European-inspired architecture

Best for atmosphere

Site of Duan Qirui's government

Who built it? The premier of the Republic of China, Duan Qirui, ordered the construction of a complex for his government in the early 20th century. It stands today as an excellent example of classical Republican architecture.

Why it's important Just as the appearance of President Duan's building reflected a veneer of Western architectural style, so too did his government adopt a thin varnish of 'constitutionalism'. He was called 'Mr Democracy' on account of his resistance to a Qing Dynasty restoration, but the nickname soon became one of derision. In subsequent years, the site of Duan Qirui's government became the residence of Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist troops until the Japanese chased them away. In 1945, the Nationalist army reclaimed this site until General Fu Zouyi surrendered the city to the People's Liberation Army.  Although ripe for renovation, an ownership dispute has left the buildings in disrepair today, and, despite being declared a cultural relic in 1996, it looks set to stay that way for the time being. These days, it is used as a downtown campus for Renmin University.

3 Zhangzizhong Lu (next to Yugong Yishan), Dongcheng district. 东城区张自忠路3号(愚公移山东南侧)

Best for history

Old Summer Palace

Who built it? The 'Western Palaces' are a legacy of China's Jesuit tradition. The Qian Long Emperor commissioned Giuseppe Castiglione – a painter and architect who arrived in Beijing in 1715, and spent his life serving the Qing Court – to design them in 1747.

Why they're important The final result was something of a reverse image of European chinoiserie, a fanciful interpretation of the palaces at Versailles with Chinese touches. But Castiglione was slammed by patriotic officials who despised such foreign outlandishness. Alas, this synthesis of East and West fell to the philistine destruction carried out by the Anglo- French armies that occupied Beijing in 1860, and today it lies in ruins.