Propaganda aside, riveting exhibits make this a fascinating exposé of Běijīng’s dà gài mào (local slang for the constabulary). Learn how Běijīng’s first Public Security Bureau (PSB) college operated from the Dōngyuè Temple in 1949 and find out how officers tackled the ‘stragglers, disbanded soldiers, bandits, local ruffians, hoodlums and despots…’ planted in Běijīng by the Kuomintang (KMT).
There are also eye-opening accounts of how KMT spies Li Andong and Yamaguchi Takachi planned to mortar the Gate of Heavenly Peace, and a welcome analysis of how the Běijīng PSB was destroyed during the ‘national catastrophe’ of the Cultural Revolution. For police weapons, head to the 4th floor. The through ticket includes some laser-shooting practice and a souvenir.
