Reaching past even the Third Ring Road at its northernmost extent, Dongcheng District is an interesting place. Dongcheng is more than just a district. It is a vibrant tapestry of ancient history and modern life. It is Beijing’s cultural heart.
Dongcheng means “east city”. It appropriately covers the eastern half of Beijing’s old imperial city. Most visitors come here to see Tiananmen Square. They also visit the Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City dates to 1420. However, settlement had begun in Dongcheng even before then. That happened in the 10th century during the Liao dynasty. Small hamlets were established northeast of the wall.
As the Ming dynasty gave way to the Qing in the 17th century, Dongcheng continued to thrive. Imperial officials and merchants built courtyard houses for themselves. Eventually four divisions of the imperial army were stationed there as well.
By the end of the 19th century, Dongcheng became a combat zone. Anti-Western nationalists besieged foreign diplomats in the Legation Quarter during the Boxer Rebellion. After the legations were relieved, foreign forces looted cultural treasures. This led to the fall of the Qing dynasty.
What is today Dongcheng was opened to the public for the first time after imperial rule passed. It became a desirable place to live. On May 4, 1919, a protest march took place in Dongcheng. It was against Japan’s “Twenty-One Demands” on China. The “May 4 Movement” exerted a strong influence on leftists and nationalists, including the Communist Party of China.
In power, Mao reshaped the district. He knocked down the city walls, save for fragments such as the Ancient Observatory. He had the plaza south of the Forbidden City expanded into today’s Tiananmen Square.
In 1958, two previous districts were merged and renamed Dongcheng. Two of the Ten Great Buildings celebrating the 10th anniversary of the PRC were built in the district. These were the National Museum of China and the city’s main train station.
Mao addressed huge rallies of the Red Guards in Tiananmen Square during the Cultural Revolution. The 1975 protests there following the death of Zhou Enlai heralded the end of that difficult period.
In 1989, massive pro-democracy protests and their brutal suppression inaugurated China’s current epoch of “socialism with Chinese characteristics.” The economic growth unleashed by those reforms led to struggles by preservationists. They tried to save Dongcheng’s remaining hutongs from demolition.
Today, Dongcheng gives you a look at both old and new China. You may walk Tiananmen Square and see classical Chinese architecture. Or, you may shop and dine at Wangfujing pedestrian mall.