Changpu Canal Park

In front of you runs the Chāngpú canal, named after the sweet flag reeds that grew on its banks. Few of the people passing along Chang'an avenue know that, a few steps away, there is this corner of willows and still water.

1A palace river

The canal was part of the Imperial City's water system. It was also called the “Outer Golden Water River”, because it continues the stream that flows under the bridges of Tiananmen. Water from the imperial lakes drained eastwards along it. Look at the red wall: it is one of the surviving stretches of the Imperial City wall, which enclosed the palaces, temples and storehouses of the court.

2Half a century underground

In the 1950s the canal was covered over and turned into a drain. Warehouses and housing were built on top. At the start of this century it was dug out again, its banks were restored and in 2002 it opened as a park.

As you leave the park, on Nanchizi street, you will see the gate of the Huangshicheng, the imperial archive, built from 1534 almost without timber to protect it from fire.

Inside, in camphor-wood chests clad in gilded copper, were kept the annals of each reign and the genealogy of the imperial family. It is one of the oldest archives in China still housed in its original building. Walking north up Nanchizi, you are on a street that existed only to serve the palace.

3What to look for

• The red wall of the old Imperial City.
• The white stone bridges across the canal.
• The Huangshicheng gate on Nanchizi street, with the plaque 皇史宬.