There’s a lot to see along the Central Axis of Beijing – Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Drum & Bell Towers, and so much more. While it can be exhausting traveling that entire route in one day, there’s a much easier way to see the entire city of Beijing. Just head to the Beijing Planning & Exhibition Hall!

One of the coolest museums in the city.

This awesome museum has four floors full of exhibits and models detailing the urban planning of this massive metropolis. Take a look inside the Beijing Planning & Exhibition Hall in this short video:

“This is the Beijing Planning & Exhibition Hall. It’s an urban planning museum located right in the heart of the city and features a massive scale model of the entire metropolis. It covers 302 square meters and is made on a scale of 1:750. It’s a pretty amazing sight to behold.

Another exhibit is called Beijing – the World City. Here you can take a tour of the city’s important central axis, starting down in Qianmen. Move through Tiananmen Square and then into the Forbidden City. There are the Drum and Bell Towers, which mark the end of the historical central axis. There’s the modern side of the city, too, with a model of the Olympic Park.

This exhibit shows the cultural preservation of Old Beijing. While Beijing tries to hold on to its past, it also looks to the future, and specifically towards the skies. Check out the skyscrapers of the city’s Central Business District with this model.

There’s lots more to see and do here, including a pretty awesome flight simulator. You’ll also find some pretty psychedelic multimedia installations. Not the type of thing you might expect to see in a Chinese museum! Be sure to add the Planning & Exhibition Hall to your itinerary when you visit Beijing.”