The Capital Hotel with its magnificient view of Tianan Men and the Forbidden City is located just East of QianMen and stands overlooking the entire city center.
Introduction to East (former) Foreign Legations Street of Beijing
Untill the early years of the 19Th Century, Dongjiaomin Lane was just one of the ordinary streets in the Dongcheng District, one of the better parts of the City of Beijing.
During the 18Th and 19Th Century the small street gained much in importance when it became the central street of what would soon
Local Traffic at the intersection of Zheng Yi Road(=Lu), Minsheng Bank, and Former Legation Street.
A view down Zheng Yi Road, today a lush park-like lane.
Ornamental Detail of the European Styled Minsheng Bank building on the corner of Zheng Yi Road and East Legation Street.
ChinaReport.comat
Schematic Map of the 1900 AD Legation Quarter and its defenses - Includes location of former Legations and other Legation Quarter Monuments.
History of Foreign Legations Street of Beijing
Dongjiaomin Lane, or later (Foreign) Legations Street was originally called Dongjiang Mi Lane.
However, after the first Opium War of 1840 to 1842 AD, the name of the street was changed to Dongjiaomin Lane, diplomatic alley, as foreign envoys started taking up their stations at this strategically located spot inside the City Walls of the Imperial City and within reach of the Imperial Palace.
Not much later, after another round of Chinese humiliation in the foreign provoked Second Opium War of 1860 to 1862 AD, the
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grow as the Foreign Legations Quarter of Beijing. During this period, the Legations were a restricted part part of the City, where no Chinese were allowed to reside nor take up Business. Special Entrance needed to be gained at guarded gates into the Legations Quarter, as it was known.
Running from West to East, the former Legations Street it is crossed by several small south-north lanes. The main one of these is Zheng Yi Lu, or Zheng Yi Road, a street that at the time of the Legations was the Canal running south from the Imperial City to the so-called Water Gate of the Outer Wall of the Ming Dynasty.
A former Colonial building formerly belonging to the Yokohama Specie Bank stands on the corner of Zheng Yi Lu and East Legation Street.
Go explore Zheng Yi Lu and try to find the exact spot where the former bridge across the Canal was located.
One of Beijing's Central Cities' EMS Offices is located at the corner of Qianmen
Up North along Zheng Yi Lu's Northern Section are more Legations Remnants among which the Main Gate of the former Japanese Embassy. This gate leads into the highly secretive compound of the Beijing Public Security Bureau and is richly decorated in communist style as well as heavily guarded.
The entire compound is lined by a high wall with continous
tv-camera
surveilance.
Entrance to the former Yokohama Specie Bank at 4a Zhengyi Lu of the Legations Quarter.
A view to the East along Legations Street from the Bank and corner of Zheng Yi Lu.
foreign diplomatic corps began to build legations along DongJiaoMin Lane. Soon the new name adopted for the street would be Legations Street.
After the so-called Boxer War and the fall of the City to armies from no less than 8 foreign countries Foreign and Chinese high officials negotiated for 9
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months in the various Legations of Dongjiaomin Lane until the Qing government was forced to sign the humiliating Treaty of 1901 on Sept. 7, 1901.
From the Zheng Yi Lu intersection continue West towards to find the Beijing Police Museum, the former Hong Kong Bank, the remaining walls of the former Dutch Legation and end at TiananMen Square.
Search KLM for available Tickets and Booking - in cooperation with www.drben.net.
Former French Post Office at East Legations Street
The Former French Post Office is located at number 19 and is currently in service as the popular local Sichuanese Restaurant JingYuan.
West of the Capital Hotel Main Tower and more particularly of its rear exit road stood the Kierulfs Store.The Kierulf's Store was a Danish Establishment of
Rue Marco Polo or "Customs Street" at the Beijing Legations
As mentioned above, the Rue Marco Polo at the time was also known as "Customs Street" after the Customs Office that stood North up this Street untill 1900 AD.
Today the street is named TaiJiChang Dajie'.
Follow TaiJiChang Dajie' up North to head towards Wanfujing Street, the Main Shopping Bonanza of Beijing today (although Malls are everywhere in Beijing Nowadays).
Along the Route North one gets more views of the Buildings of the Former French Legation on the corner of former Rue Marco Polo.
Next is the not-much-advertized Central Party Office of the Beijing Communist Party of China Branch. As you may have expected by now here the Gate is once more Guarded and Photography is expressely forbidden. Rue Hart is across.
If you are lucky however you may catch a glimpse of a protester in front of the Party Building. This is also discouraged.
Jardine Matheson Co. at the Beijing Legations
The site across and South of the Former French Legations was formerly location of the large Headquarters of the capitalist giant International British Firm Jardine Matheson & Co headed by D.G.M Bernard.
In the 19Th Century the Jardine Matheson Company was an opium trader and its founder, William Jardine, one of the driving forces behind the commercial opening of Hong Kong, Macau and later other so-called Treaty Ports. Its founder William Jardine was a no-nonsense no-remorse business type. Although the company soon withdrew from the Opium
St.Michaels - French Legation Cathlic Church
Next up on the West across the intersection with former Marco Polo Road, stands St.Michaels Church. This Church was the former Church of the French Legation, at first known as the Pehtang Cathedral. In early history, the location had been granted by the Kangxi Emperor of the Ching Dynasty to the Jesuits at his court, and had been in the hand of the Jesuit Order for years. When the jesuits were disbanded the site remained the location of a christian church.
At the Times of the Legations, the DongjiaoMin Catholic Church was part of the French Legation and the Roman Catholic Headquarters in Beijing. Although Pere Favier, the French
Trade because it became less profitable after legalization and its 2nd partner, Donald Matheson had severe moral objections, during the 20Th Century and the Time of the Legations its international operations had expanded into shipping, railways, manifacturing and property and real estate. Jardine Matheson had started with the smuggle and later trade on Hong Kong, but would expand to have offices in every major Treaty Port, its interest extending to well within the Chinese hinterland. The Old Section of Shanghai even has its own Keswick Road. The Road in Shanghai is named after William Keswick, the Chairman S.M.C. 1865/6 of Jardine Matheson and Co. Ltd.
Through its activities Jardine Matheson was one of the driving forces behind the opening up of China, and its later
Security Camera watching the Wall of the Former French Legation compound at Former East Legation Street.
A view West from St.Michaels Church corner. The Main Tower of the Capital looms high over East Legation Street in the background.
China Report - Historic Map - China (Qing) Empire in 1910 AD
An non-Chinese but western-made Map of the Ching Dynasty Chinese Empire in the year 1910 AD. In this Map of 1910 AD Ching Dynasty China is depicted as in its smallest boundaries and definition. Most notably Manchuria, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, all 3 huge territories nominally under Chinese Control and under Chinese Sovereignty
are depicted as separate area's. The Map includes locations of most so-called "Treaty Ports", the internationall opened Chinese Harbors under Foreign Control as well as the borders of the British-Indian Territories, Russian and Japanese Empire and the French Colony of Annam.
The Pastor of St.Michaels Church bidding goodbeyes to a Church Member at DongjiaoMin Alley.
The Wall surrounding the former Belgian Legation and the wooden signboard procaliming the historic significance of this spot.
cultivation as a market and receiver of western produced goods and services.
The Company was an instrument of British Colonialism and nothing less.
The company is still internationally active and powerful today. Among things it has since long been the owner of Jardine Fleming Merchants Bank. Jardine Fleming is one of those old names that just keeps re-appearing, just like HSBC, the Hong Kong Bank of Today.
HSBC also had a branch in the Legations Quarter, however in the 1980's remnants of this building in the Legations were destroyed during construction of the Capital Hotel.
View of the North and Rear Gate of Zhijin Guesthouse,the former Belgian Legation.
Roman Catholic Bishop of Peking asked the French Foreign Minister for guards to be sent to protect the Cathedral in events leading up to the Boxer War in Beijing, it was destroyed during the Boxer War and the battle for the Legation Quarter and the City of Beijing, but was reconstructed in the immediate aftermath (Read More in the 3 Page Article + photos!).
According to many internet sources the site across from and to the south of St.Michaels Church is the location of the former Belgian Legation, which neighboring the French and Italian Legations would make sense. However, this is not historically proven. Earlier it was the site of the residential palace of Prince Su (Hsu T'Ung).
The Wall and European Style features continue Eastward from Zhijin Guesthouse.
The Route further down former East Legation Street leads to ChongwenMen Nei Dajie' (the road north of Former ChongwenMen Gate), where just to the North the last remnant of the Legations Quarter can be found at DongDan Park. That is, although Dongdan Park was created as part of the new architecture of Beijing in 1955 AD, parts of its grounds occupy the site of the former German Hospital in the Beijing Legations.
As a reminder of the early functions of this area today, the Beijing Hospital stands due West of DongDan Park, whereas the TongRen Hospital stands South of it at the end of this street.
A local citizen leaving the housing estates that lie along the North rim of eastern east Legations Street
(Dong JiaoMin Alley). This is the former location of the Italian Legation in Beijing, which was raised to the ground during the intense fighting of the summer of 1900 AD. Among things, the Chinese bombarded the Legation Quarter with cannon from the City Wall to the South.
View of East Legations Street towards ChongwenMen Nei(=North) Dajie'.
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Former Spanish Legation in Beijing
Just East of the corner and Minsheng Bank stands the Beijing Dongjiaomin Xiang(=Alley) Hotel at number 23. Much of the ancient dividing lines between Legations compounds are repeated here as this is exactly the site of the
Satellite Image Map of Chongwen District and the southern-most part of DongCheng District, clearly showing the extend of West- and East-Legations Street and the Legation Quarter of Beijing.
Dongjiaomin Xiang No.23 is the address of the former Spanish Legation !
some grandeur. Due East of Kierulf's stands the Capital Hotel, partially occupying the grounds of the former Hong Kong (and Shanghai Trading) Bank and partially occupying the grounds of the Former German Legation of Beijing.
The Main Tower of the Capital with its Northern Facade built to stand right along Dongjiaomin Xiang
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former Spanish Legation in Beijing. Its back reached the Japanese Legation Walls. Not more is known on the Spanish Legation,
Across from No.23 is the former location of the Kierulfs Store. The corner of which currently is marked by the green sign of a muslim restaurant.
, occupies the exact spot of the former Hong Kong Bank Branch on this Street in the Legations Quarter 0f 1900 AD.
Beyond the Post Office, to the East lie the Mansions and buildings of the Former French Legation proper.
Todays buildings and Mansions are not the historic ones but have been constructed after the 1900 AD War.
instrument of British Colonial Interests in China. Surprisingly the Hong Kong Bank and the Peking Hotel were the only buildings left undamaged in the British and American Legations after the War, enabling the Bank to continue operations forthwith.
Among the first financial and contradictory consequences of the post-Boxer period was Sir Robert Hart's successful arrangement with the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation of a loan of Ts 10,000 (Silver Taels) a month for the chief Chinese negotiator, Prince Ch'ing [I-K'uang],an obvious bribe.
Former Hong Kong Bank at the Beijing Legations
The Hong Kong Bank was an
of Beijing, which are still a regular (spring) Fenomenon.
Hillier lived in China for a long time but needles to say, after turning blind, Hillier left his Beijing post and returned home to Europe and alledgedly a heathier climate. What became of him thereafter is unknown.
Prince Xu Tong was an important person who was part of the Royal Family. Xu played a leading Role against the Foreigners in the Uprising.
