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The section of Ming-era city wall in this area was constructed in the fourth year of the Zhengtong reign (1439) and formed part of Beijing's Inner City wall. The central portion retains the junction where it connected with the Outer City wall, while the southern section consists of the surviving rampart base of the Inner City's Southwest Corner Tower. To the west of this segment of the Inner City wall once stood Xibianmen—one of the seven gates of the Outer City—as well as an Outer City water gate; however, neither remains today.
北京动物园 Běijīng Dòngwù Yuán
(They do have pandas but displays aren't as good as other places in China, such as the Panda Breeding Centre in Chengdu, Sichuan Province). The animals are kept in very small cages in which they pace to and fro in sheer restlessness and desperation. The lion and tiger building is particularly disappointing, housing a collection of large felines in concrete cages without any natural habitation. The pandas are relatively well looked after in comparison, but kept in pretty bleak conditions. Some are concerned with the way animals are treated in the zoo, but the aquarium is one of the biggest in the world, and very impressive. Entrance to the aquarium is not included in the standard Zoo ticket, and costs an extra ¥100. The zoo was built on the sites of some ancient gardens, and has lakes, ponds, pavilions and other beautiful old buildings.
See the Museum of Ancient Architecture.
首都博物馆 Shǒudū Bówùguǎn
New high profile history and art museum located in an impressive building. Exhibits include the history of Beijing and artifacts from throughout China's history.
恭王府花园 Gōngwángfǔ Huāyuán
The mansion displays the life of princes during the Qing dynasty. The garden is packed with Chinese tourists. The mansion stages Peking Opera and magic shows now and then.
宋庆龄故居 Sòngqìnglíng Gùjū
Museum and garden showing the life of Soong Ching Ling (1893-1981). Soong was a politician in the early days of communist China, vice president 1959–1975. She was married to Sun Yat-sen and also related to Chiang Kai-shek.