The historic core of Beijing, Dongcheng ("east city") spans the ground between the Forbidden City and the eastern Second Ring Road and holds more of the imperial capital than any other district. The great ceremonial axis runs straight through it — from Tiananmen Square north through the Forbidden City to the artificial hill of Jingshan, which gives the best view over the palace roofs — and the National Museum of China lines the eastern edge of the square. This is the Beijing of guidebook covers, and most first-time visitors spend their first day or two here.
East of the palace, the Wangfujing shopping street forms the district's commercial spine: malls and brand stores now more than the old food stalls, with St Joseph's Church set back on a small plaza halfway up. The quieter pleasures are northward, where Dongcheng dissolves into the hutong lanes around Nanluoguxiang and the Drum and Bell Towers (Gulou) — both treated here as neighbourhoods in their own right — and the Lama Temple and Confucius Temple sit among them. It is flat, walkable, and threaded by Line 1 and Line 2; the imperial-axis sights repay an early start before the tour groups arrive.