Tongzhou Travel Guide
Brief Intro: Tongzhou is the doorway connecting Beijing with North and Northeast China. It is also an important agricultural base of Beijing.
Location: Southeast of Beijing at the north end of the Grand Canal of China, neighboring Chaoyang, Daxing and Shunyi District.
Geography: alluvial plain
Area: 912 sq km (352 sq mi)
Population: 629,000
Administrative Division: 4 Municipal Street (Zhongcang, Xinhua, Beiyuan, Yuqiao), 10 Towns (Yongshun, Liyuan, Songzhuang, Zhangjiawan, Huoxian, Majuqiao, Xiji, Taihu, Yongledian, Lucheng), 1 Hui Ethnic Minority Group Town (Yujiawu)
Postal Code: 101149
Dialing Code: 010
Local Highlights: the Grand Canal of China
Local Products: Three treasures including Fried Catfish of the Xiaolou Restaurant, Sweetened Baked Wheaten Cake of Dashunzhai Restaurant, Fermented Beancurd
Attractions
Museum: Tongzhou Museum
Historical Sites: Great Wall of North Qi Dynasty (550-577), Imperial Tongzhou Stone Tablet, Yongtong Bridge, Tongyun Bridge, Tongzhou Mosque, Randeng Pagoda, Yingpan Ancient Barrack
Modern Scenic Spot: Universal Studios Beijing
Covering about 167,438 sq yd, Xihaizi Park has a good location with a cinema in the east, a swimming pool in the west, Tongzhou Hotel in the south and Tonghui River in the north. The symbolization of the ancient Tongzhou, the Dagoba of Buddha Dipamkara with over 1,300-year history, lies in the northeast of the park. And in the northwest is Li Zhuowu’s tomb. Li Zhuowu is a famous ideologist in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) when he was good at putting forward his own thought to reveal the hypocrisy of Taoism, even to attack the ideology of Confucius and Mencius. The cultural sites and ancient building hidden in the green mountain and waters as well as the numerous trees and flowers present a harmonious landscape.
The Museum, originally built in 1992, lies in the center of this district. The regular exhibitions of the museum are the Development, the Warring Periods and the Present. A large number of materials here show Tongzhou’s thousand-year civilization. Among them, 164 valuable cultural relics, telling the history of this district, are displayed in the museum. The most attractive spots should be the museum’s construction style and delicate decorations: stone columns with various dragons carved on them, colored paintings, elegant gardens etc.
Yongtong Bridge is 50 meters (about 164 ft) long and 16 meters (about 52.5 ft) wide. With stone railings on both sides, the bridge has many lion carvings of different shapes and expression. In 1860, as the English and French army invaded Beijing from Tianjin, it’s on the bridge that the brave Chinese people fought against them.
As one of the four famous Mosques in Beijing, Tongzhou Mosque was originally constructed in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and restored during the reign of Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty. The main worshipping hall still exists divided into male worship hall and female worship hall.
Tips
Useful Numbers
Tourist Information & Complaints: 010-69515193
Consumer Complaints: 010-69543560
Price Information Hotline: 12358