Line 1

The Beijing Subway was initially built to serve the military. Construction began in July 1965， and the first stretch， which corresponds with the western half of today’s Line 1， was completed in time to mark the 20th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1， 1969. It ran 21km from the army barracks at Fushouling （福壽嶺） to the Beijing Railway Station. The subway had the capacity to transfer five divisions from Beijing’s military base to the city center in case there was a Soviet invasion. Due to its military purpose， Beijing Subway was not open to the public at this stage.

In 1981， the initial stretch of Beijing Subway was finally opened to the public. A single ride fare was set at 0.10 RMB and annual ridership reached 72.5 million in 1982. Two years later， a second line， corresponding to the southern half of the present-day Line 2， opened. Line 1， however， was shortened and， ever since， only runs to Pingguoyuan （蘋果園）. The three stations behind the current terminus—Fushouling， Gaojing （高井） and Heishitou （黑石頭）—are inaccessible to the public with the two latter stops located in a military zone.

With the receipt of a 19.2 billion yen development assistance loan from Japan， construction began on the eastward extension of Line 1. Xidan （西單） station was opened in December 1992， and the remaining extension to Sihui East （四惠東） was completed in 1999. The line’s total length is 30.4km and has 23 stations in operation. Nowadays， Line 1 and its Batong Line （八通線） extension is packed with local commuters and tourists. It runs under Chang’an Avenue （長安街） and connects commercial centers like Xidan and Wangfujing（王府井） with Beijing’s Central Business District（CBD） and the heart of the old city around Tian’ anmen Square （天安門廣場）， one of the top tourist spots in China’s capital.

I set out for a ride on Line 1 and its extension， and traveled as far east as Tuqiao （土橋） and as far west as Pingguoyuan. I met people and places I never imagined existed and captured the diverse landscapes and faces of Beijing’s historic subway line.