Qianmen Street

Famous for its architecture, business, folk-custom and operatic culture, Qianmen Street has been a distinctive street since the Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) Dynasties. With 700 years of history, the 845-meter Qianmen Street starts from Zhengyang Gate (Zheng Yang Men) in the north and ends at Zhu Shi Kou Street in the south. Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty made Beijing the capital, and built it around a central axis from south to north; the inner town had nine city gates; Zhengyang Gate was in the center of south town, usually called Qianmen.