Zhengyangmen Gate Jianlou (Arrow Tower) Ascent～
Finally got tickets! Finally, I braved the cold wind early Sunday morning to climb the Zhengyangmen Gate Jianlou.
Ascending the Zhengyangmen Gate Jianlou from the east ramp, on the north platform, you can see the even more magnificent Zhengyangmen Gate Tower to the north. On the third and fourth floors of the Jianlou, you can overlook the bustling Qianmen Street through the arrow windows. The Lunar New Year decorations are still up. In the far south, you can vaguely see the silhouette of the Yongdingmen Gate Tower.
On the fourth floor of the Jianlou, looking out from the east arrow windows, you can see the China Railway Museum and the China Zun in the distance. Looking out from the west arrow windows, you can see the dense bus stops and the distant Western Hills.
Personally, I feel that the view of the Zhengyangmen Gate Tower is magnificent, but overlooking Qianmen Street is very exciting.
The visiting area of the Jianlou is divided into four floors. The first to third floors are exhibition introductions about the central axis. The top fourth floor is an intangible cultural heritage exhibition hall featuring cloisonné and carved lacquer, two of the "Eight Great Arts of Yanjing." The first floor is the central axis heritage description exhibition hall, mainly introducing the fifteen main components of the central axis through pictures and texts. The second floor is the heritage value exhibition hall, introducing the formation and development history and rich cultural connotations of the central axis of traditional Chinese capital cities, from the "Rites of Zhou - Kaogongji" to the planning of capital cities in past dynasties. There are some exhibits in the display cases in the middle of this floor. The most important one is the Ming Dynasty Zhengyangmen ridge amulet tin box, containing metal ingots, square wood, five-color silk threads, five-color gemstones, and five grains, representing metal, wood, water, fire, and earth respectively, as well as Buddhist scriptures and other items. There is also a display case exhibiting a commemorative silver pickaxe with a rosewood handle from the 1915 renovation of Zhengyangmen during the Republic of China. These are probably the two most important sets of cultural relics. The third floor introduces the protection and management of the heritage. The 1:45 model of Zhengyangmen is quite spectacular. There are also Zhengyangmen ridge beast components and architectural components such as glazed tiles, drips, and tile ends on both sides.
Personally, I think the third and fourth floors are mainly good for viewing and taking pictures. The arrow windows on the third floor are low, requiring squatting to take pictures, and the arrow windows are double-glazed. The arrow windows on the fourth floor are at a suitable height, and the three middle arrow windows are single-glazed, making them the most suitable for overlooking and photographing Qianmen Street. The arrow windows on the east and west sides of the fourth floor are also good places for viewing and taking pictures. Of course, the tall wooden structure inside the Jianlou is also worth appreciating.
It should be noted that the stairs inside the Jianlou are one-way, going up on the east side and down on the west side. You cannot re-enter the exhibition hall from the stairs on the down side. Since I went up to the third and fourth floors to take pictures first, and then visited each floor, I had to go back down to the first floor and visit each floor again, so I went up and down the building twice. Moreover, there is no elevator in the building, and the stairs are a bit high, which may be a little inconvenient for elderly people with limited mobility.
After finishing the visit inside the Jianlou, I came down from the west ramp, passed through the long gate hole to the south side of the Jianlou to take a picture of the characters "Zhengyangmen." Then, taking pictures of the Zhengyangmen Gate Tower inside the gate from the north side of the gate hole is also a good location. You can also take a panoramic view of the north side of the Jianlou from the north side of the Jianlou. It is said that you can also take pictures of Chairman Mao's Memorial Hall further north through the gate hole of the Zhengyangmen Gate Tower, but it seems impossible with a mobile phone.
Finally, you can visit the cultural and creative store on the east side. I bought a set of four commemorative tickets as souvenirs. However, there is only one free stamp, in the cultural and creative store near the Jianlou, so you don't need to go into the other cultural and creative store. The four-piece commemorative tickets are plentiful, and you can buy them as soon as you arrive, so don't worry about them being out of stock.
I've visited the Zhengyangmen Bridge site and climbed the Zhengyangmen Gate Jianlou. Perfect!
PS: It's closest to exit B or C of Qianmen subway station. It's free, but you need to book in advance. You must register and store your bags. Except for mobile phones and cameras, nothing is allowed, not even keys. It seems that no metal objects are allowed. My visit took about an hour, but it can be done in half an hour if you're quick.