QIANMEN GATE HAUNTED HOTEL – BEIJING – GRADE B+

Nestled near the entrance to the Hutongs (alleyways) near Qianmen Gate, the entrance to the famous Tienanmen Square, lies this haunted hotel. Upon asking locals about the hotel, they said that it used to be the residence of a Nationalist leader before the revolution in the nineteen-forties, but after the revolution it was abandoned and then later turned into a cheap hotel.

Unlike much of the surrounding area which has been demolished and gentrified to give Beijing’s history a more polished look, this building exerts power and more than a little menace over its small corner. The architecture of the building crosses western and Chinese styles which was very typical of the period. On the outside it looks like a western orphanage, but on the inside it is one hundred percent Chinese.

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Going in you can hear every door in the whole place creaking in the wind. Entering into the hotel rooms you get a strong sense that these rooms have seen a lot of visitors and that some of them might never have left. It has three floors, and there is possibly a cellar which might connect to the underground city, but this is still yet to be found.

   

This is an easy place to get into, but beware the balconies as they are very rickety and could collapse at any time adding you to the list of guests who never check out,

      

   

BEIJING SPACE & SCIENCE MUSEUM – BEIJING – GRADE B-

Just a stone’s throw from The World Trade Towers in Beijing is the derelict site of Beijing Space and Science Museum. Along with the Planetarium and the The Natural History Museum nearby in the compound, all of these buildings are due for demolition soon. The Space Museum has recently been abandoned by the security guards which makes entering much easier than before.

The museum is spread over nine floors, and the sixth floor opens out onto this awesome roof area affording some great views of the local area. The central roof is made of glass panels which from the atrium below looks magnificent. Unfortunately most of the building has been gutted, but there are a few exhibits remaining in a few hidden corners. It is also very easy to get lost in the maze-like basement, but there are some great rooms to be found.

Like a lot of buildings in Beijing, it was built in the run-up to the Olympics and then just abandoned after the finish of the games. This is a relatively easy place to get into, and there is a lot to see, which is why this earns itself a hearty B-.

FLOATING DRAGON LAKE AMUSEMENT PARK – BEIJING – GRADE B+

Beijing Amusement Park based around the Floating Dragon Lake used to be the premier theme park in Beijing attracting 2.4 million visitors a year. It was famous for its roller coasters, 4D cinema, and the biggest Ferris Wheel in the capital. Now all that remains is the Ferris Wheel which dominates the landscape, and the ruined remains of the aquarium. The site is sealed off from the public, but a quick hop leap and jump make it pretty easy to enter.

The site is connected by a series of bridges between each of the islands, and while most of them are padlocked, you can just jump into the dried out lake bed and run to the islands. The aquarium and the horror house are easy to get into, but not much remains, but the Ferris Wheel is safely contained behind a metal fence. It slowly turns creaking in the wind. Even at night this is an easy exploration which makes it an easy B+.

GREAT MALL OF CHINA – GRADE A-

On the smoggy outskirts of Beijing, far beyond where the subway line finally ends, and the dust dunes roll over the border into Hebei Province, right there on the border, that is where you will find the Great Mall of China. Construction started five/six years ago when the small border town Yanjiao was slated to become the next border boom town. This led to a run on house building and general craziness in the area. Years later, these dreams never came true, and the town, like the Great Mall of China, is deserted.

Getting into the mall is quite simple: find the tunnel under the nearby hospital: emerge and find the pipe under the bullet train railway, jump over the fence and you’re in.While there is security, and by the sound of it heavy work going on, the place is virtually empty, and the two guys on the roof didn’t even pay any attention to me. The smog and dust in the air make a mask necessary on this trip.

Grade A- (would have been more if I could have gotten further in)

   

BEIJING OLYMPIC GHOST TOWN – GRADE B+

 

 

 

Located in the green leafy area of Olympic Park in northwest Beijing, this beautiful ghost village was originally built to house the athletes and some of the staff for the Olympic Games back in 2008. Unfortunately, half way through the construction, enough athletes said that the air quality in central Beijing was so poor, that they would stay outside the city. As a result, this place has been left to rot.

There are a couple of security guards on the main gate, but people always manage to hop over the fence at the back for a quick peek. Be careful entering the houses though. Twice I have fallen through the poorly constructed concrete floors into the flooded basements beneath. This is just such a perfect slice of eeriness urbexers should make this site a priority.

If you want to come and join me for this or any other site, please just send me a message on burbex@outlook.com  and we can arrange a time to meet up.

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The huge club house in the middle of the complex features a large empty swimmiN pool and a myriad of dark karaoke rooms.

SUNSHINE PARK – GRADE B+

This is really an unusual site for Beijing as it is in Central Beijing, and is close to the ever-popular Ikea. Called Sunshine Park, it used to have a a large carnival tent in the park which has long since rotted and fallen down. Most of the site apart from the multi-storey carpark has become overgrown. The carpark itself goes down one floor underground, where it has filled up with rain water and gives some incredible effects when the sunlight comes streaming through the holes at around midday. A word of warning however…

The site is relatively safe as long as you don’t fall off the sides of the carpark. Be careful of the junkie who lives in a tent beneath the ramp of the basement floor. He came out of his tent clothed only in his dirty undies, and then started to bounce and scream like a monkey. After that he charged at me. I ran like the wind. I didn’t see him the second time I went. Definitely worth a visit to this beautiful site.

Solana Hotel Chaoyang – Grade B+

      

Construction on the Solana Hotel was abandoned a few years ago. With its unique architectural styling including spiral staircases, and empty swimming pool, numerous towers, and best of all the secret tunnels that run under the basmement, Solana is a joy to explore and you will need at least a whole afternoon.

Maybe the best part about Solana is listening to the shoppers on the other side of the wall randomly buying stuff in the luxury mall. Also fun is spying on the resident security guard who spends most of his time asleep.

This is a solid Grade B+ site for Urbex.

Remember, if you or your friends would like to come Urbexing with me just send me a message, and we can set up a time to meet.

WARNING – This is an dangerous site, there is high risk of flooding on rainy days.

URBEX – BEIJING CAPITAL STEEL – Grade A+

Beijing Steel Works is a rare beast in the Urbex world. Not only is the site in an almost vacuum state where it feels like all the workers just put down their tools one day and left, but also the site is huge with more rust and corrupted cranes, pulleys, and conveyor belts that you could see in a week. This is definitely a Grade A site for Urbex.

Remember, if you or your friends would like to come Urbexing with me just send me a message, and we can set up a time to meet.

WARNING – This is an extremely dangerous site. Be careful for falling objects.