Having my dad in town once again (he comes roughly four times a year for work) presents a big challenge to find a tourist site that he hasn't already visited. Low and behold, after a perusal of Beijing's lesser-known sights, we headed out to the Beijing Planning Exhibition Center, located just south of Qianmen in a huge four-story building, hoping to discover something new and unusual to add to our now well-trodden itinerary.
To be honest, even given the riveting name, we had higher expectations for the center and were a little disappointed by what was on offer. However, if we are able to lower your undoubtedly towering hopes of what such an attraction may offer, the Beijing Planning Exhibition Center is worth a visit, especially if you're already near Qianmen and don't have any time constraints. Do not, however, plan to visit this instead of the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square itself, or the Mao Zedong Mausoleum.
As such, we suggest that you close your eyes on the first and second floor, and skip ahead to the third floor as quick as possible. This way you also won't have to face the fact that you are the only visitor in the building. If you do find yourself on the second floor, there are some interesting pictures of the city laid out in a hedge-maze type thing (see above).
On the third floor, you'll find a huge miniature model of the city, from CBD to Sanlitun to the hutongs and the Olympic Park. It's pretty cool to find your own house. From above, Tuanjiehu Park looks like one huge swimming pool complex and villa retreat. Oh how we wish.
We spent a good hour here walking around finding my house, my office, and all other landmarks, and it was pretty cool.
Another highlight was the bathroom: a clean Western-style toilet that overlooks Qianmen. Have you ever peed while looking at Qianmen? Well, neither had I, until this weekend, and if that's not something worth popping in for then what is?
The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, between 9am-5pm, with last entry at 4pm. Entry is RMB 30 per adult.
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Photos: Margaux Schreurs