Before the Cultural Revolution erupted, Peng Zhen was one of the most influential central leaders of the Chinese Communist Party and a top official of the People's Republic of China's national capital. This article examines Peng Zhen's roles, policies and consequences during the Great Leap Forward (GLF) in the Beijing Municipality. The paper demonstrates that, like other local Party bureaucrats, Peng encouraged and set up the unrealistic grain production quotas and mobilized the local cadres to implement the steelmaking campaign in Beijing City. At the same time, he also considered the GLF to be a rare opportunity to facilitate local industrial development. Albeit succeeding in completing the "Ten Grand Buildings" at all costs to demonstrate the great achievements and spirit of the GLF, he carried out some controversial local building projects during the campaign. Consequently, Peng could not shirk responsibility for the adverse effects brought by the devastating campaign in Beijing.