Zhongguancun has become synonymous with its electronics markets and offices that house high-tech electronics companies. The station is decorated with integrated circuit board to emphasize its claim to fame. Before it became “China’s Silicon Valley,” Zhongguancun was a scenic area that boasted clear lakes and a view of the mountainsStarting in Ming, powerful court eunuchs, drawn by the area’s beauiful landscape, began buying graveyard plots there for themselves. It eventually became a retirement village for old eunuchs who had left the Forbidden City and were supported by rich eunuchs still serving in the palace. Since the eunuch was also called “zhongguan” besides the more common name “taijian,” the area was named Zhongguan During the Republic of China period (1912–1949), Tsinghua and Peking University, formerly called Yaning University, were built a stone’s throw away from Zhongguancun. After the People’s Republic was founded in 1949, the government desiated the area around Zhongguancun as a culture and education district, after which a construction boom of universities and educational institutions took place.
Imperial garden at former Beijing Zoo
Visitors to the Beijing Zoo might be surprised to discover ancient buildings inside the modern compound. The place used to be an imperial garden in the Ming Dynasty.
It received a facelift during Emperor Qianlong’s reign, and later the ruler gave it to a court official to serve as his private garden. In 1919, it was turned ito a public park, and in 1955, into a zoo.
