A public transport hall shows half a century of transportation history. Starting from December 1, 2023, the Beijing public transport hall began its trial operation, officially opening to the public with over 6,000 exhibits narrating the century-long story of Beijing's public transportation. Visitors can experience "clipping tickets" in the past, personally ring the bell on vintage buses, and even "customize" their own public transit monthly passes.
"To your left front, a weathered wheel stands silently, weighing over 400 kilograms – this is a tangible artifact of the first-generation tram wheel in Beijing. On your right side, a tram is emerging from an old-fashioned workshop," as the guide passionately explains, visitors step into the exhibition hall.
The first thing that catches your eye is a steel-wood structured tram with "Route 1" written on the roof, featuring first and second-class seats. Visitors can board and explore the tram. The wall beside it is covered with the historical development of public transportation from East to West throughout the ages, showcasing how Beijing's public transit has evolved dynamically during the reform and opening-up era, with networks weaving through, breakthroughs in technology, and constant innovation.
In 1899, Beijing introduced trams from the German company Siemens, establishing the first network and tracks from Majiabao Railway Station to Yongdingmen. This marked the inception of modern public transportation in Beijing.
Presently, the Beijing public transport hall covers an exhibition area of 5,000 square meters, housing over 6,000 items, including 16 key bus models and more than 10 interactive zones. Among them, the most popular are the replicas of 16 large buses from different eras. A Dodge bus with a prominent nose bears the license plate for Route 1 (Qianmen to Jiaodaokou). The "Jing One Type" articulated tram features blue and beige coloring, realistically replicating wooden seats and floors. The "Five Seven Type" bus, operational since 1958, marked the beginning of domestic bus production. Stirring memories is the "Yellow River Passage," a mainstay model from the 1970s and 1980s, named after being manufactured on the chassis of Yellow River brand trucks.
Inside the public transport hall, besides the developmental history of Beijing's transportation, there are also many fascinating and playful vintage items. In transparent glass display cases, you'll find not only tram company staff medals, certificates, company anniversary commemorative publications, licenses, riding rules, work notebooks, and other documents but also items like uniforms, water bottles, bags, coin dispensers, handheld loudspeakers used by employees during work. On these items, you can spot traces of the times everywhere.
The museum is also equipped with high-tech imaging products, vividly showcasing the evolving journey of Beijing's public transit. In the "Century memory, Ticket recollection" section, a whole wall displays bus tickets from various eras, each carrying its own historical memory. Nearby electronic devices allow visitors to choose their identity, take a selfie, and "customize" an old monthly pass with their own photo.
“The construction of this public transport hall is for public welfare, aiming to let everyone understand more about history. We want people to personally experience and touch tangible things," says a staff member from the Beijing public transport hall.
The museum exhibition is organized into 5 timelines and 8 thematic sections, narrating the origin and operational status of Beijing's public transit, the challenging exploration during wartime, the revival after the founding of New China, “the successful restoration of a hundred vehicles”, the development of "Five Seven Type" and "Jing One Type" buses, the initial exploration of green and environmentally friendly public transit, and the participation in the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region ——all significant events in the development of public transit.
