In the Hutongs Exploring Beijing

Meandering along the Di’anmen Wai Street， I came to the entrance of one Hutong (lane or alley) before I realized it was called Bai Mi Xie Jie， which actually was not a part of my Hutong tour itinerary. However， my steps followed my heart to satisfy my curiosity. One of the pleasures of traveling is simply derived from the unknown field before you. This seemed like an ordinary hutong， nothing special. The sunshine of winter was cast on the ground of the narrow Hutong. There were not many people around and though outside the Hutong was bustling， it was very quiet in the Hutong. At the door to an old Siheyuan one grandpa， about 90 years old， and another man were sitting there chatting. I stopped and questioned them， asking them about the history and stories of this particular Hutong. “Zhang Zhidong， you know， one initiator of the Westernization Movement in the late Qing Dynasty once lived in that end of this Hutong，” the old grandpa pointed while talking to me. “The General， Zhang Aiping， was also once living here shortly after the establishment of the New China in 1949…”To listen to the history in the old Hutongs was a special experience， since every Hutong has its stories.Chatting with them for a while， I continued my tour in search of the Maoer Hutong. As they told me， I walked to Houmen Bridge， literarily called Wanning Bridge， which is located at the north end of the Central Axis of the Forbidden City. Standing on the bridge， I saw the ice Shichahai， the soft fine leafless Willow branches stretching out over the lake， the bars silent around the lake. What beauty!Enjoying Peace in Maoer HutongPassing the bridge， and moving on to the east side of the road I found the entrance of the Maoer Hutong. There was a study called Pudao (樸道?means simple and unadorned) Study there in the Hutong， which was very quiet. And if you have the time， staying there for an afternoon is not a bad choice， giving oneself a peaceful mood. There were just a few bars along this alley， unlike the bars around the famous Houhai lake， the bars here were also very quiet. Feeling hungry and looking around， I saw a small bittern flapjack restaurant. I entered and ordered one bowl of bittern flapjacks as my lunch. The bittern flapjack is a well-known local snack in Beijing， boiled beef giblets with cake. Actually sometimes， deliberately not planning a place to eat and enjoying whatever is randomly encountered is also a kind of pleasure when traveling. The place was not necessarily famous， but being casual is another way to enjoy traveling， experiencing how the locals live their lives.Lingering in Nan Luo Gu XiangAt the end of Maoer Hutong is the renowned Nan Luo Gu Xiang. To those in the know， Nanluoguxiang is better known as NLGX. It has another moniker， “Centipede Street，” due to the eight hutongs that trail off on either side of the 768-meter-long central lane. The humble hutong has had a number of not-so-humble residents， including Wan Rong， the last Empress of China， who was carried from her home here to her wedding at the Forbidden City in 1922.There’s a lot of history and culture here: The former residence of Mao Dun at 13 Hou’yuanensi Hutong is now a museum (admission: five yuan or 73 U.S. cents ). Mao Dun was an important early 20th-century Chinese writer who translated “The Constitution of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union” into Chinese. Just next door at No. 7 is the former headquarters of Gen. Chiang Kai-shek; which in later years served as the Yugoslav Embassy.The shopping in NLGX is also unique and fun: Starting at a nameless shop in the center of NLGX alley where you can pick up Cultural Revolution paraphernalia， or the now infamous “Oba-mao” T-shirt (U.S. President Barack Obama dressed in an army-Mao suit with cap， 40 yuan or about $6). On the opposite side of the street， Cloth Paper offers quilts， embroidered pillow covers and cloth tigers for children—traditionally meant to ward off disease (10 NLGX).Strolling down the lane， the signboard of Wen Yu Cheese suddenly came to my attention. Oh， Wen Yu Cheese， which is said to be very delicious but cheap. Usually， there is always a long queue of people that runs out the door of the shop， or the cheese is sometimes sold out. However， it was a day that was exceptionally cold and a weekday. So I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to enjoy it， mmm， it really tasted delightful.Unnamed Hutongs: usual scene but different tasteLingering on Nan Luo Gu Xiang though， I left for another famous Hutong—Yan Dai Xie Jie. Before I arrived there， I went through several unnamed and average Hutongs. Just like Bai Mi Xie Jie， these Hutongs were quieter， Beijingers just living their lives in their own unique way. Two old grandmas were standing at the end of one Hutong， talking or gossiping in the winter sunshine. A burst of pigeons suddenly whistling， raising my head， I saw the pigeons hovering over the roof against the blue sky， circling one by one. People in the lanes were buying or selling fruits or articles for daily use. By accident， one or two foreign travelers passed by swiftly.Strolling down these average lanes made me feel so close to the daily life of the local Beijingers.Sometimes， it is really better to tour the most common places and experience the real life of the locals.Drum TowerI finally came to Di’anmen Wai Street again. Facing north， at the exit of this street， I saw a massive tower-shaped monument whose walls are covered with the same red coating as the Forbidden City. Here is Beijing’s famous Drum Tower， built during the Ming Dynasty. Behind it， a few steps away， the Bell Tower， also built during this dynasty.What was the use of these buildings? Quite simply， they were used to regulate the life of the ancient Beijingers， at a time where watches and clocks did not exist ; this type of building existed in almost all the big cities of China， and are therefore not only specific to Beijing. But at least these two buildings in Beijing are without a doubt among the oldest and the most beautiful of their kind.Experience in Yandan Street(Yan Dai Xie Jie 煙袋斜街)Crossing the street I came to the entrance of Yandan Street， also universally known as Pipe Street. Where did it get this strange name? Originally it was called Gulou Xiejie(鼓樓斜街 Drum Tower oblique Street)， because it ends at the front of the Tower)， then under the Qing Dynasty it took the name which it still has today. Two explanations exist: the first tells us that it was due to the fact that the Manchus， tobacco lovers， came there to buy the stuff they needed for their pipes; the other one， because of the shape of this street， which indeed has a shape similar to a traditional Chinese pipe. Whatever the explanation is， the name is undoubtedly related to tobacco. Today you will surely find two of the oldest specialties of Beijing here， the tanghulu (冰糖葫蘆)， skewers of caramelized fruit (very similar to small apples)， some filled with the paste of jujubes or walnuts， a delightful specialty that Beijingers (and others…) have loved to eat in winter since the oldest times. Cheap and delicious， that’s definitely my favorite! Another specialty， unfortunately less and less frequently encountered， surely because they require a rare skill that few possess， the puffed up sugar figurines (糖人兒)， which often tak the shape of the animals of the Chinese zodiac.Here I stopped and talked with two foreign friends， one from Denmark and the another from Spain， both of whom told me that they loved the Hutongs in Beijing， but were a little worried whether the Hutongs would be retained in the future.Walking out from the other end of Yandan Street I came to Yinding Bridge， which is an old bridge that got its name for its shape resembling a silver ingot (Yinding，銀錠?in Chinese means silver ingot). It became famous in the Ming Dynasty from the scene of“Viewing the West Mountain on Yinding Bridge” I then started walking around Shichahai， the beautiful sunset of Shichahai was amazing， rosy and hazy against the chilling deep-blue sky， a magical blend of color and light. Night was falling on the city and neon lights began flashing around the lake.“Where should I have my supper?” “Gui jie for spicy food? Niu jie for Muslim food? Or Hu Guo Si Snack Bar for Beijing local snacks? I finally made my way to Huguosi Snack Bar.Brief guide to Beijing’s HutongsIn Beijing， an old saying goes， “the famous Hutongs 36 hundreds while unnamed ones numerous.” At present， there are about 4，550 hutongs. Every Hutong has many tales worth exploring if you are interested.Among the numerous hutongs in Beijing， Beixinqiao Hutong has the most turns. There are more than 20 in which you can easily get lost.The narrowest is Qian Shi Hutong (Money Market Hutong)， only about 30 to 40 meters (32 to 44 yards) long， it is located in Zhubao Shi Street outside Qianmen. The narrowest part is merely 40 centimeters (16 inches) wide， so when two people meet， they must turn sideways to pass each other.The longest is Dong Jiaomin Hutong， with a total length of 6.5 kilometers (4 miles)， lying between Chang’an Avenue and the East Street and West Street of Qianmen.The shortest is Guantong Hutong only 30 meters (33 yards) long.The oldest Hutong is Zhuan Ta Hutong Zhuanta Hutong which got its name because of the brick tower at the entrance of the Hutong. It is also the former residence of the famous writer Mr. Luxun. You can get to Zhuanta Hutong by taking bus No. 22， 47， 626 or 826 and get off at the north station ofThe most intellectual Hutong is perhaps Guozijian Street. The other name of this street is Guozijian Jie (國子監(jiān)街) named after the Imperial University that was home to China’s greatest scholars beginning in the Sui Dynasty(581-618). The university which stands here now was built in 1306， when Beijing became the new capital of China. The Confucius Temple sits right next door and is flooded with students and parents lighting incense and praying for good test grades during college entrance exams every year.The old Sanlitun: Dashila’r. Just a stone’s throw away from Tian’anmen and the Forbidden City is an area where Beijingers used to eat， drink， shop and have fun. With hundreds of restaurants and shops， the Qianmen area was the central business and shopping center during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Many time-honored shops and restaurants， including the most famous Peking duck restaurant， Quanjude (全聚德)， and TCM store， Tongrentang (同仁堂)， Ruifuxiang silk store (瑞蚨祥) and Neiliangsheng shoe store(內(nèi)聯(lián)升) started and succeeded here， it is also considered the origin of Beijing’s traditional snack foods. The China Film Museum， which is also located here， chronicles the early beginnings of Chinese film.West of Dashila’r is Liulichang (琉璃廠)， a street that is dedicated to selling antiques， calligraphy and paintings. Baishun Hutong (百順胡同)， Yanzhi Hutong (胭脂胡同)， Hanjiatan (韓家潭)， and Shaanxixiang (陜西巷)， all of which are also located in this area， are known for their top-class service， tea ceremonies， and musical performances.Enjoying delicious Beijing local snacks in HutongsTouring the Hutongs， you can taste the genuine Beijing local snacks.Beijing’s traditional snack foods are irresistible to visitors to the Chinese capital. Their names alone are enough to entice the curious diner， with local specialties including， lvdagun (驢打滾donkey rolls about)， wandouhuang (豌豆黃pea yellow)， aiwowo (艾窩窩)， tang’erduo (糖耳朵sugar ear)， and hama tumi (蛤蟆吐蜜toad spits honey).Some of these snack foods have existed for 600 years. When foods pass the test of time， they become classics， with the history and stories behind them becoming part of their attraction. Lvdagun is a steamed millet cake with mashed red bean stuffing， rolled in ground soy bean powder. Wandouhuang is boiled pease jelly. And aiwowo is a small， snow-white， round glutinous rice cake with assorted sweet stuffing. Tang’erduo is brown sugar and flour cake soaked in maltose. Hama tumi is a cake with red bean stuffing and a crack on the surface.Other traditional snacks are the aforementioned tanghulu (糖葫蘆)， candied hawthorn fruit on a skewer， miancha (面茶)， fried flour tea， doufunao (豆腐腦)， tender bean curd jelly， jiangzhi paicha’er (姜汁排叉兒)， ginger flavored crisp flour slices boiled in maltose， tangjuanguo(糖卷果)， a sweet Chinese yam and jujube cake， naiyou zhagao (奶油炸糕)， deep-fried milk cream flour balls， tanghuoshao (糖火燒)， roast cake with brown sugar and sesame paste.Some snacks have fallen from favor， deemed either too oily， or too sweet for modern palates， while others remain popular among the Chinese. These include baodu (爆肚)， boiled beef stomach slices served with sesame paste， and luzhu huoshao (鹵煮火燒)， boiled assorted beef giblets with cake.