Which alley in Beijing is worth visiting? Which alley in Beijing is the most fun?

When talking about hutongs, the first thing that comes to everyone’s mind is definitely Beijing. Beijing is a great place. After all, the place was bustling. So many people go to Beijing every year, but not all Beijingers are in Beijing.

Where are the Hutongs?

Most of the Hutongs in Beijing are basically concentrated in the middle of the Second Ring Road. To put it simply, it takes Tiananmen Square as the center point and can be reached within 20 minutes by subway.

Here is a list of some distinctive hutongs in Beijing, including location, characteristics of the hutongs, and transportation methods.

If you come to Beijing for the first time, you can give priority to the following four hutongs: Beiluogu Lane, Guozijian Street, Wudaoying Hutong, and Liulichang Ancient Culture Street.

Beiluoguxiang

From south to north, pass through Nanluoguxiang, then Gulou East Street to Beiluoguxiang. Beiluoguxiang has a laid-back atmosphere, which is the biggest difference from the noisy Nanluoguxiang. Beiluogu Lane has few people and is suitable for walking and taking photos. There are many small shops, cafes, and restaurants hidden inside, where you can have a quiet afternoon tea.

Guozijian Street

Guozijian Street is named after the Confucius Temple and the Imperial College. There are also several temples and four archways on this street, which is perfect for exploring history and culture.

The Imperial College was the highest institution of learning established during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. At that time, if you could study in the Imperial College, it would be a matter of "honoring your ancestors." The Confucius Temple was the place where Confucius was worshiped during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. There are 198 stone tablets engraved with the names of three generations of literati, including Shen Junru, Xu Guangqi, Zeng Guofan, Yuan Chonghuan and more than 50,000 people.

1. Although Confucius Temple and Imperial College are two scenic spots in name, the actual tickets are joint tickets. The entrance (ticket office) is at Confucius Temple and the exit is at Imperial College.

2. The northernmost part of the Confucius Temple is the Dacheng Ritual Music Hall, where there are dance performances. The afternoon session starts at 4 o'clock and lasts about 10 minutes. The performances are all classics of the Analects of Confucius, depicting scenes such as reading, making friends, and fighting.

3. Entering the Imperial Academy, there is a large screen on the left hand side, which briefly introduces the history and culture of the scenic spot. It takes about 20 minutes, including macro history and micro details.

In the past, temples and schools were not separated and were often built together. Personally, I think taking care of parenting education is very beneficial! All in all worth a look!

1. There is an exhibition hall on the right side of the Imperial College, which focuses on the beginning and end of the imperial examination. It is easy to think of Jiangnan Gongyuan in Nanjing. In fact, for the sake of fairness in the imperial examinations, the government did take many measures to prevent cheating and indeed selected many talents.

2. In the main building, there are lectures, library, etc. The learning atmosphere is strong. The current social psychology is too anxious, impatient, and utilitarian. Sometimes it is really beautiful to calm down and study hard.

How to get there?

Get off at Yonghegong Station on Metro Line 2 or Line 5 and walk for 2 minutes.

Wudaoying Hutong

Wudaoying Hutong, with a total length of more than 600 meters, is next to the Imperial College Street and is a favorite place for young people. There are not many people in this alley. Most of them are very leisurely tourists who want to stay here for an afternoon or take pictures.

Because most of the early investors who settled in Wudaoying were outsiders. Therefore, there are various coffees, pubs, and Western-style light restaurants here. It is a gathering place for Beijing’s petty bourgeoisie and one of the favorite places for outsiders to live. Some business owners who opened stores in Nanluoguxiang and Gulou also heard the news and opened branches or new stores in Wudaoying.

How to get there?

Take Metro Line 2, get off at Andingmen or Yonghegong Station, and walk for 5 minutes.

Liulichang Ancient Culture Street

Liulichang now has nothing to do with "Liu Li", and there is no trace of it. But in the Yuan Dynasty, it was still a suburb, so official kilns for firing glazed tiles were opened. In the 32nd year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty, this area became an urban area, so the "Liulichang" at that time moved to a farther place, but the name remained and has been passed down to this day.

Today Liulichang is a street selling the Four Treasures of the Study.

Many old bizhuang shops, bookstores and Chinese bookstores