Xicheng District () is a district of

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. Its cover the western half of the old city (largely inside the

2nd Ring Road The 2nd Ring Road () is the innermost ring road highway which encircles the city center of Beijing, People's Republic of China. (The first ring road had been a circular tram route.) The ring road can be divided into two parts: the original rin ...

; the eastern half is Dongcheng District), and has 706,691 inhabitants (2000 Census). Its

postal code A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, included in a postal ...

is 100032. Xicheng is subdivided into 15 subdistricts of the city proper of Beijing. The former Xuanwu District was merged into Xicheng in July 2010. The

Xidan Xidan ( Chinese: 西单; Pinyin: Xīdān) is a major traditional commercial area in Beijing, China. It is located in the Xicheng District. The Xidan commercial district incorporates the Xidan Culture Square, North Xidan Street, as well as man ...

commercial district,

Beijing Financial Street Beijing Financial Street (BFS) () is where Chinese regulatory agencies are located. It is located inside Beijing's innermost 2nd Ring Road. According to the 13th 5 years plan, Beijing Financial Street will be positioned more towards a regulat ...

Beihai Park Beihai Park () is a public park and former imperial garden located in the northwestern part of the Imperial City, Beijing. First built in the 11th century, it is among the largest of all Chinese gardens and contains numerous historicall ...

Jingshan Park Jingshan Park is an imperial park covering immediately north of the Forbidden City in the Imperial City area of Beijing, China. The focal point is the artificial hill Jingshan (), literally "Prospect Hill". Formerly a private imperial garden a ...

, Shichahai, and

Zhongnanhai Zhongnanhai () is a former imperial garden in the Imperial City, Beijing, adjacent to the Forbidden City; it serves as the central headquarters for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the State Council (central government) of China. Zhongn ...

are all within its jurisdiction. The popular Houhai bar area is also in Xicheng Precinct. Before the 1911 Revolution, most royalty and aristocrats resided in the precinct. The oldest Catholic church in Beijing, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is located in Xicheng. XiCheng District - satellite image (1967-09-20)

XiCheng District - satellite image (1967-09-20)

Administrative divisions

There are 15 subdistricts in the district:

Economy

COSCO China Ocean Shipping Company, Limited, formerly China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company, commonly known for its abbreviated name COSCO Group, or simply, COSCO, is a former Chinese Government owned shipping and logistics services supplier compan ...

has its headquarters in the Ocean Plaza building in Xicheng. The

Xinhua News Agency Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...

has its headquarters in the Dacheng Plaza (大成大厦 ''Dàchéng Dàshà'') in Xicheng. In addition

Bank of China The Bank of China (BOC; ) is a Chinese majority state-owned commercial bank headquartered in Beijing and the fourth largest bank in the world. The Bank of China was founded in 1912 by the Republican government as China's central bank, repl ...

China Construction Bank China Construction Bank Corporation (CCB) is one of the "big four" banks in China. In 2015, CCB was the 2nd largest bank in the world by market capitalization and 6th largest company in the world. The bank has approximately 13,629 domestic branc ...

, the

State Grid Corporation of China The State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), commonly known as the State Grid, is a Chinese state-owned electric utility corporation. It is the largest utility company in the world, and as of 2022, the world's third largest company overall by re ...

China National Nuclear Corporation The China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC; ) is a state-owned enterprise founded in 1955 in Beijing. CNNC's president and vice-president are appointed by the Premier of the People's Republic of China. CNNC oversees all aspects of China's ci ...

, and Taikang Life Insurance also have their headquarters in Xicheng.

Government

The

Chinese Ministry of Education The Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China is a cabinet-level department under the State Council responsible for basic education, vocational education, higher education, and other educational affairs across the country. The Min ...

is headquartered in

, Xicheng District. The

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Repub ...

is headquartered in Xicheng District. The China Food and Drug Administration is headquartered in Xicheng District. The

Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council is an administrative agency of the State Council of the People's Republic of China responsible for promoting cooperation and coordination of political, economic and cultural ties betwe ...

headquarters is in Xicheng District. The Office of the

Government of the HKSAR The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the Executive (government), executive authorities of Hong Kong Special administrative regions of China, ...

in Beijing is in Xicheng District.

Important areas in Xicheng District

Imperial City In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...

* Shichahai * Drum Tower and Bell Tower * Prince Gong's Residence (Gongwang Fu) * Xinjiekou *

* Xisi *

Qianmen Qianmen () is the colloquial name for Zhengyangmen (; Manchu:; Möllendorff:tob šun-i duka, literally meaning "Gate of the Zenith Sun"), a gate in Beijing's historic city wall. The gate is situated to the south of Tiananmen Square and once gua ...

* Dashilar *

Liulichang Liulichang () is a district in downtown Beijing that is known for a series of traditional Chinese stone dwellings selling various craftwork, artistry, and antiques. It is one of Beijing's traditional old quarters. History The name ''Liulichang ...

(an ancient antiques market since Qing Dynasty) *

Beijing Zoo The Beijing Zoo is a zoological park in Xizhimen, Xicheng District, Beijing, the capital of the China. Founded in 1906 during the late Qing dynasty, it is the oldest zoo in china and oldest public park in northern China. The zoo is also a cent ...

* Fayuan Temple * Huguang Guild Hall *

Miaoying Temple The Miaoying Temple (), also known as the "White Stupa Temple" (), is a Chinese Buddhist temple on the north side of Fuchengmennei Street in the Xicheng District of Beijing. The temple was a monastery of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism and is ...

* Niujie Mosque

Transport

Metro

Xicheng is served by seven metro lines of the

Beijing Subway The Beijing Subway is the rapid transit system of Beijing Municipality that consists of 25 lines including 20 rapid transit lines, two airport rail links, one maglev line and 2 light rail lines, and 463 stations. The rail network extends ac ...

: * - Muxidi,

Nanlishilu Nanlishi Lu Station () is a station on Line 1 of the Beijing Subway. Station layout The station has an underground island platform An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single pl ...

, ,

, Tian'anmen West * - Guloudajie , Jishuitan,

Xizhimen Xizhimen () was a gate in the Beijing city wall and is now a transportation node in Beijing. The gate was the entrance of drinking water for the Emperor, coming from the Jade Spring Hills to the west of Beijing. The gate was demolished in 19 ...

, Chegongzhuang ,

Fuchengmen Fuchengmen (; Manchu:; Möllendorf:elgiyen i mutehe duka) was a gate on the western side of Beijing's city wall. The gate was torn down in the 1960s, and has been replaced by the Fuchengmen overpass on the 2nd Ring Road. Fuchengmen Station is a ...

, , Changchunjie, , Hepingmen * -

, , Ping'anli , Xisi, Lingjing Hutong,

, , Caishikou , Taoranting * - Chegongzhuang West, Chegongzhuang , Ping'anli , Beihai North * - Wanzi, Daguanying, Guang'anmennei, Caishikou , Hufangqiao * - , Guloudajie , , , * -

Suburban Railway

Xicheng is served by one commuter line operated by

Beijing Suburban Railway BCR (''Beijing City Rail'') also known as Beijing Suburban Railway is a commuter rail service that connects urban Beijing with outlying districts beyond the reach of the city's Beijing Subway network. The suburban rail services run on existin ...

(BCR). * -

Beijing North railway station Beijingbei (Beijing North) railway station (), formerly known as Xizhimen railway station (), is a railway station in Beijing. It was built in 1905 as one of the original stations on the Jingzhang railway (part of the old Beijing–Baotou railw ...

Education

Primary and secondary schools

The High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University The High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University (, BJSDFZ) is a high school affiliated with Beijing Normal University located in Xicheng District, Beijing. Founded in 1901 as China's first public high school, it is ranked among the most p ...

is in Xicheng; it was located in Xuanwu District before Xicheng absorbed Xuanwu.

Beijing No.4 High School Beijing No.4 High School (Chinese: ) is a public secondary school in Xicheng, Beijing, China. The school's predecessor was built in 1907 and was originally named "Shuntian Middle School." In 1949, it was renamed "Beijing No. 4 High School." In ...

is also in Xicheng District. One school in Niujie, the Beijing Xuanwu Huimin Elementary School (S: 北京市宣武回民小学, P: ''Běijīng Shì Xuānwǔ Huímín Xiǎoxué''), serves the

Hui people The Hui people ( zh, c=, p=Huízú, w=Hui2-tsu2, Xiao'erjing: , dng, Хуэйзў, ) are an East Asian ethnoreligious group predominantly composed of Chinese-speaking adherents of Islam. They are distributed throughout China, mainly in the ...

living in the area. It used to be in Xuanwu District. The Beijing Municipal Commission of Education (), the local education authority, used to be headquartered in Xicheng District.

Post-secondary schools

People's Public Security University of China People's Public Security University of China () is a university in Xicheng District, Beijing, China. It was founded in 1948 and is directly under the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China. The university specialises in ...

Central Conservatory of Music The Central Conservatory of Music () is a prestigious leading public music school of China and a member of Double First Class University Plan and former Project 211. Its campus is in the Xicheng District of Beijing, China, near Fuxingmen Stati ...

is based in Xicheng, near Fuxingmen and Changchunjie stations.

References

External links

Official website of Xicheng District Government

Includes 20 high quality photographs

Includes 20 high quality photographs {{authority control Districts of Beijing