During the Ming and Qing dynasties, a curfew was frequently imposed at night. Barriers (zhalan) erected at both ends of streets and alleys were closed as soon as the curfew came into effect, making passage impossible. According to the imperially commissioned Record of the Major Events of the Great Qing Dynasty, there were more than 1,090 barriers erected in the Inner City area as well as 196 inside the Imperial (Manchu) City. Dazhalan was one of these 1,200-old structures, and although the barrier itself is gone, its name has remained.

Dazhalan 大栅栏, literally the "Great Fence," was from early times the site of a busy market. In the years of Emperor Yongle (reigned 1403-1424), it was crowded with shops, and as trading in the city became concentrated around the Zhengyangmen area, Dazhalan developed into a popular market. In 1900, when the Eight-Power Allied Forces attacked Beijing, Dazhalan was reduced to a heap of rubble, although it was quickly rebuilt as it stands today.

Features: There are 37 shops and service establishments in the only 270 meters-long and nine meters-wide Dazhalan Street. Many of the specialty shops still exist, for example, the Tongrentang Traditional Medicine Shop, which has manufactured pills, powders and ointments since 1669; the old Juyuan Hat Shop, now called the Dongsheng Hat Shop, opened in 1811 and specialized in producing officials’ hats and satin boots for the nobility; and the famous Ruifuxiang Satin, Silk and Fur Shop, which opened in 1893. There are also the Neiliansheng Shoemaker's and the Nanyufeng Tobacco Shop, both more than 100 years old. The Xinrong General Store has a history of 80 years. These old shops enjoy a high reputation among local residents. Their continued prosperity can be traced not only to their work to develop specialties sold at fair prices. Tongrentang, for example, having supplied medicinal herbs to the imperial court, was later appointed to make up prescriptions for the emperor. During the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1875-1908). Empress Dowager Cixi ordered the shop to produce all the medicines used by the imperial court. During the Qing Dynasty, the Neiliansheng Shoemaker’s kept careful records of boot sizes and preferred styles of all the military and civil officials who shopped there. If an official wished to have a pair of boots made, he merely sent a note to the shop and a pair of perfectly fitting footwear would be made to order.

After the fall of the Qing, this market disappeared, but the shop quickly adapted by making cotton shoes out of the layered cloth soles previously used for the court boots. There is also a great number of public amusements concentrated here which helps Dazhalan with its popularity. There are five large theaters, the Qingleyuan (Celebrating Happiness Playhouse), Sanqingyuan (Three Celebrations Playhouse), Guangdelou (Extensive Virtue Playhouse), Guangheyuan (Extensive Harmony Playhouse) and the Tongleyuan (Common Happiness Playhouse). When Qing rules made a law prohibiting "uproarious noises in the Inner City areas close to the palace," gentry and rich merchants passed through Qianmen (Front Gate or Zhengyangmen) Gate in the evenings to see plays and operas.

Take Bus No. 2, 5, 17, 48, 53, 59, 808 to Qianmen Station.

Beijing’s Xuanwu Garden (宣武艺园) is located on Huaibaishu (槐柏树) Street. The garden’s area takes up about 8.37 acres. Previously known as Shanguo (善果) Temple, it was built during the Ming Dynasty and destroyed by an earthquake during the 1930s. In 1938, it was rebuilt by the local government and renamed the Xuanwu Garden.

Xuanwu Garden is a combination of both classic architectural design and modern landscape design techniques. It is scenic for its elegant style and offers a quiet escape that submerges itself in a peaceful environment. Xuanwu garden attracts hundreds of tourists every year.

Features: In the garden, there is a breathtaking display of decorative rocks that lines the garden, a lovely pool and waterfalls that protrude from the rear. The garden is separated into two parts: the West part and the East one. On the West side of the Garden, the water display sits amid the scenic waterfalls and is itself the central theme. As autumn approaches, senior citizens like to go there to do Tai Chi near the pool. In the Eastern part of the garden, there is a special type of wood-grain called “Shanlin” in Chinese, which means is “eye-catching” scenery. Pavilions are everywhere, in red and gray and are both high and low.

Take Bus No. 7, 9, 10, 15, 38, 44, 47, 67, 301, 337, 395, 661, 662, 901, te 2, subway line 2, te 4, te 7, 54 to Changchunjie. 

The Xuannan Cultural Museum lies inside Changchun Temple in the southern part of the city of Beijing. Focusing on the display of the folk culture of Xuan Nan in Beijing, the museum vividly exhibits the long history and rich cultural heritage of Xuan Nan. Xuan Nan is a smaller version of what the old Beijing used to look like. In the eight exhibition halls of the museum, tourists can view the mini-windmill, the jade antiques and the many precious instruments that are there, as well as discover the renowned cultural history of the famous Beijing Opera. Artists such as Meilanfang, Tanxinpei and Malianliang have been among the few that have had their work on display. Among them, Meilanfang is regarded as one of the greatest artists of modern Chinese history for introducing Beijing Opera to the United States of America, Japan and Russia in 1935.

Features: The museum houses eight exhibition halls, including "The Long History of Xuan Nan", "Footprints of Heroes", "A Century’s Commerial Prosperity", "Flourishing Peking Opera", and "Paradise of Southern Beijing". Visitors will witness the rich and colorful folk culture as well as the modern facets of the southern Xicheng District in Beijing. The museum, departing from the traditional division of artifacts, photographs and texts, presents an innovative arrangement in the exhibits. At one point in history, Xuan Nan used to be a community of Chinese minorities. At the museum exhibition, tourists can experience the culture and customs of minority groups such as the Hui, Meng, Wei and Man, and learn a greater understanding of how these people have lived for hundreds of years.

Take Bus No. 5, 6, 57, 109, 381, 613, 715, 717, 743, 822 and 853 Niujie lukou west or take Bus No. 10, 38, 626 and 853 to Xuanwu hospital or take subway line 2 to Changchunjie and walk towards the north for 500 meters.

Daguanlou was originally the Masiyuan Teahouse, which was built in 1900. People, especially men, would go to the Masiyuan to sip tea and watch some Beijing Opera, which originated in the 1700s. Eight years after the invention of the movie in Paris in 1895, the Masiyuan's owner Ren Jingfeng decided to show short movies on a piece of white cloth suspended on stage between acts. This began the age of the silver screen in China. Movies remained an exclusively foreign art form until 1905 when Ren produced Ding Junshan (Conquering Mount Jun) the first-ever Chinese movie. He bought a movie camera in a German store in Beijing, and asked Tan Xinpei, the then famous Beijing Opera actor, to star in it. The ten-minute-long movie was filmed in front of Ren's studio and shown in Daguanlou Cinema. It was a hit. It's said that the rest of Beijing seemed empty, because everyone was at Daguanlou. Movie fever had caught on.

Features: In Daguanlou Cinema people can see both domestic and foreign blockbusters, such as Zhang Yimou's House of Flying Daggers or Peter Jackson's King Kong. It might seem like every movie theater is the same, but watching a movie at Daguanlou is like eating Peking duck at the famous Quanjude Restaurant, the history of the place enhances the experience. After a facelift in 2005 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Chinese cinema, Daguanlou offers visitors a picturesque combination of old and new. The grey and dark-red brick facade is reminiscent of buildings in the late 19th century. On the first floor, a small room has been restored and refurnished in the original style of the theater, with benches, old advertisements, oil lamps, and, as was the case in old cinemas, projection machines on display for the public. Beverages and snacks are available on the second floor.

Take Bus No. 2, 5, 17, 48, 53, 59, 808 to Qianmen Station. It is relatively difficult to park a car, so self-driving is not suggested.

Laoshe Tea House is a hot spot for both foreigners and expats. Spend just two hours here at Laoshe Teahouse and you'll experience the authentic lifestyle of the old Beijing. Sipping tea, munching on local snacks and watching a revue of the most popular Chinese traditional performances are just some of the things you’ll do while here. The tea house is named after the renowned Chinese writer Lao She who is famous for his drama entitled, "Teahouse", which is a vivid portrayal of the social dimensions of old Beijing.

Laoshe Teahouse was founded in 1988. It soon became popular in Beijing for offering "Dawancha" or "big-bowl tea," a tradition that has been running for more than two decades. The best part is that the price has never changed. Today, you can still get a bowl of refreshing tea for only two Chinese cents. And if you don't have the change, don't worry a cup of tea will be served for free. The open air tea service is a tradition that goes back 17-hundred years and is just one part of the rich tea culture of Beijing.

Take Bus No. 5, 10, 110, and 120, and get off at Qianmen stop, or take subway Line 2 and get off at Qianmen station.

The Beijing Huguang Guild Hall was first built in 1807.The grand theatre and ziwu well are all remains of the original buildings, and famous actors Tanxinpei, Yu shuyan and Mei lanfang once gave performance in this guild hall. Dr. Sun Yat-sen presided over the conference of the founding of the KMT in the guild hall in 1912.

The grand theater is splendid and imposing with an antique flavor. Leading Beijing opera stars often give performances here, it is very cheerful to enjoy the opera, while sipping tea in the theatre. Wenchang pavilion is now an exhibition hall of the beijing theatrical museum. Huguang guide hall restaurant has a style of its own. Visitors can enjoy dishes with beijing flavor, which is a part of the traditional theatrical culture, and your presence is cordially requested. This Huguang Theater has a rich history filled with traditional atmosphere in both its architecture and performances.

While surrounded by the spirit of the traditional Beijing Theater, you can enjoy the Beijing Opera, a traditional art form of China, along with Chinese tea. The repertoire changes every day. It is a good idea to include the appreciation of the beautiful songs and dance performances as the highlight of a Beijing night tour as well. As for the matter of language, we will gladly offer you a pair of headphones with English translation. This way you can get a deeper understanding out of the performance.

Bus No. 5, 6, 7, 14, 15, 23, 34, 66, 102, 105 to Hufang Road.

The Grand View Garden at Xicheng District southwest of Beijing is reminiscent of a luxurious garden of Ming and Qing style. In a Chinese classic "Dream of Re Mansions", the garden is recounted as the mansion of the Jia Family - an official nobility of the Ming period.

It is a large greenery garden dotted with pavilions, halls, temples and miniature gardens with a total of 110,000 square meters. The layout is exactly like that described in the novel. If you go there at the right time, you will be lucky enough to see traditional ceremonies performed in the garden, always a fascinating sight.

Dream of Red Mansions Dream of Red Mansions, written by Cao Xueqin in the 18th century, is rated the best novel of the Qing dynasty. The novel tells a tragic love-story in a noble family and is called by Westerners as the Romeo and Juliet of China. The hero - Jia Baoyu is an amorous and sentimental son of a noble official. The novel describes the rise and decline of Jia Family. In an imaginative and humorous style, the author has portrayed more than 400 dramatis personae with distinctive traits, representing the daily life of a distinguished Manchu family.

Bus No. 53, 59, 63, 122, 458, 474, 717, 744, 819, 939 to Daguanyuan station.

Beijing Ancient Coin Museum was built near Deshengmen in Xicheng District. It is the sole coin museum in the Beijing area that opened to the outside world. It exhibits Chinese ancient coins from different dynasties through the years. Moreover, it also holds temporary exhibitions, which is the ideal activity place for the coin collecting hobbiests to research, collect and interchange.

In the Ming and Qing Dynasties circumvallation was built continuously and completed on the basis of Yuandadu. The exhibition displays the original features of Beijing in the past. There are also exhibitions of the material objects like signal cannons and door locks etc. Nearly a thousand coins are displayed in the museum that ranges from the "shell coin" in the Yinshang Period to paper currency of Zhiyuan Current Money in Beisong Dynasty, and further to the copper round coin in the Republic of China. The various kinds of coins reflect the politics, economy and social reform at that time. It showcases the historic features.

Bus No. 44, 5, 55 and 345 or by Beijing Subway Line 2, and get off at Jishuitan Station.

Yuetan Park is located west of the Nan Li Shi Lu, Xicheng District. It was built in 1530 as a place for the emperors to worship the god of the moon and other stars. It is divided into two parts, the south park and the north park, with a total area of 8.12 hectares. The north park is mainly occupied by old architectures, while the south park is mainly taken up by ponds, rocks, and man-made hills. There are a lot of trees in Yuetan Park, such as pines, cypresses, phoenix trees, pomegranate trees, osmanthus trees and etc.

Take Bus No. 13, 15, 19, 21, 42, 45, 65, Te 4, 823 to Yuetan station.

Beijing Planetarium is a national leader in public astronomy, a beloved civic visiting place, and o­ne of Beijing’s most popular attractions. It contains two parts: Beijing Planetarium and Beijing Ancient Observatory. Beijing Planetarium consists of the new building and the old Planetarium. The new facility has several exciting parts: Digital space theater, 3D theater, 4D theater, exhibition hall, two observatories. After 50 years of public use by roughly 18 million visitors, it’s underwent renovations and reopened in March 2008. There are a planetarium and two exhibition galleries in the old Planetarium. Beijing Planetarium is o­ne of the powerful planetariums in the world. It has made great contributions to popularize astronomy.

Beijing Ancient Observatory was first built in 1442 in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), and was the national observatory in the Ming and Qing Dynasty. It is about 14 meters high with 8 astronomical instruments made in the Qing Dynasty. It has an observation history of nearly 500 years from the Ming Dynasty to 1929 AD, which was a very long time in the world. It is also famous for its intact and integrated instruments. The 8 instruments were equipped with western technology and Chinese local art design, and they can show us the exchange between the western and eastern and the magnificent western design. After 1949, Beijing Ancient Observatory became a part of Beijing Planetarium. It is now under the key national relic’s protection unit..

Take Bus No. 7, 15, 19, 27, 45, 332, 334, 347, 380, 102, 103, 105, 111, 812, 808, special line 4 and get off at Zoo's bus stop.