Xidamochang Street

Xidamochang Street has been one of Beijing's famous commercial streets since the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This street was first formed in the Ming Dynasty and was initially related to the stone craftsmen who came to Beijing from the suburbs.

At that time, wealthy merchants and households gathered in the Qianmen area, each with large millstones, mortars, and sharpening stones. The stone craftsmen, relying on the craftsmanship passed down from their ancestors, established various grinding workshops and polishing factories here. This gave rise to the name "Xidamochang Street", which carries the characteristics of the commercial era. At its peak, Xidamochang Street, along with Xiheyan, Xianyukou and Dazhalan, were known as the "Four Major Commercial Streets Outside Qmen".

After renovation, Xidamochang Street became home to institutions such as Kawamoto Music and Xida Theater. It formed the "Xida Workshop" brand with a core concept of cultural creativity and design innovation, unfolding a new picture integrated living, residential, and cultural industries in the old hutong.

Courtyard 220 of Xidamochang Street is the former site of Peking Union Medical College Hospital. With the redesign by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the house exudes an artistic atmosphere and stands out on the street. Although the exterior and structure of the courtyard have not changed, artistic metal lattice windows have been hung on the walls, from the eaves downwards, giving the gray building a silver-white hollowed-out veil, adding a unique touch.

Address: Xidamochang Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Beijing’s Legation Quarter (Dongjiaominxiang)

Beijing’s Legation Quarter (Dongjiaominxiang) stretches from Chongwenmen Inner Street in the east to the east side of Tiananmen Square, with a total length of about 1.6 kilometers. It a European-style neighborhood that combines embassies, churches, banks, official residences, and clubs. It houses the remaining western-style buildings from the early 20th century in Beijing—the Dongjiaominxiang Embassy Complex.

Redofed small western-style buildings, western-style gatehouses, gothic-style churches with stained glass windows and angel statues...Walking in Dongjiaominxiang, every building is a scenery, every step is history.

The Dongjiaominxiang Embassy Complex is the remaining western-style building complex from the early 20th century in Beijing. It has witnessed a hundred years of China's diplomatic history and serves as a physical reminder of imperial aggression against China and an educational base for patriotism.

Address: Dongjiaominxiang, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Translator: TANG Yingqi