Chongwen is a former district of the Municipality of Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

, located relatively southeast to the city center (Tiananmen

Tiananmen

The Tiananmen, Tian'anmen or Gate of Heavenly Peace is a famous monument in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is widely used as a national symbol. First built during the Ming Dynasty in 1420, Tian'anmen is often referred to as the front entrance to the Forbidden City...

), and was situated between Yongdingmen

Yongdingmen

Yongdingmen was the former front gate of the outer section of Beijing's old city wall. Originally built in 1553, it was torn down in the 1950s to make way for the new road system in Beijing. In 2005, the Yongdingmen was reconstructed at the site of the old city gate...

 and Qianmen

Qianmen

Qianmen is the colloquial name for Zhengyangmen , a gate in Beijing's historic city wall. The gate is situated to the south of Tiananmen Square and once guarded the southern entry into the Inner City. Although much of Beijing's city walls were demolished, Qianmen remains an important...

. It spanned an area of 16.46 square kilometers. It bordered Dongcheng District

Dongcheng District, Beijing

Dongcheng District is an urban district in Beijing covering the eastern half of Beijing's urban core. It is 24.7 square kilometres in area and has a population of 535,558 . Dongcheng District covers several important parts of Beijing...

 to the north, Fengtai District

Fengtai District

Fengtai District is a suburban district of the municipality of Beijing. It lies to the southwest of the urban core of the city.-History:In Qing Dynasty times, Fengtai was where the Imperial Manchu Army had its camps, trained, and held parades on festive occasions.It is 304.2 square kilometers in...

 to the south, Chaoyang

Chaoyang District, Beijing

Chaoyang District is a district of Beijing, China.Chaoyang is home to the majority of Beijing's many foreign embassies, the well-known Sanlitun bar street, as well as Beijing's growing CBD. The Olympic Park, built for the 2008 Summer Olympics, is also in Chaoyang...

 to the east, and Xuanwu District to the west. It merged into Dongcheng District

Dongcheng District, Beijing

Dongcheng District is an urban district in Beijing covering the eastern half of Beijing's urban core. It is 24.7 square kilometres in area and has a population of 535,558 . Dongcheng District covers several important parts of Beijing...

 in July, 2010.

Chongwen District was among one of Beijing's more compact districts, with per capita

Per capita

Per capita is a Latin prepositional phrase: per and capita . The phrase thus means "by heads" or "for each head", i.e. per individual or per person...

 area being considerably less than other districts. Prior to its merger with Dongcheng District

Dongcheng District, Beijing

Dongcheng District is an urban district in Beijing covering the eastern half of Beijing's urban core. It is 24.7 square kilometres in area and has a population of 535,558 . Dongcheng District covers several important parts of Beijing...

, it was considered the smallest out of the four districts that's in the city center. The District was renowned for The Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven, literally the Altar of Heaven is a complex of Taoist buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing. The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest...

 and Longtan Park

Longtan Park

The Longtan Park -Location:Located at the center of the park is a large lake called the "Dragon Lake" which features many moon bridges, rock gardens, dragon boats, tea houses and restaurants.-External links:*...

. As well as housing the two original (and the most authentic) Peking Duck

Peking Duck

Peking Duck, or Peking Roast Duck is a famous duck dish from Beijing that has been prepared since the imperial era, and is now considered one of China's national foods....

 restaurants, Quanjude

Quanjude

Quanjude is a famous Chinese restaurant known for its trademark Quanjude Peking Roast Duck and its longstanding culinary heritage since its establishment in 1864 in Beijing, China.- Company profile and branches:...

 and Bianyifang

Bianyifang

Bianyifang is the oldest Peking Duck restaurant currently doing business in Beijing, China. The restaurant was established in 1416. A dispute among its owners in 1855 resulted in the branch extant today. In 1855, the Wang family, one of the many minor owners of Bianyifang, decided to open...

. Prior to the establishment of the People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

, it was one of the two districts with large number of residents who lived in poverty (the other being Xuanwu District).