If you book into the close-by Capital Hotel ( just some 400 meters eastward ) or the cheap Novotel farther down the street you will have no trouble finding the Qianmen Tourist Tour-bus Station, especially not with this report. Otherwise, take any metro-train or City Bus to Qianmen Station. As shown in the above photo, the City Bus Station at the South-side of TiananMen Square is literally across the street. If you are hungry you can even get a snack while waiting here at Mc Donalds or the local peddler. We strongly advise the last, but certainly have sympathy for those who snack at McDonalds, across the street at Qianmen ( Old Train ) Station. After a few weeks of Chinese food a burger is a god's gift to many.
Beijing, DongCheng District
- QianMen Tour Bus Station -
Located just East of Qianmen, almost at the corner of TiananMen Square and Qianmen Dongdajie , lies the Qianmen Tour Bus Station, The tourbus station is just one of the take-off points for Tourist Bus Rides to the Badaling Great Wall of China and the 13 Ming Dynasty Tombs ( Shisan Ling ). From here taking a Tourbus directly to these great destinations outside Beijing City proper is easy and managable for most tourists. The Closest Hotels are in correct order: 1) Capital Hotel , 2) Novotel and 3) Grand Hotel Beijing, and the Qianmen City-Bus station is across the street underneath QianMen - Old Front Gate.
This page was last updated: June 29, 2017
The Capital Hotel with it's magnificient view of Tianan Men and the Forbidden City is located just East of QianMen and stands overlooking the entire city center.
Tourbus to 13 Ming Dynasty Tombs and Great Wall of China at Badaling
Located in the shadow of QianMen or the South Gate, the Old QianMen Train Station is almost like a bonus-monument to the TiananMen Square. Part of the Old Beijing-Fengtai Railway, and located near the Foreign Legation Quarter of Beijing this Station was an important facility. This elongated Virtual Tour gives an impression of the rich history of the Station, and takes a look at todays functions as it now houses an Internet Cafe' ( Qian Yi ) , a Peking Opera Theatre a Traditional Art Gallery, some stores and a Mc Donald's outlet.
Welcome to the world famous and renowned TiananMen Square , the Square of Heavenly Peace at the political heart of China's People's Republic. Monuments include the Great Hall of The Peoples, Tianan Men, The Monument to the Heroes of the Revolution, the China National Flag, TiananMen The Gate and ofcourse the Famed Mao Mausoleum. Walk around the largest square parading ground in the World.
All TiananMen Square Monuments
-Click Photo to Enlarge -
-Click Photo to Enlarge -
-Click Photo to Enlarge -
-Click Photo to Enlarge -
-Mouse over Image -
Car-sales boom in Beijing: The Pollution meter at the Station climbs higher each year.
Don't overlook
the excellent
5 star Capital Hotel where you can enjoy Italian Cuisine and a view of The Forbidden City from the Top Floor Restaurant. Or from your room !
The Qianmen Tour Bus Station is usually crowded since it is also the starting point for other intercity or county styled busses in use by many migrant workers from the surrounding villages and counties. However, the Bus to the Historic 13 Ming Tombs and the Badaling Great Wall of China, just 20 kilometers travel further is easy to find and recognise. Find the sign saying :
< --- Tour Bus No.1.
Busses leave from the early morning hour of 6:30 ( just about ) until 10:30 AM. The fare, as shown is 50 Yuan at the moment , which includes a round trip.
When you are at the Ming Tombs and want to leave , just find the arriving Tour Bus 1 and have yourself carried further to the Badaling Pass and the Great Wall of China at this spot. Or ... if you are already tired, go back to this station or get off at one of the earlier stops around the Central City.
There are other busses leaving from this Bus Station too. These intercity style busses travel longer distances and can come in handy when you would like to travel to outer parts of the City ( such as for instance the Marco Polo Bridge or the new Olympic Center ) or for intercity travel to counties outside Beijing. We however, never use this cheap mode of transportation as there are often better options such as Taxi's, subway and Trains available. A new 3rd stretch of Subway-Line has been built to reach the Northern outskirts, Haidian District and Olympic Center, making it ever easier to get around the City safely and Surely. Signs in the Metro have been doubled in english language and clear maps are abundant. The subway-fare is still cheap eventhough it was raised from the low price of just 1 yuan to 3 yuan per ticket to anywhere you would like to go.
An overview of the Tour Bus Station. Historically, this point at the corner of TiananMen Square has been at the extreme southern edge of the former foreign legation quarter of Beijing, in the 19Th Century the diplomatic heartland of the City and home to Japanese, Russian, Swedish and other European Embassies alike. In the Year 1900, when much of declining Qing Dynasty China was invaded and ruled by Foreigners, this Foreign Legation Quarter would be the main battle ground during so called Boxer Rebellion. In this rebellion poor and surpressed Chinese peoples ( The Righteous Harmony Corps = Yi Ho Tuan ) revolted against the corruption and exploitation of their country by Foreign Powers who had taken too many "concessions", a word for invasion and foreign imposed rule. A terrific firefight and war ensued which damaged many buildings and left hundreds dead as the heavily armed Embassy Guards defended the Quarter.
This Boxer Rebellion did not last long, however. When the 8 European Allied Forces found out how the Ching Dynasty under Cixi the Dragonlady ( who had so far succumbed to pressures and cooperated in it's own undoing ) had decided to back the Chinese Revolters, their response was strong. European armies led by the British landed at Tianjin Port, outside Beijing. Then headed inland to relieve the besieged westerners inside the Embassy Quarter, take over the Imperial Palace and Beijing, and force the Qing Imperial Dynasty into further humiliating "concessions" ( More at The Summer Palace Reports ). In this process the now again Famous Red Gate ( south-east corner watchtower ) part of the Ming Dynasty Era City Walls was destroyed by cannon-fire when Chinese hold-outs blocked entry into the City.
All in all the Legation Quarter was damaged but left mainly intact and functioning. Only twenty-five years later another important historic occasion would take place at this spot when one night, just after 7 pm, February 23, 1925 AD, Last Ching Emperor Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi left the Japanese Barracks just North of here on foot and in civilian clothing, walked to the Qianmen Train Station, and took the train out of his former Capital never to live in his Palace Again. This was the beginning of a second tragic adventure. ( read more about Pu Yi and this event at the Former legation Quarter Report(s) and the Old QianMen Train Station Report.
Just across QianMen East Avenue from the Tourbus Station stands a new Museum and Exhibition Building - the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall. Inside a truely huge satellite image based photo of the entire Beijing City and outlying area's plus some astounding mock-ups of new and old Beijing Architecture.
Find DrBen and ChinaReport on Facebook with the latest from www.drben.net.
