It was said that in 1227, the Jin dynasty transferred the ancient astronomical instruments from Kaifeng to the first observatory in Beijing.

[2] After the Mongols, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding Ming Emperor, transferred the instruments from Beijing to Nanjing.

When the Yongle Emperor came to power, he had craftsmen make copies of the instruments in Nanjing and sent them to the Beijing observatory.

However, as World War I drew to a close, the instruments were returned to China by the French and German governments.

The Beijing railway station and the Ming City Wall Relics Park are a short walk to the south.