The Beijing Hutongs are alley-ways all across Beijing that represent a traditional disappearing way of life. During my first visit to Beijing I stayed in a five star hotel near Tiananmen square completely disconnected from local life, so for the next two visits I made it my business to stay with more traditional Chinese houses in the middle of a Hutong area. The first of those two was in the Fangjia Hutong not too far away from the Confucius and Lama Temples (Yong He Gong area) which has some famous Hutongs that have turned somewhat commercial (like Wu Dao Ying Hutong) but date back almost 600 years.
This above is a typical street corner in a Hutong, with locals sitting down sipping bear and eat dirt cheap BBQ.
Walking around my Hutong area there were lots of temple shops and fortune tellers to accommodate the temple visitors…
But generally, the more intriguing side of the Hutongs is the architecture building style and the locals…
Location of my hotel and base :
Within walking distance is a famous Hutong that turned into a shopping street-food area. Here’s the Nanluoguxiang Alley…
A charming Couchsurfing host took me for a tour of the area one late night and there are lots of delicious things to eat and live music venues to have a drink and listen to the rising Beijing rock/Indie scene.
Location:
If you’re planning a visit to Beijing and want a taste of local life, I’d strongly recommend staying in the Hutong area and wondering the long streets whenever you get the change.