The immense Southeast Corner Watchtower (东南角楼, Dōngnán Jiǎolóu; 9 Chongwenmen Dongdajie, 崇文门东大街9号) is connected to the only surviving section of Beijing's city walls.
Originally built in 1439, the tower is skewered with a formidable grid of 144 archery embrasures, able to rain fire on would-be attackers. Visitors can mount the battlements and explore the tower itself, a magnificent maze of carpentry over multiple floors, including an exhibition of historical photographs.
From the ramparts, gaze on the city wall as it flows west; in the far distance you can make out the central Qianmen Gate, which gives you some idea of just how massive the walls once were. Also keep an eye out for graffiti scratched into the tower by American and Russian soldiers during the Boxer Uprising in 1900.
Get here by strolling the path alongside the wistful stretch of brick and stone of the Ming City Wall Ruins Park (明城墙遗址公园, Míng Chéngqiáng Yízhǐ Gōngyuán), all that remains of the wall itself. This section extends for 1.2km, rising to a height of around 15m with defensive buttresses every 80m.
