paintings here to make a living. Among the shops, Rongbaozhai is the most famous, with a history of over three hundred years. It not only trades but also houses a vast collection of fine calligraphy, paintings, and scholarly items, including some rare treasures.

Beijing Xingtan Art Museum—after its completion in 1922, it became part of the Imperial University of Peking (predecessor of Peking University). After 1949, it served as the library of Beijing Normal University. After renovation, it now operates as an art museum.

Beijing Xingtan Art Museum

Panjiayuan Flea Market, Panjiayuan Antique Market—these names refer to the same place, Panjiayuan. It is one of Beijing's three major antique markets: I visited Panjiayuan twice, made one trip to Liulichang West Street, and passed by Baoguosi Temple, which has since closed. Panjiayuan began as a small village called Panjiayao, then became a "ghost market" of roadside stalls, and now it is, without any exaggeration, nationally famous—world-renowned even. "Gold in troubled times, collectibles in prosperous times"—it's always bustling with people. For an ordinary person like me, I might as well be blind to true value, though everything looks wonderful; I'm just here for the spectacle…

China Media Group Guanghua Road Office Complex

798 Art District—The site was originally Factory 718, a heavy-industry complex built in the 1950s with Soviet aid. In the 1960s it was split up, and Factory 798 was one of the resulting units. Starting in the early 2000s, artists' studios, art institutions, and exhibition projects gradually moved in, forming a critical mass. The factory zone/block now has many cafés, bars, Western restaurants, and various galleries… The ride-hailing driver on the way back was quite interesting: originally from Suzhou, Anhui, he came to Beijing in '89. He was joyful the whole way, telling me repeatedly how happy he was—very, very happy. At 56, he said he'd never been sick, never had an IV drip, loved driving, and planned to drive until 65… Three children; his second daughter pays over 600 yuan a month for his commercial health insurance; he himself had just paid over 6,000 yuan on the mortgage and sent 500 home… He mentioned that National Day was tomorrow and he'd have time at noon for a drink, but many of his friends and brothers had gone back to their hometowns…

798 Art District

Sijiminfu Roast Duck

Zhongguancun—originally called "Zhongguan Village" (Eunuch Village), because from the Ming Dynasty onward, many eunuchs are said to have built temples and retired there. Now Zhongguancun Science Park is China's first national-level high-tech industrial development zone. How impressive is Zhongguancun? Just look at the surrounding universities—Renmin University to the south, Tsinghua and Peking University to the north… A high concentration of resources and talent… from the "Zhongguancun Electronics Avenue" of the early 1980s to today's "China's Silicon Valley."

Zhongshuge (Rongke Branch, Zhongguancun)

"Time loses its voice, only stone can speak." Beijing has three types of striking ornamental stones: Pingu Xuanyuan Stone, Jinhai Stone, and Yanshan Stone. Pinggu is thus also the "Hometown of Chinese Ornamental Stones." Xuanyuan Stone is characterized by qualities of leanness, transparency, permeability, and texture, and was first discovered in 1991 near Xuanyuan Temple—the Temple of the Yellow Emperor—hence the name. Jinhai Stone was found near Jinhai Lake and can be sought along the line of Nandulehe Village and the Jue River. Formed over a billion years ago and mainly composed of quartz and iron, it is a picture stone with naturally formed images resembling people, flowers, birds, trees… It brims with spirit and poetic charm and is hailed as "a Chinese painting on stone."

The Pinggu Rare Stone Museum has been demolished, leaving only several enormous boulders standing there. Nearby, an elderly gentleman was selling small items—walnuts, bracelets that looked like sandalwood, etc. I bought a pair of walnuts for 30 yuan; at the "Walnut Yang" stall in Panjiayuan, they go for 200, 300, or even 500 yuan a pair. I asked and was told I could visit the nearby Jing Man Gen Stone Art Museum. Later I learned it was Jing Man Gen Stone Art Museum, owned by a man named Jing Man, who is skilled in root carving. I took a look; the pieces were indeed quite beautiful, smaller items priced at one or two thousand yuan, larger ones over ten thousand. Most had been polished and worked, smooth and glossy but lacking the raw, natural simplicity of the original stone. One lady was very kind and polite, explaining to me the appreciation of stones—looking for resemblance to forms, and judging the craftsmanship… Afterwards I went to the Jue River to take a look. Luck was on my side; I found several Jinhai stones with rather evocative imagery.

Former Pinggu Rare Stone Museum

Jing Man Gen Stone Art Museum

3. Universities and Primary Schools

In the early years of the PRC, higher education emphasized the humanities over engineering, but engineering talent was urgently needed. So from scratch, eight specialized colleges were planned and built along what became Xueyuan Road: on the west side from south to north, the Beijing Institute of Aeronautics, Geology, Mining, and Forestry; on the east side, Medicine, Iron and Steel, Petroleum, and Agricultural Mechanization. All eight have since become universities, and today the area around Xueyuan Road is a constellation of renowned institutions.

Xueyuan Road with the universities of Aeronautics & Astronautics, Geosciences, Mining & Technology, Forestry, and Peking University Health Science Center

Near Xueyuan Road: China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing Film Academy, Beijing Normal University, Renmin University of China

The West Gate of Tsinghua University and its avenue of trees

Mei Yiqi, a Tianjin native, said in his 1931 inaugural address as president of National Tsinghua University: "The great thing about a university is not its buildings, but its masters."

Tsinghua Garden—from Zhu Ziqing's "Moonlight over the Lotus Pond": "All around the lotus pond were many trees, lush and verdant. On one side of the path were willows and some other trees whose names I did not know…"

The East Gate of Peking University

Guanghua School of Management

Peking University Law School, "Ode to the Law Pillar": "Earth's fire erupts, forging a wondrous stone, sited beside Boya, it is called the 'Law Pillar.' The pillar is a mirror reflecting official documents of the capital, the Red Building's heroic prose, Yan Garden's grand tomes. The pillar is a brush, dipped in the ink of Weiming Lake, writing urgently across the heavens—the grand design of charters. The pillar harbors the plum blossom, gracefully overlooking the grove's integrity—clarifying the law, fostering virtue, upright and all-encompassing. This enduring pillar, our devoted hearts: rule of law under heaven, inscribed on the Kunlun Mountains."

Statue of Cai Yuanpei by Weiming Lake

Cai Yuanpei, from Shaoxing, Zhejiang, was the first Minister of Education of the Republic of China. He served as president of Peking University from December 1916 to August 1927. He advocated educational independence and championed the principle of "freedom of thought, embracing all schools of learning." He is credited as the founder of modern Peking University and the architect of the modern Chinese university idea and spirit. Fu Sinian said: "Mr. Cai Yuanpei truly represented two great cultures: one, the cultivation of traditional Chinese sages; the other, the Western European ideals of freedom and fraternity. To achieve either alone is difficult; to combine both is even rarer. After his passing, these two cultures have ceased to exist in the atmosphere of China!" Liang Shuming, often called the last Confucian, recalled: "Mr. Cai's achievement in life was not in scholarship or in official deeds, but in initiating a new ethos, creating a broad tide of thought that influenced the whole nation and bore fruit for generations. This was certainly not his work alone but an opportune convergence with many participants. Yet when counting the key figures, one must place Mr. Cai at the top."

Heizhima Hutong Primary School: its history goes back to the Bordered Yellow Banner Official School founded in 1644. It has multiple campuses scattered within the Nanluogu Alley hutong area. The school name was inscribed by Mao Dun.

Beijing Primary School, the same age as the Republic.

Beijing No. 1 Experimental Primary School was founded in 1912, originally the "Affiliated Primary School of the National Beijing Higher Normal School." Notable alumni through history include Wu Xueqian, Ren Jianxin, Qian Xuesen, Wu Dayou, Lin Haiyin, among others. Deng Yingchao was the school's first female teacher.

4. Former Residences of Celebrities

Ji Yun, courtesy name Xiaolan, was from Xian County in Hejian Prefecture, Zhili (now Hebei Province). He served as the chief editor of the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) during the Qianlong reign. In his former residence stands an ancient crabapple tree over three hundred years old, said to have been planted by Ji Yun, who left a poem: "Withered, pitiful flower so forlorn, in a courtyard slant with sunset this late autumn day; the poet, old and no longer full of feeling, still gazes at the last red petals with a sigh." In the Republican period, Liu Shaobai lived here, hence it was also called "Liu Residence," and it once served as a secret liaison point for the Hebei Provincial Committee and the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. In 1931, Mei Lanfang and others founded the Beijing National Opera Society here. Later it became the Fuliancheng training school—a troupe dedicated to cultivating Peking Opera talent. In the history of Peking Opera, Fuliancheng trained the most masters and wielded the deepest influence; no other school could compare. Turning right out of the residence is Jingyun Garden, which contains a stele inscribed "Birthplace of Peking Opera" and a pavilion with a couplet: "A man living in this world must possess a skill to sustain himself." Above hangs a plaque: "Fuliancheng."

Exhibition on the Life of Liu Shaobai

Zhang Zhidong, born in Xingyi Prefecture, Guizhou, was a prominent official of the late Qing and a leading figure of the Self-Strengthening Movement. He advocated "Chinese learning for the fundamental principles, Western learning for practical use," emphasized establishing schools and industries, "promoted new policies to benefit the country and people, served loyally and selflessly." He is grouped with Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, and Zuo Zongtang as one of the Four Great Ministers of the Tongzhi-Guangxu Restoration.

Mao Dun, modern Chinese writer, original name Shen Dehong, courtesy name Yanbing, from Tongxiang, Zhejiang. Representative works include Midnight and Spring Silkworms. After 1949, he served as the first Chairman of the Chinese Writers' Association and Minister of Culture of the Central People's Government. The Mao Dun Literature Prize, now one of China's highest literary honors, was established according to his will, with the 250,000 yuan in royalties he donated, mainly to reward full-length novels.

Mao Dun's Former Residence, where he spent his later years

In 1950, Lao She purchased this courtyard house. In 1953, he and his wife Hu Xieqing planted two persimmon trees, giving it the name "Red Persimmon Courtyard." Here he wrote works such as Teahouse. I visited in late autumn. In the clean yard, the persimmon trees were laden with golden fruit. The warm, quiet afternoon sunlight slanted through the branches onto the courtyard's red window frames and door frames. From inside, a recording repeated the cadenced yet simple voice of the young Lao She…

Lu Xun (1881–1936), original name Zhou Zhangshou, courtesy name Yucai, later renamed Zhou Shuren, from Shaoxing, Zhejiang. In 1902, he went to Japan on a government scholarship to study language and preparatory courses. Among his roommates were two Hangzhou students, Li Suizhi and Qian Junfu, who became lifelong friends. In 1904, Lu Xun studied medicine with Li Suizhi; Lu Xun later dropped out, while Li graduated and returned to China to become the first principal of the Zhejiang Medical School (predecessor of Zhejiang Medical University), the first medical school founded and funded by Chinese themselves. Qian Junfu attended the Tokyo Higher Normal School and later became principal of the Zhejiang Provincial No. 1 Middle School (now Hangzhou High School). His two most outstanding students were Li Linxi and his own son, Qian Xuesen.

The museum starts from Lu Xun's birthplace in Shaoxing, using a timeline to review his growth, education, and his revolutionary, turbulent life. In an era of great social upheaval and existential national crisis, where lay the path for the individual and the nation? "Life is my own; therefore I may stride forward boldly toward the path I think I can take; even if ahead there is an abyss, thorns, a ravine, a fiery pit—I alone am responsible." "What is a road? It is trampled out where there was none, hacked open from thorny wilderness." One's lifespan rarely exceeds a hundred years, yet the breadth of a life can extend without limit…

Lilacs planted by Lu Xun

Beijing Lu Xun Museum

The Qi Baishi Memorial House is at Yard No. 13 on Yu'er Hutong. In the courtyard stands a bronze statue of Qi Baishi by Wu Weishan, director of the National Art Museum of China. The east wing houses an exhibition on Qi Baishi's life, chronicling his studies and creative journey as well as his interactions with principal national leaders and social celebrities of the new China. The north main room displays the furnishings of his working studio. Qi Baishi, from Xiangtan, Hunan, a modern painting master, worked as a carpenter in his youth and excelled in ink-wash paintings of flowers, birds, fish, and shrimp. At the advanced age of 91, he created "The Sound of Frogs Ten Miles from the Spring" at the request of Lao She, a work truly worthy of being called a divine piece, where life's long river is captured within the confines of ink on paper.

Qi Baishi Memorial House

Museums—cultural and educational institutions housing collections of humanities, nature, and heritage.

"You are exposed to more and more different civilizations, but it could be said that you know very little, or even nothing at all about them…" — Chen Chengjun, Deputy Director of the National Museum of China

The Palace Museum

Forbidden City—Tiananmen

Altar of Land and Grain—East Gate of Zhongshan Park

National Museum of China

Permanent Exhibition: Ancient China

Early Paleolithic—Guanyin Cave, Qianxi, Guizhou

Jade Dragon—Hongshan Culture

Owl-Shaped Zun of Fu Hao, Shang Dynasty, Wu Ding period

Oracle Bone Inscription, Shang Dynasty, Wu Ding period

Bronze Sword, Spring and Autumn Period

Tri-Color Glazed Pottery Camel Carrying Musicians, Tang Dynasty

Tri-Color Black-Glazed Pottery Horse, Tang Dynasty

Phoenix Crown of Empress Xiaoduan, Ming Dynasty, Dingling Mausoleum

Qing Dynasty Chi-holding Lingzhi Double-Handled Washer

Qianlong Period Famille Rose Teapot with Poem on Brewing Tea in a Garden in Rain

Shangshan Culture Painted Pottery, Pujiang County, Zhejiang

Partial Scroll of "Fishermen's Joys on Cangzhou", Qian Gong, Ming Dynasty, ink and color on silk

Inscription for the Completion of the Book of Great Harmony, Kang Youwei, running script

Ancient Chinese Calligraphy, Collection of the National Museum of China

Centenary Sculpture—Site of the First Congress of the CPC

Yuanmingyuan Bronze Rabbit and Rat Heads, Qianlong Period

X-ray Machine Used by Dr. Norman Bethune

Cizhou Ware White-Ground Black-Flowered Brown-Painted Phoenix Jar

Blue-and-White Pine, Bamboo, and Plum Blossom Dish, Yuan Dynasty, Jingdezhen Kiln

Blue-Splashed Glazed Bowl, Xuande Period, Ming Dynasty

Bo Ju Li (Tripod), Early Western Zhou

Buddhist Statue, Sui and Tang Dynasties

Poly Art Museum

Set of Chime Bells with Coiled-Dragon Pattern, Spring and Autumn Period

Sword Inscribed with Temperament and Pitch Standards Inlaid in Gold, Warring States Period

Flat He with Phoenix-Head Spout, Western Zhou

Ying Hou Hu (Wine Vessel), Western Zhou

Jue, Wine Vessel, Shang Dynasty

Bodhisattva Statue in Contemplation, Northern Qi

Marble Bodhisattva Statue in Contemplation, Tang Dynasty

Buddhist Triad Statue, Eastern Wei

Replicas of Yuanmingyuan Bronze Animal Heads (Pig, Ox, Tiger, Monkey)—originals on loan elsewhere

Celadon Incense Burner with Scroll-Grass Pattern, Yue Kiln, Five Dynasties

Carved Red Lacquer Screen Inlaid with Cranes in Various Treasures, Qianlong Period

Confucius Temple and Imperial College Museum

Beijing Confucius Temple, Dismounting Stele

Shen Junru, from Xiushui, Zhejiang, jinshi in the last year of the Guangxu period

University Inscription by the Kangxi Emperor

Jiang Heng's Thirteen Classics Stone Inscriptions

"Encircling the Moat, Bestowing Education"—Glazed Archway of the Imperial College

Prince Kung's Mansion Museum

Rear Cover Building—Buddhist Tower

"High Mountains and Flowing Water"—Lacquerware Exhibition

Ming Tombs Museum

Geological Museum of China

China Rosewood Museum

Replica of the Golden Throne and Screen from the Qianqing Palace, Forbidden City

Furniture Handmade by Comrade Li Ruihuan, Former Chairman of the CPPCC