Beijing: Itineraries

Start from the Gate of Heavenly Peace and take the underground tunnel beneath Dongchang'an Jie to Tiananmen Square. To your west rises the monolithic mass of the Great Hall of the People, its columned pomposity mirrored to your east by the Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of the Chinese Revolution. Ahead of you stands the Monument to the People's Heroes, last stand of the 1989 student demonstrators before they were driven from the square. Further south is the squat Chairman Mao Mausoleum and beyond it Zhengyang Men and the Arrow Tower, together known as Front Gate. Walk to the east side to the square and enter Dongjiaomin Xiang (formerly known as Legation St). Ahead on your right-hand side at No 40 is a green-roofed, orange brick building that was the site of the former Dutch Legation 8.

Further along on your left hand side is the Supreme Court (Zuigao Renmin Fayuan), and on the other side of the road stands a building with huge pillars, the former address of the First National City Bank of New York (Huaqi Yinhang), now serving as the Beijing Police Museum. About 20m (66ft) up the road at No 34 (on your right) is an imposing, red brick building with pillars, the former address of the Banque de L'Indo-Chine (Dongfang Huili Yinhang). Look very carefully under the window on the right, and you will be able to make out ghostly, faded Chinese characters that say 'Long live the mighty leader Chairman Mao'. Under the window on the left are the discernible characters 'Long live the mighty Chinese Communist Party'. Keep walking east to the domed Minsheng Bank at 4a Zhengyi Lu, on the corner of Zhengyi Lu and Dongjiaomin Xiang, which was the Yokahama Specie Bank during legation days. Pop in and take a look at the period features adorning the interior, especially the ceiling. North up Zhengyi Lu on the right-hand side of the road was the former Japanese Legation, opposite the British Legation to the west, now occupied by the Ministry of State Security and the Ministry of Public Security. South down Zhengyi Lu and beyond the branch of CYTS is the Huafeng Hotel, on the site of the former Grand Hotel des Wagon-Lits (Liuguo Fandian). Backtrack and continue along Dongjiaomin Xiang. The low, grey building at No 19 is the former French post office, now serving as the Jingyuan Sichuan Restaurant. Further ahead behind the grey wall is the former French Legation. The main gate stands at No 15, a big red entrance guarded by a pair of stone lions and impassive security guards. The Capital Hotel on the other side of the road sits on the grounds of the former German Legation. Ahead of you at No 11 rise up the twin spires of the Gothic St Michael's Church (Dongjiaomin Catholic Church). Walk north along Taijichang Dajie (formerly Rue Marco Polo) and look out for the brick street sign embedded in the northern wall of Taijichang Toutiao, carved with the old name of the road, Rue Hart 18.