Built to resemble the canals and architecture of Suzhou, this street is where emperors and their concubines would pretend to be normal people by 'shopping' for trinkets in the ersatz stores the line the shore, the eunuchs acting as shopkeepers. Today it's lined with actual souvenir shops, which, ironically, makes it rather authentic.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
8.63 MILES
Enclosed by 3.5km of citadel walls at the very heart of Beijing, the Unesco-listed Forbidden City is China’s largest and best-preserved collection of…
11.16 MILES
An oasis of methodical Confucian design, the 267-hectare Temple of Heaven Park is unique. It originally served as a vast stage for solemn rites performed…
0.24 MILES
A marvel of Chinese garden design and one of Beijing's must-see attractions, the Summer Palace was the royal retreat for emperors fleeing the suffocating…
9.41 MILES
Flanked by triumphalist Soviet-style buildings, Tian'anmen Sq is an immense void of paved stone (440,000 sq metres, to be precise) at the symbolic centre…
7.91 MILES
Beihai Park, inside the old Imperial City, looks much as it would have done in the 18th century when it served as Emperor Qianlong's private gardens. The…
11.01 MILES
This immense fortress, part of the Ming City Wall Ruins Park, guarded the southeast corner of Beijing's city walls. Originally built in 1439 but repaired…
9.17 MILES
Instantly recognisable by its giant framed portrait of Mao, and guarded by two pairs of Ming dynasty stone lions, the double-eaved Gate of Heavenly Peace …
11.5 MILES
Contemporary art meets communist history at this thrilling enclave of international galleries installed within China's model factory complex of the 1950s…
Nearby Beijing attractions
0.03 MILES
The North Palace Gate is not as busy as the East Palace Gate. It's fun to clamber up the back of Longevity Hill from here. The gate is close to the…
0.11 MILES
Atop the northern end of Longevity Hill, this series of temples riffs on Tibetan architecture, looking unlike anything else in the Summer Palace. You'll…
0.16 MILES
Adorned with yellow and green glazed tiles and 1008 niche images of Buddha, this is one of the loveliest buildings on Longevity Hill. The interior walls…
0.19 MILES
The crowning glory of Longevity Hill, this majestic building proved the most expensive reconstruction project of Cixi's grand design. Mounted on a 20m…
0.24 MILES
A marvel of Chinese garden design and one of Beijing's must-see attractions, the Summer Palace was the royal retreat for emperors fleeing the suffocating…
0.24 MILES
Neatly aligned with the Tower of Buddhist Incense behind it, the Hall of Dispelling Clouds was built by Emperor Qianlong for his mother on her 60th…
0.28 MILES
Stretching for 728m along the north shore of Kunming Lake, the open-air Long Corridor is one of the premier sights of the Summer Palace. One can imagine…
8. Gate Tower of the Cloud-Retaining Eaves
0.3 MILES
This tower within the Summer Palace once housed a statue of Guanyu, the God of War.