The Former Residence of Mao Dun is located in the Houyuan'ensi Lane, South Avenue, Jiaodaokou, Dongcheng District. It was where Mao Dun lived between 1974 and 1981, the year he died. It was designated by the central government as his former residence in which to hold an exhibition entitled a Great Revolutionary Writer—Mao Dun. It was officially opened to the public in March 1985.

Mao Dun's original name was Shen Dehong, and his courtesy name was Yanbing. He was born in Wuzhen, Tongxiang in Zhejiang in 1896. He was one of the forerunners of progressive culture in modern China, a great revolutionary writer, and an outstanding champion of proletariat culture. After the founding of the People's Republic, he served first as head of the Culture Ministry and then as deputy chairman of the National Political Consultative Committee. He was also long-time deputy chairman of the National Association of Literature and Art and chairman of the Chinese Writers' Association.

The south-facing former residence has a front courtyard and a back one, and 22 rooms of various sizes. Since it was opened to the public, the furnishings of the study, bedrooms, and living room have been kept exactly the same as they were before its last owner died. In the west wing room in the front courtyard, which served as the living room, the sofas, the vase on the table, and the couplet hung on the wall are all genuine relics. In the north room are displayed the writer's life and his writing career. In the east wing room are displayed pictures and relics that reflect his unremitting efforts to help with developing culture in New China and maintaining peace in the world. Exhibits include certificates of appointment, representative credentials, manuscripts of creative works and records, and the pens, recorder, and seals he had used. In the back courtyard are his study and bedroom. The walls of these rooms are lined with bookshelves filled with Chinese and foreign classics. His book collection and his own writings have been collected in the Mao Dun Library.

Address:No.13, Houyuan'ensi Hutong, Jiaodaokou, Dongcheng District, Beijing

The Confucius Temple and Guozijian (the Imperial College)in Beijing were first build in the Yuan Dynasty, and followed the ancient architectural rules “temple on the left and school on the right,” which served respectively as the place to worship and enshrine Confucius by the emperors and the highest imperial college. The two building complexes were respectively constructed along its central axial line, in the traditional Chinese architectural format of symmetry, and formed a complete set of magnificent and grand ancient building complex. The Dacheng Hall, the main architecture of the Confucius Temple, is as magnificent and splendid as the Taihe Hall in the Forbidden City. The stone tablets bearing the names of 51,624 scholars from all over China who passed the triennial imperial examinations tell the history of China's imperial examination system. The 13 sutra tablet forest, with 189 tablets inscribed with the Confucian classics, carries on the essence of the Chinese culture. The Biyong Hall inside the Imperial College has a unique style, and it was the place where Emperor Qianlong gave lectures to the scholars, and the halls and rooms still manifest the features and styles of the imperial college at that time.

Strolling among the ancient pines and cypresses and hearing the ancient music, visitors could feel the history and rich culture, trace the moving stories about the scholars and have an experience of the ancient imperial architecture, and enjoy tranquility in the bustling metropolis. A trip to the temple is worthy.

The Former Residence of Comrade Soong Ching Ling is located on the northern bank of Houhai Lake, part of the picturesque Shichahai Lake in Beijing. In front of the gate, it is the beautiful lake with ripples and willows on the bank, and inside the courtyard, there are the meandering paths and corridors, halls and pavilions. Surrounded by lake, with artificial hills, green trees and flowers in the courtyard, this is a graceful, elegant, tranquil unique courtyard.

The former residence occupies an area of more than 20,000 square meters and has a floor space of about 5,000 square meters. Also called the Xihuayuan, it was originally the garden of the mansion of Prince Zaifeng, father of China's last Emperor Aisin-Gioro Puyi.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Premier Zhou Enlai, with the endorsement from the Party and central government, was personally involved in the reconstruction and refurbishment of the garden, deciding to construct a two-storey building blending the Chinese and Western architectural arts west of the main building of the mansion garden to serve as the residence of Soong Ching Ling. In April 1963, Soong Ching Ling moved into the new building and resided there. She lived and spent 18 years in the building until her death on May 29, 1981.

In 1981, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress decided to confer the honorary title “honorary chairwoman of the People's Republic of China” to Comrade Soong Ching Ling, and decided to name her residence “former residence of Comrade Soong Ching Ling, Honorary Chairwoman of the People's Republic of China,” and requested the State Council to list it a major historic site under national protection. After that, under the direct leadership and arrangement by the central government leaders as Deng Yingchao and Liao Chengzhi, comprehensive repairs and maintenance of the former residence were carried out, retaining and restoring the residence to the state when Soong Ching Ling resided and worked there for display and exhibition. A nationwide collection of cultural heritages and materials was launched to gather exhibits for the “exhibition of the life of Comrade Soong Ching Ling.” On May 29, 1982, on the first anniversary of the death of Soong Ching Ling, Deng Yingchao attended the ceremony to open the former residence to the public for visits, and the former residence has now become an “education base for the young.”

The China Great Wall Museum, the name of which was inscribed by former president Jiang Zemin, mainly concerns the Great Wall, and comprehensively reflects its history and current situation.

With its 9 exhibition halls covering more than 3000 square meters, The China Great Wall Museum is divided into eight sections “The Great Wall in different dynasties”, “The Great Wall in the Ming dynasty”, “Establishing military defense”, “The Wars on the Great Wall”, “Economic and Cultural Exchanges”, “The Artistic Reservoir of Various Nationalities”, “Love Our Country, Renovate Our Great Wall” and “Most Favored Scenic Spot and Rainbow of Friendship”. Cultural relics unearthed along the Great Wall are exhibited along with ample historical documents, pictures and models. These give detailed descriptions of the Great Wall as a symbol of the Chinese nation and a bond uniting all of the nationalities in China.

Among the important items on display are the original copy of the World Heritage Certificate issued by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, pictures of the more than 200 foreign leaders and government heads from 120 countries climbing the wall in the past 40 years. These precious items are unique among similar museums in the country.

The Great Wall is a wonder of the world and a much cherished treasure of China. It deserves not only to be loved but also to be studied.

The appearance of the Great Wall 3D cinema resembles the structure of the ancient Badaling military headquarters, the Duntai, whose upper part is round and lower part square. On the fringe of the upper section stand dense battlements, giving the impression of flying Chinese dragons and running snakes. The building is mainly constructed with reddish brown granite and looks formidable. The 3 always-open gates are like twin sisters guarding the key to the “northern gate”. The arch structure is high and unsophisticated. Inside the building, there are 2 floors, the projection room on the second floor and the viewing room which can accommodate 500 people. There is also a resting room and 2 VIP resting rooms on the first floor. A 30 meter long embossment made of stainless steel in the crescent resting room is made in the Han dynasty artistic style. The theme is “the marching of soldiers and chariots”, depicting a legion setting off from the Great Wall for a long-distance campaign. Both the soldiers and the chariots are delicately carved and look lively.

The Great Wall 3D cinema covers an area of 314 square meters. Its circumference is 60 meters, its diameter is 20 meters and it is 7.5 meters high. It is very spacious. As soon as the movie begins, the lights on the canopy go off. The evenly-arrayed blue beams glitter intermittently like stars. You will feel like you are enjoying a mysterious and beautiful summer night in the midst of mountains covered by snow. The most advanced high-fidelity stereo system is employed to present you with the 2700 years history of the Great Wall, featuring the more than 6,000 kilometers long relic of the Great Wall, the scenery in different seasons, and the many stories related to the wall (Qin Shihuangdi's mandate to construct the wall and Meng Jiangnu's tragic tale) along with some battle scenes. The movie also shows the wall winding from Bo Hai in the east all the way to the Jiayu Pass in Gansu province.

The pictures seem to create a new dimension connecting the Great Wall's history and reality which will linger in your mind for a long time.

The Bell and Drum Tower is situated on the Di'anmen Wai Avenue, Dongcheng District. It used to be the national time service center in three dynasties——Yuan, Ming, and Qing, when it would issue the standard Beijing time every day. Well preserved, it is important for research into the layout of the ancient capital and bell and drum towers.

As a landmark of Beijing in ancient times, the tower is composed of two parts——the bell tower in the north and the drum tower in the south. It covers an area of some 13,000 square meters. The bell tower was first built in 1271, or the 9th year of Zhiyuan reign in the Yuan Dynasty, and was rebuilt in 1420, or the 18th year of Emperor Yongle's reign in the Ming Dynasty. The present building was completed in 1747, or the 12th year of Qianlong. It is 47.9 meters high, with a double-eave roof covered with black glazed tiles and framed with green ones. It is the only large beamless arch building fully made of brick and stone that remains in China. It is a masterpiece of blending architecture and acoustics among ancient Chinese buildings. On its second floor is hung a 63-ton bronze bell made in Emperor Yongle's reign in the Ming Dynasty, known as the King of Ancient Bells. It is important for research into ancient metallurgy and techniques of making large bronze wares.

The drum tower, originally named Qizheng Tower, was first built in 1272 and rebuilt in 1420. The present building was built in 1539, or the 18th year of Emperor Jiajing's reign in the Ming Dynasty. It is 46.7 meters high, with a triple eave roof covered with gray pipe tiles and framed with green glazed tiles. It is a large brick-and-wood building, and the largest of its kind in China. On its second floor there used to be 25 night-watch drums. A large drum stands for the year, while 24 smaller ones stand for the 24 solar terms. All the smaller ones have been lost, and now only the biggest one remains. Its surface, with a diameter of about 1.5 meters, is made of a whole cowhide. The scars on it were left by Japanese soldiers when the Eight Power Allied Force invaded Beijing. Also lost is a bronze chronograph. The bell and drum had provided time service for 652 years.

After 1924, the bell and drum tower served for education and entertainment of Beijing citizens. For a while it was called Know-Disgrace Tower, for it kept pictures, relics, and models attesting to massacres and pillages perpetrated by the Eight Power Allied Forces in the city. Today, to carry on tradition, the relic administration of the tower has reproduced the bronze chronograph and the 25 night-watch drums, so that the tower may resume its time service. The demonstration of how the chronograph works, the beating of night-watch drums, and the chiming of the bell around the New Year have attracted more and more tourists from the world. Besides, the tower commands the best bird's eye view of Beijing.

Address: No.9, Linzi Zhonglouwan, Dongcheng District, Beijing