Beijing Dingduge Pavilion, or Dingdu Pavilion (定都阁) is built on the top of the same name hill known as Dingdu Peak with a sea level of 680 meters. The Dingdu Peak is located on the western end of the extended Chang'an Avenue, and about 40km west of Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

来源@视觉中国

"Dingdu" literally means "Decide the location of the Imperial Palace ( Today's Forbidden City ) in Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644 )". "ge" literally means "Pavilion". The legend goes like this: Emperor Yongle, the third emperor of Ming Dynasty wanted to move the capital of Ming Dynasty from Nanjing to Beiping (Today's Beijing ), he issued an imperial edict that Yao Guangxiao (1335 -1418) was ordered to be the chief architect of his imperial place and he demanded the Hall of Golden Chimes (today's Imperial Harmony Hall in Forbidden City) built on the place where the Sun rose.

来源@视觉中国

The chief architect – Mr. Yao Guangxiao later ascended the summit of Niuxin Mountain on today's extended west of Beijing Chang'an Avenue and looked at the east direction, confirming the place where the Sun rose, which was decided as the central place for building the Hall of Golden Chimes, the most important hall in the Imperial Palace, thus beginning the overall construction of today's Forbidden City and Beijing city as a whole. Later Niuxin Mountain was renamed "Dingdu Peak" in commemoration of the peak which allowed people to decide the location for the building of Beijing city in Ming Dynasty.

来源@视觉中国

Beijing Dingdu Pavilion was newly established on the top of Dingdu Peak and open to the public in May,2013. The tower has the construction of 2400 square meters and 33.9 above the the ground with 6-story inside and 3-story outside, a typical Chinese traditional architecture.

Dingduge Tower is actually part of Dingdu Peak Scenic Area which is still on the process of construction. The local Mengtougou District Government plans to build Dingdu Peak Scenic Area into a core sightseeing spot in Mengtougou and upgrade the value of Beijing Tanzhe Temple Town since Dingdu Peak is located within Tanzhe Temple Town. If you visit Dingdu Pavilion on your Beijing tour, you may also consider to cover the famous site of Tanzhe Temple nearby, the oldest temple in Beijing.

来源@视觉中国

Dingdu Pavilion on the west end of Chang'an Avenue and Grand Canal ( Tongzhou section ) on the east of Chang'an Avenue, hence the saying "Beijing city has the Grand Canal on the east and Dingdu Pavilion on the west". If you visit Beijing, a short excursion to Dingdu Pavilion is worth your time in terms of a panoramic view of Beijing city ( if no smog ) and its legendary history.

来源@视觉中国

How to get there

The pavilion and peak is close to Yongding Town (永定镇) in Tanzhe Temple Town, Mengtougou District, about 40km west of Beijing city center.

Public Transport: First take subway line 1 to the west direction and get off at the final station of Pingguoyuan (苹果园站), then connect Bus 931,981 and get off at the stop of Fengcun (冯村站), then walk up to the pavilion.

Self-drive: Drive along Lianhushi Road (莲湖石路) and change for Highway 108 and branches off at North Village of Tanzhe Temple Town (潭柘寺镇北村), then drive along the roadside sigh pointing to Dingdu Pavilion.

Entrance fee: 50 yuan

Opening hours: 9:00 – 17:00

Sale of admission tickets: till 16:00

Source: tour-beijing.com