It was south along that route the emperors would be carried towards the Temple of Heaven for ritual ceremonies but it was also through the Jianlou passageway where officials and their families would emerge into the bustling areas of Qianmen and Dashilar, as commerce and entertainment were extremely scarce or non-existent within the palace or its surroundings.

From the cafe at Qianmen it was also possible for me to look across to the clock tower of the former Zhengyangmen Railway Station — the original “Beijing station” located just southeast of the massive gate. Operating between 1901 and 1959, it connected the city with coastal Tianjin and the northeast to Shenyang. The rail terminus helped generate commerce, and an elementary transport infrastructure centered around rickshaws and streetcars. There was even a suburban rail service around the city walls. Today, the station building is home to the China Railway Museum.