Seeing as it’s the capital of China, one would expect Beijing to be connected to the rest of the country’s vast rail network; its upwards of six railway stations and counting sending passengers as near as Tianjin and as far away as Qinghai. And it’s always been this way – at least in the modern era.
Beijing’s old rail lines dating from the Qing era can still be found throughout the city, with a number of monuments – most of them parks – highlighting their former presence for all to know and learn about. Be it passenger rail or freight or even the city’s subway network.
Here are a few spots worth checking out.
Ming City Wall Ruins Park
This park, which features a massive section of Beijing’s former city wall connected to a corner guard tower otherwise known as the Fox Tower, is also a relic of the city’s connection to rails from a bygone era.
This takes the shape of an archway that, while it looks new, was actually carved out of the wall in the 1900s (pictured above) to make way for a rail connection to Zhengyangmen East Station; plus an old signal station and placards denoting the old railway. While trains used to connect to the station to the north of the wall, trains can now be seen going to and from Beijing Station, passing the south of the wall.
Ming City Wall Relics Park 明城墙遗址公园
9 Changwenmen Dajie, Dongcheng District
东城区崇文门大街9号
Hours: Tues-Sun, 8.30am-7pm
Contact: 010 6527 0574; 010 6527 0080
Entry: RMB 10 (to climb wall)
Jingmen Railway Park
This park, which lies to the west of Ciensi Bridge in between the 3rd and 4th Ring Roads in Haidian, features a black steam locomotive with a passenger car entering an open air “station”, a monument to the old Wulu Station, which used to connect to the Jingmen Railway.
Decommissioned in the 1970s, the Jingmen Railway was built in 1906 as an auxiliary line of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway, running from Xizhimen to Mentougou in the city’s west. This newer park is just one park celebrating the old line, as we’ll see below.
Jingmen Railway Park 京门铁路主题公园
South side of Kunyufu Community, Haidian District
海淀区琨御府小区南侧
Jingmen Railway Relics Park
This second park dedicated to the Jingmen Railway lies further west out in Mentougou district. While it’s a bit more laid back than its eastern counterpart, there’s an old locomotive to be found, tracks, and the modern day China Railways logo and train carving scattered throughout the park and the nearby Great Wall Park.
Jingmen Railway Relics Park 京门铁路遗址公园
Northwest corner, Intersection of Chengzi Jie and Jiulong Lu, Mengtougou District
门头沟区城子大街与九龙路交叉口西北角（近城子职高车站）
Hours: 24 Hours
China Railway Museum,
Dongjiao Branch
First established as a temporary exhibition as part of the country’s 10-year anniversary celebrations, the Dongjiao Exhibition Hall branch of the China Railway Museum became a permanent fixture in 2002, when it opened to the public with its current moniker.
Today the museum’s massive hall is home to engines and locomotives from different eras of China’s rail history – from old steam engines to more recent electric models – you can read more about it here.
China Railway Museum, Dongjiao Exhibition Hall 中国铁道博物馆，东郊展馆
4 Nanchun Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区南春路4号院
Hours: Tue-Sun, 9am-4.30pm
Contact: 010 6438 1517
751·798 Train Street
Situated within the recently established 751·798 Community – formerly known as 798 Arts District – the 751·798 Train Street occupies a former loading area that was part of the 751D Factory. For a long time, the street was home to a steam locomotive, diesels, and a number of passenger cars left out in the open, but now its many cars have been redesigned and repurposed as art galleries, food joints, and even the newest location of NBeer Pub.
798·751 Community Train Street 798·751火车街区
4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Inside 798·751 Community, Chaoyang District
朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798·751园区里面
Hours: 24 hours (shops have different hours)
Contact: 010 5978 9114
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