Beijing Ancient Observatory — Attraction in Beijing

The Beijing Ancient Observatory, on the UNESCO Tentative List, is located on the top of a fort-like building at Jianguo Gate. It is one of the oldest observatories in the world. It used to be a part of the city wall once surrounding Beijing.

Although there were no telescopes at this observatory, there were many sophisticated instruments for taking astronomical measurements, introduced in the 17th century from Western Europe.

Here are eight bronze instruments constructed in the Qing dynasty. Six of them were built by the Flemish Jesuit Ferdinand Verbiest (1623–88) in 1669. The first was constructed by the Portuguese Jesuit Kilian Stumpf (1655–1720) between 1713 and 1715, while the maker of the latter is not clear.

The seven instruments made by the two Jesuits are based on Tycho Brahe’s design but with Chinese decorations, while the last one belongs to the Chinese tradition but with a European system of graduation and sighting. Overall, the observatory is now the only example in the world that is equipped with Tychonic...

It's directly accessible from exit C of the Jianguomen metro station on line 1 or 2. The observatory houses the old astronomical equipment. The information sign is sparse on details. On clear days, this is a nice viewing area. There are 3 exhibition halls on the ground level have details on ancient time keeping instruments and constellation recordings. Only an hour is needed...

Great piece of history! I learned a lot from this place! The artifacts are very well-kept. Right behind the subway station! However, the staff seem very bored, as they are always doing other things, like making clay structures. This area is also in the rather poor district of Beijing. The opening times are also a bit...