Standing for over 1,400 years, the Randeng Pagoda on the west bank of the northern Grand Canal has long been an iconic landmark of Beijing's Tongzhou District. Legend has it that during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), merchants traveling to Beijing along the canal would spot the pagoda from afar and know they were nearly there.

Today, this over 50-meter-tall, 13-story octagonal pagoda, along with its nearby temples and palaces, sits against a backdrop of modern skyscrapers, quietly witnessing the vibrant transformation of a bustling Beijing sub-center.