Shijia Hutong is directly accessible via Metro Line 5, and you can explore this 700-year-old hutong for free. Visit Beijing’s only “Sound Room” to travel back in time through the sounds of old Beijing, and explore the historic site where Ling Shuhua and Rabindranath Tagore once enjoyed afternoon tea. Includes…
There’s an old hutong in Beijing called Wudaoying Hutong. It’s not as suffocatingly crowded as Nanluoguxiang, nor is it overrun with tourists like Qianmen Street. This Beijing hutong guide will tell you how to get there, how to explore, how to pay, and how to take great photos. It’s more…
> When Wudaoying Hutong gets crowded, just turn down the side street into Jianchang Hutong. It instantly becomes quiet. This hutong has a rather interesting history—over 200 years ago, students from the Imperial Academy practiced archery here. Yes, you heard that right—back in the day, academic stars didn’t just memorize…
> Dashilan (pronounced “dà shí lànr”—don’t worry if you get it wrong; even Beijingers mispronounce it all the time) is unquestionably Beijing’s oldest commercial street. It has been around since the Ming Dynasty and is over 500 years old. Legendary brands like Rui Fu Xiang, Nei Lian Sheng, and Tong…
In Beijing, there is a hutong with a delightful-sounding name: Jinyu Hutong (Goldfish Hutong). You might wonder if there are goldfish in this hutong, and the answer is no. But it holds many stories far more interesting than the goldfish itself. Quick Facts: Jin Yu Hutong at a Glance The…
The first time I stood at the eastern entrance of Zhuanta Hutong, I was actually a bit taken aback—not because of its width (it’s quite narrow, as expected), but because the first thing I saw was a tower.
Tucked away on the east side of North Deshengmen Street in Beijing lies a small alley named Shangqin Hutong. It is only 246 meters in length and may seem ordinary at first glance, yet behind its name lies an interesting piece of wordplay and a story of the rise and fall of…
The first time I stood in the middle of Lingjing Hutong, I was truly amazed—it completely shattered my preconceived notion of Beijing hutongs as “narrow, cramped, and low-ceilinged.” It’s not the kind of old alley where you have to walk sideways; instead, it’s a unique hutong wide enough for cars…
After exploring the bustling Nanluoguxiang, take a turn into the adjacentMao’er Hutong for a stroll through time. This hutong connects to Di’anmenwai Street at its western end. Though short, it conceals numerous top-tier historical sites—from imperial gardens to the former residence of the last empress—making it a rich repository of…
