Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall

Don't be fooled by the name. It is worth going.

北京市规划展览馆 is located near 前门 (QianMen) on the east side (前门东大街). It is a modern, 4-story building that exhibits the history and future plan of the city. There is a big room that is the miniturized city within the 4th ring road, consist of building models, color lights, and landsat photos. You can walk around feeling like gozila, or any one of the monsters from SimCity. Bur most importantly, you can see all the major structures for the Olympic 2008: the main stadium, the swimming hall, etc. I located both ERI and where I live. Very fun.

For new visitors, the 4th floor theater gives you a 17-minute 3D movie that animates all 3500 years of the city's history. There are also exhibitions on the nuances of the courtyard dwelling, the epitome of Beijing traditional buildings.

Leave your bag at the door and bring in the camera.