It's really just a shopping street - visit the hutongs either side for some more unique shopping experiences. More

Forget T Square, there's nowt there. Just walk out southwards to see this fine old gate and the excellent pedestrianised shopping streets behind it containing a heady mix of old and (low-rise) new More

When I was researching my trip for china, the only thing I learned about Qianmen was in passing reference. I was so glad that my guide decided to include Qianmen on the way to the Forbidden City. Qianmen main street is like Wangfujing. Pedestrian only. But while Wangfujing is downright busy, Qianmen is not. There are a lot of shops... More

This part of Qianmen went under a restoration process for the Olympics so it makes it very tourist friendly. They have kept the Qing dynasty appeal as well as making Qianmen Dajie a pedestrian shopping street with no traffic. There are a variety of shops as well as places to eat. If you like walking it also joins onto Dazhalan... More

Sadly this area was gentrified to the point of being sterile. More

I never saw the old street but went to see the new refurbished example...stale, empty, sterile..boring More

The area is still rather a building site but the main street and parts of the adjoining routes are now open. The makeover has been controversial, and I personally still miss the hectic and somewhat chaotic former main street with its noise, traffic and bustle. The new version is very tame by comparison, but is cleaner and much more approachable... More

“Qian Men”, literally meaning “Front Gate”, is originally the name for the gate of the largest city tower immediately in front of the Forbidden City within the City of Beijing itself. Ever since its existence, the term “Qian Men” has come to represent the entire district immediately to the south of the Forbidden City, which is known as the Qian... More

Take the metro to the Qianmen station and start your day here. Walk north to Tiananmen Square and on to the Forbidden City. More