Beijing/Xicheng



Xicheng District (西城区 Xīchéng Qū) is a district in central Beijing. Visitors come here for the Houhai area to join the bar and restaurant cluster by the lake or to explore the remains of the wealthier part of historical Beijing nearby. They also come for shopping in the large shopping area in Xidan. The district includes Beijing Zoo, Beihai Park and the impressive National Centre for the Performing Arts.

Understand
Xicheng means West City. It is the political centre of Beijing. It houses several political institutions including ministries and residential areas for the top officers of the communist party.

Xicheng is covering the northwestern part of the central city area west of the Forbidden City until just beyond ring road two.

Xicheng covers an area of 32 km², bordering Dongcheng to the east, Chaoyang to the north, Haidian to the north and west, and Xuanwu to the south. The area has a population of around 0.7 million.

Xuanwu (宣武区 Xuānwǔ Qū) is a district that has been merged into Xicheng, covering the southern part of Xicheng. It is home to above half a million people. The district is located outside the Imperial Inner City and was predominantly reserved for the lower class. The District has been undergoing rapid changes with many ancient Hutong being wiped away.

Get in
From the airport you can get into the district by the Airport Express Subway to Dongzhimen, and then change to line 2 in either direction.

From Beijing Railway Station you can get into the district by a short subway ride on line 2. From Beijing West Station you take subway 9 to the 1 or 6.

Xicheng is well served by subway lines 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, and 13.

Temples




Theaters
Xicheng District is home to some of the best Beijing Opera theaters, especially the first three mentioned below.



Concert halls




Xidan
This area has several large malls as well as streets lined with shops. Get off at Xidan subway. You can find all kind of goods here, but clothing shops are dominating. In many of the places you will have to bargaining, and will also be able to find some quite cheap stuff. It is more popular with locals than Wangfujing as it is cheaper and less focused on international brands. Very busy on weekends.



Other places
The district has a number of interesting shopping areas, especially on and just west of Qianmen Dajie. If you are into historical shops and shopping areas, it is worthwhile devoting half a day to shopping here.



Eat
In the area west of Qianmen Dajie are numerous budget and mid range restaurants. Many of these are primarily catering for tourist implying lower quality than elsewhere but also that many have English menus.

Houhai
Houhai (后海; Hòuhǎi) is a man-made lake surrounded by restaurants and bars. It was one of the trendiest places in town in the 2000s, but has been surpassed by other bar clusters. The busy bar area is centered around a small bridge that serves as the crossing point of Houhai (eastern end) and Qianhai. The neon lights, music, and shoreline create a lively ambience. However, bars here tend to be similar karaoke lounges. There are also a few nearly deserted bars at the western end of Xihai, the lake to the west of Houhai.