Beijing Ancient Observatory

Beijing Ancient Observatory is located on the southwest side of Jianguomen crossroad at Dongcheng District. It is a particular topic site museum of nature science displaying Chinese ancient astronomical equipment and astronomy. It has been reformed to Beijing Ancient Astronomical Equipment Exhibition Hall, which belongs to Beijing Astronomy Observatory and was officially opened in 1956.

Eight magnificent and excellent pieces of equipment made of bronze stand high and upright on the black brick platform. They are celestial body equipment, equator theodolite, ecliptic theodolite, horizon longitude equipment, quadrant equipment, Simple Phenomena equipment, horizon theodolite, and Jihenfuchen equipment made in Qing Dynasty.

Among the 10,000-square-meter facility's many fascinating old pre-telescopic instruments are a celestial globe dating from 1673 and an 18th-century armillary globe depicting the planets, along with several large bronze instruments designed by the Jesuit missionary Ferdinand Verbiest. Once part of the old city walls, this tall brick tower serves as a museum offering a glimpse into the surprising amount of knowledge of the stars and planets that existed at the time.

Address: 2 Dongbiaobei Hutong, Jian Wai Da Jie, Dongcheng, Beijing