Qianmen Avenue

Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South


Running due south from Beijing's 'front gate', the mighty Qianmen, this street was once the main commercial thoroughfare through what was known as the 'Chinese City', where non-Manchu were permitted to reside during the Qing dynasty. Razed and rebuilt for the 2008 Olympics, its character has now changed, with mock-period frontages housing international shopping brands, tour-group restaurants and a touristy tram ride.

At the northern end, 2019's Beijing Fun is a stylish shopping complex, which has at least attempted to preserve several handsome old buildings within its footprint.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South attractions

1. Dashilar Commercial Street

0.07 MILES

This centuries-old shopping street, although tarted up for tourists, retains several timeworn emporia selling silk, cloth shoes and traditional Chinese…

2. Beijing Red Star

0.17 MILES

Fans of Communist ephemera or esoteric booze brands might get a kick out this place set up by Red Star, a popular brand of Beijing báijiǔ, China's famous…

3. Zhengyang Gate Arrow Tower

0.22 MILES

This is the forward-defensive structure of Zhengyang Gate, which sits behind it. The imposing building is a jiànlóu (arrow tower), which would have been…

5. Qiánmén

0.3 MILES

Qianmen, aka 'Front Gate', consists of a pair of gate-like structures: the northernmost is the 40m-high Zhengyang Gate, which dates from the Ming dynasty…

6. Zhengyang Gate

0.31 MILES

Qianmen (前门), or the Front Gate, consists of a pair of gate-like towers, the northernmost being the 40m-high Zhengyang Gate, which was also the largest of…

7. Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall

0.31 MILES

Presenting a top-down perspective on the world's most micromanaged megacity, dry exhibits detail the government's grand schemes for Beijing, with scant…

8. Chairman Mao Memorial Hall

0.43 MILES

One of Beijing's more surreal spectacles is the sight of Mao Zedong's embalmed corpse on public display within his mausoleum. The Soviet-inspired memorial…