1107 瞭望塔

Can you imagine a lone watchtower, bristling with 144 archery windows, standing defiant against time and war? This is the 1107 角楼, the Southeast Corner Watchtower of Beijing. It’s the only one of its kind left, a survivor from the Ming Dynasty, a time when the city walls stretched far beyond what you see today. Imagine standing here, on the very spot where history unfolded, where soldiers once kept vigil against invaders from the north. The 1107 角楼 witnessed the tumult of the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. During the Eight-Nation Alliance’s siege, this very tower became a battleground. After a fierce struggle, Allied forces, including American and Russian soldiers, captured the tower. They left their mark, graffiti scratched into the stones, a permanent reminder of the conflict. Today, you can still see these etchings, a testament to the tower’s enduring presence. Interestingly, the 1107 角楼 also played a role in a darker, more recent history. Just outside the tower, the body of Pamela Werner, a young British woman, was discovered in 1937, a tragic event that inspired the true-crime novel “Midnight in Peking”. The 1107 角楼, despite the battles and the passage of time, stands tall. The railway arch, built in 1915 for the Round the Capital Railway, now serves as the entrance to the watchtower area. Modern trains rumble past, a stark contrast to the camel caravans and merchant wagons captured in the historical photographs displayed inside. For a time, the 1107 角楼 housed the Red Gate Gallery, a haven for modern art. Today, the gallery has moved on, but the tower continues to captivate visitors with its resilience and its stories. Climb the steps, walk the ramparts, and feel the weight of history at the 1107 角楼, a silent sentinel of Beijing’s past.