History
Jianguomen was not one of the 16 original gates in Beijing's 15th century Ming-era city wall. The gate was an opening on the east side of Beijing's inner city wall that was created in 1939 during the Japanese occupation of the city to enable access to the industrializing eastern suburbs of the city. The gate was formally named the "Gate for Nation Building" in November 1945, after the Beiping, as the city was known, returned to Chinese rule.
The oldest landmark at Jianguomen is the famous Beijing Ancient Observatory. In the 1970s, numerous embassies of Western countries opened in the area northwest of Jianguomen. In 1973, the Beijing Friendship Store was moved from Wangfujing to Jianguomen Outer Street. The Jianguo Hotel, just east of Jianguomen, opened in 1982, was the first Sino-foreign hotel joint venture in Beijing.
The Gloria Plaza (4 stars) and Jingduyuan (3 stars) Hotels are located southeast of Jianguomen.
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