thumb|right|Beijing Hotel, Block D, built in 1974

thumb|right|Beijing Hotel NUO, Block B of the Beijing Hotel, built in 1917

thumb|right|Block C, now the Grand Hotel Beijing, built in 1954

The Beijing Hotel () is a five-star state-owned hotel complex in the Dongcheng District of Beijing, China. It is located at the southern end of Wangfujing Street, at the corner with East Chang'an Avenue, 1.5 km from Beijing railway station with views of the Forbidden City and part of Tiananmen Square.

Overview

The first wing of the Grand Hôtel de Pékin,<!--Chinese name from https://jlis.lis.ntu.edu.tw:443/files/journal/j37-6.pdf , which is the same as the current Chinese name--> a five-story red brick structure, was completed in 1915. A second wing, today known as Block B, was completed in 1917, making the hotel one of the oldest in Beijing. In 1933 Zhang Jingyao was shot in the building by an assassin. Following the July 7 incident in 1937, the hotel was taken over by Japanese forces and later by the Kuomintang government. Later, the banquet hall served guests such as Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai at the inauguration of the People's Republic. Block C, on the left, is today the Grand Hotel Beijing. The towering Block D, on the right, is today the only remaining wing to use the name Beijing Hotel.

The hotel usually caters to foreigners and wealthy domestic guests, providing restaurants and bars in a Western and Asian style. Various members of state have stayed there, including Richard Nixon, U Nu, Nikita Khrushchev, Ho Chi Minh and Sun Yat-sen. The hotel has been awarded the Five Star Diamond Award for consecutive years. During the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics, the hotel served as the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee.

Significance

Many foreign journalists were based in the hotel during the spring of 1989. This was the site where Associated Press photographer Jeff Widener took the famous "Tank Man or Unknown Rebel" picture during the Tiananmen Square protests. According to journalist Zhang Boli, the last meetings between the students and government took place at the hotel on May 30, 1989, where no agreement was reached.

See also

  • List of hotels in Beijing

<gallery caption="Beijing Hotel">

Image:BEIJING HOTEL.JPG|Beijing Hotel, Block D

Image:THE RAFFLES BEIJING HOTEL CHINA OCT 2012 (8802085047).jpg|Beijing Hotel NUO, Block B

Image:北京飯店 旧華北交通本社ビル棟.jpg|Beijing Hotel NUO, Block B

</gallery>

References

  • Beijing Hotel official website
  • Beijing Hotel NUO official website
  • Grand Hotel Beijing official website