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Plan your Beijing tour? If you like a walking tour, Dong Jiao Min Xiang is...
Plan your Beijing tour? If you like a walking tour, Dong Jiao Min Xiang is a historic site worth your short stroll and glimpse of the European-style buildings by the late 19th century and early 20th century foreign powers.
Dong Jiao Min Xiang ( Former Legation Quarter ) literally means "East Foreign Residents Alley", which is the longest alley ( hutong ) in Beijing with a total length of 1550 meters.
In the English travel guidebooks, Dong Jiao Min Xiang is popularly known as Former Legation Quarter (the former embassy sites ). It was once home to the former 11 foreign embassies including UK, France, Germany, Japan, the US, Russia, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium and Dutch between 1861 and 1959.
The trees-lined alley is surrounded by elegant historic buildings quite different from the rest of Beijing traditional buildings, an inseparable part of Beijing's history.
Walking up the steps leading to the west entrance to Dong Jiao Min Xiang ( Former Legation Quarter ). As some of the former foreign legation buildings have been transferred into government offices, taking pictures is not allowed. Other buildings have been turned into restaurants and hotels.
Once entering the west entrance, on your right side is the part of the former the US embassy which is now used as the office building for Tiananmen Square Administration Committee.
On your left side across the former US embassy is the former Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China. Built in 1919, it is the British royal chartered bank in China during the Republican Period specializing in the oriental business.
Dongjiaominxiang is a quite and arched tree alley, a timeline bringing you back to the former legation quarter period.
East of the former US embassy compound is the former Dutch Embassy Compound. The picture below is the former entrance to the Dutch Barrack.
Move on to the east direction, you will see a grand building in the name of Beijing Police Museum at No.36. The Building is the former CITI Bank. Walk a while, you will come across the building no.34 for the former French bank - Banque de i'indo Chine.
The domed building at the corner of Dong Jiao Min Xiang and Zhengyi Road ( a north-south street ) is the former Japanese Yokahama Specie Bank.
This is the building for the former French Post Office (No.19-1). Now it has been turned into a Sichuan Restaurant.
Have a short stroll to the east of the former French Post Office, you will see the entrance to the former French Embassy.
The St. Michael's Church is located at the northeast corner of the crossroad between Dong Jiao Min Xiang and Taijichang Road (north-south). In 1901, the church property belonged to the French embassy, and when it opened in 1904, St. Michael's was managed by the French Church.
To the south of the St. Michael's Church is the former Belgian legation with green roofs and red brick walls.
The main gate to the former Belgian embassy is on the East Qianmen Street, paralleling Dong Jiao Min Xiang.
If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for Beijing guided tours:
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