Beijing has been lost in the passion of the times in which we have been very difficult to identify her original features. To taste of the real culture of Beijing, hutong is second to none. 

Beijing Hutong is the common name of small lanes in Beijing, which means well in Mongolian. The Hutong mostly built during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, are the narrow network of lanes created by closely built quadrangular homes. Old people say that "There are 360 hutongs with names, while those without names are countless". 

The names of Beijing Hutong are in various ways: some are named after the place of ancient government office, some are after legend of figures and others are after shape of the hutong. The names of Beijing Hutong recorded the evolution of hutong's history and culture. If you are interested in Chinese ancient culture, then please grasp the chance to pay a visit to Beijing Hutong, there you will get more detail information. 

Top Hutongs in Beijing
Yandaixiejie also named as Tobacco Pipe Lane, is one of the oldest streets in Beijing. Ethnic shops and various bars and cafes are opened here which attract lots of visitors everyday. In the past, in this hutong there were only tobacco pouches and smoking sets were sold and nowadays, it has been rebuilt as a commercial street where there are more than 60 stores specializing in the sale of tobacco pipes, lanterns, kites, tea sets, curios, national costumes, folk craftwork and traditional needlework.

Nanluoguxiang is renowned for its long history and culture, which still retained the planning of Yuan Dynasty. It runs for a solid 768 meters with eight parallel hutongs on each side. Nowadays here has become a hot tourist site in Beijing with specialty stores, distinctive foods and best preserved quadrangle courtyards. It is an ideal place to taste the old Beijing culture and flavors.

Guozijian Street is one of the rare existing old streets in Beijing with the lush cypresses along the street. Connecting to the Yonghegong Lama Temple and housing the Confucian Temple in the east, the street has the history of over 700 years. Residential houses still preserve the quaint and charming style of old Beijing, which is hardly seen elsewhere nowadays.

Hutong is just as a historical book, which contains the cultural relics and historical monuments, interesting stories of famous figures and historical legends. Would you like to step into this historical book to discover its real charm?