QianMen

QianMen lies immediately south of Tian'AnMen Square. QianMen, literally 'Front Gate' once served as the outer entrance to the Imperial Palace (Forbidden City). In particular ZhengYangMen, 'Gate of True Sun', the grand stone gateway that was once part of the wall around the inner city. On the outside of this gate, the QianMen area was traditionally focussed on retail and entertainment.

Just south of ZhengYangMen lies JianLou, the 'Archery Tower' or 'Arrow Tower'. This was originally built in 1439 to serve as a watchtower.

Rebuilt in 2007 in late Qing style, the pedestrianised QianMen Street, and tram, is once again a lively place and features some traditional Chinese brands that go back centuries. The famous Lao She TeaHouse, with Chinese style cabaret in the evenings is nearby.

The nearest subway station is QianMen (line 2).