A businessman from the United States is recovering after being stabbed at a popular tourist spot in central Beijing.

The victim, who has not been identified, was attacked near Xicheng district's historic Qianmen Gate at about 3:40 pm on Wednesday, the capital's public security bureau said.

He was stabbed in the buttocks and was sent to hospital for medical treatment, according to a post on the bureau's official Sina Weibo micro blog.

Police detained suspect Wang Taicun near the Qianmen watchtower at about 4:45 pm that afternoon.

The 61-year-old, from Xintai in East China's Shandong province, committed the crime to draw attention to a private issue, the post said, without elaborating.

The US embassy in Beijing could not reached for comment on Thursday morning.