Yongning, Beijing


Yongning is a town in the Yanqing District of Beijing. It is a small town in rural Beijing but has a long history as an economic and military center. A government initiative in the 2000s to rehabilitate the town has restored its architectural landmarks.
, it has one residential community and 36 villages under its administration.

History

During the Ming dynasty it was an important military town, serving as the eastern command of the Xuanfu garrison area. There were 8,000 troops under the jurisdiction of Yongning town during that period. However, by the late Qing dynasty the town declined in importance. By the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, the cultural relics of the town's past were gone.

Culture and tourism

The town has benefited from a government initiative in the 2000s to restore some of the glory of its condition during its Ming dynasty height. At the center of the town square is a tower. Yongning Catholic Church, a church tracing back to the Qing dynasty, stands today as a curious Gothic Revival architecture in contrast to the appearance of the rest of the town.