Beijing (北京) · 9 places · 4 cities
9 places in Beijing, grouped by city. Under each one are two figures from the survey: how much daily life still goes on there, out of 100, and how far it has been turned over to visitors, out of 6.
Most common here: Old quarter of a city (6), Historic street (3). See all provinces, or the background on old towns.
4 places
Xicheng (西城)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Qianmen-Dashilar-Yangmeizhu Xiejie (前门大栅栏-杨梅竹斜街)From the crowds on Qianmen into Yangmeizhu Xiejie, a 496 m hutong where old bookshops, design studios and the people who live there still share the lane.Lived-in 82/100 · Commercialised 4/6 · well known abroad · very easy to reach | Historic street | Lived-in, busy |
| Niujie Muslim Quarter (牛街)A 1,000-year-old Hui Muslim quarter where the mosque recorded as Beijing’s oldest still draws worshippers and people queue at dawn for beef pancakes. The street food is what most visitors come for.Lived-in 82/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · little known abroad · very easy to reach | Old quarter of a city | Lived-in, quiet |
| Xisi Hutongs (西四胡同)Beijing’s less-touristed western hutong area with the 1901 Xisi Pailou (archways), old courtyard homes, and the famous Guangji Temple, where locals still shop at morning markets and eat at decades-old dumpling shops.Lived-in 80/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · little known abroad · easy to reach | Old quarter of a city | Lived-in, quiet |
| Fayuan Temple Area (法源寺周边)Around Fayuan Si (645 AD), recorded as Beijing’s oldest Buddhist temple, a quiet neighborhood with old hutongs, the Chinese Buddhist Academy, and locals still living around it.Lived-in 78/100 · Commercialised 1/6 · little known abroad · easy to reach | Old quarter of a city | Lived-in, quiet |
3 places
Dongcheng (东城)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Dongsi Hutongs (东四胡同)14 well-preserved hutongs (Dongsi 1-14tiao) where old Beijing families still live, no tourist shops, just courtyard gates, pigeon sheds, and locals playing chess.Lived-in 82/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · little known abroad · easy to reach | Old quarter of a city | Lived-in, quiet |
| Guozijian-Yonghegong Hutongs (国子监-雍和宫周边)A 700m hutong with the imperial academy (1306), a Tibetan Buddhist temple (Yonghegong, 1694), and old Beijing tea houses, less crowded than Nanluoguxiang, more authentic.Lived-in 78/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · known abroad · easy to reach | Old quarter of a city | Lived-in, quiet |
| Nanluoguxiang (南锣鼓巷)The hutong street most visitors are taken to: 740 m of Qing courtyard frontage with 16 symmetrical lanes off it. The side alleys, Maoer and Yuer, still have residents.Lived-in 65/100 · Commercialised 5/6 · well known abroad · very easy to reach | Historic street | Lived-in, busy |
1 place
Beijing (北京)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Bell-Drum Tower & Shichahai Hutongs (钟鼓楼-什刹海胡同)UNESCOReal Beijing hutong life where locals still shop at morning markets, fly pigeons, play chess under ancient trees, the living old city behind the Forbidden City.Lived-in 86/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · well known abroad · very easy to reach | Old quarter of a city | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Shijingshan (石景山)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Moshikou (模式口)A 1,500m ancient post road on the way to the Ming imperial tombs, with the Fahai Temple (1439, holding Ming murals described as among the best preserved in China), the Tianyi Tomb (eunuch tomb), and old Beijing courtyard homes being restored with residents still living there.Lived-in 72/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Historic street | Lived-in, quiet |
Which of These Is Still a Town
The two scores narrow the list, and the last step is local: which lanes are worth the walk, which day of the week the place is itself, and where to stay inside the walls. Tell our local team the provinces you will be in and they will say which of these hold up.