Beijing Xicheng District Commission Of Tourism Development

Beijing, a city for more than 3,000 years and a capital for more than 850 years, originated in places in the capital’s central urban area currently administered by Xicheng District. With carefully arranged and neatly built palaces and courtyards, gorgeous hills and lakes and the former residences of a great number of historic celebrities, the district now serves as a core functional zone hosting the State’s political and financial centres. It is a place where traditional and modern cultures stand harmoniously side by side, but it is also renowned domestically and internationally as a commercial centre and a wonderful destination for tourists.

With 24 State-level intangible cultural heritage sites, 32 cultural relics under State-level protection, 18 historical and cultural conservation zones and 101 guildhalls, the district offers rich cultural-heritage resources, represented by imperial gardens and residences, temples, celebrities’ courtyard homes, hutong lanes, guildhalls, time-honoured brands, temple fairs, folk customs and the southern city culture. These are joined by waterside landscapes and leisure resources such as the six lakes in Central Beijing, canals and the imperial waterway network. But there are also cultural venues, such as museums, galleries, theatres and concert halls. Financial Street and West Chang’an Avenue are lined with spacious, modern office buildings. Fashion, culture and fashion resources are found along streets from Xinjiekou to the Xidan Business Street and then to Xuanwumen. Based on these resources, Xicheng District has developed imperial culture experience tours such as imperial palace and garden tours, Beijing folk-custom and hutong-experience tours, famous-residence and time-honoured trade-name tours, forming a wonderful list of tourist products with outstanding traits of ancient Beijing. Each of these products can be simplified into three words, as ancient Chinese did in their Three-Word Primer for their children, namely, “visiting (the) old capital,” “entering imperial residences,” “seeing old temples,” “roaming old streets,” “enjoying the folk arts,” “wandering along alleys,” “visiting old shops” and “eating delicious dinners.”

With a civilization of more than 3,000 years, you’d expect Xicheng District to offer lots of cultural attractions and gourmet food. You won’t be disappointed, and we sincerely hope that you come to Xicheng District and experience its beauty in person. We hope you can have greater pleasure and fulfil your dreams here.