Hit the Beijing Tourist Trail

o Beijinger or tourist could ever complain that the Chinese capital is lacking in places of interest. Its abundance of historical and even modern sites is arguably unmatched in Asia, and can be the more enjoyed because they are properly maintained and thus the more pleasurable. Wherever you go, there are things worth seeing at every turn. Boating at Shichahai or Beihai Park lakes, visiting hutongs, exploring the former residences of the famous or just shopping in colorful spots such as the Lotus Flower Market are just a few of the city's pleasures.

Shichahai Lake
Located in Xicheng District, Shichahai Lake is ideal for excursions all year round. An old bridge connecting Houhai (Front) Lake and Qianhai (Rare) Lake is equally famous and widely admired for its beauty. Exploring the local hutongs (narrow alleys), visitors will also see many well-maintained siheyuans (traditional homes) of Beijingers built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). You can relax after such sojourns by renting boat a boat and letting the scenery slip by. The Drum and Bell Tower, and Arrow Tower, often look their best at dusk. Other historical sites well worth visiting are the Palace of Prince Gong; and the former residences of Guo Moruo and Song Qingling. Shichahai means "Lake of the Buddhist Temples", without question one of the best preserved cultural areas of Old Beijing.

Hutongs
Joining one of Beijing's organized tours of hutongs is far easier and more convenient than trying it on your own or with friends. Beijing Hutong Tourist Agency's regular route starts from South of the crossroads on Ping'an Avenue, just North of Beihai Park. To find the booking office, look for the colorful streamers bearing poetic characters that bedeck the mooring wharf for Beihai Lake cruises. Outside the office are the pedicabs that will give you a leisurely ride to and through a choice of hutongs. The agency's tours include commentaries in English or Japanese.

The two-seater pedicabs, with awnings to protect you from the elements, are powered by hard-pedalling drivers who know these back alleys of Beijing like the back of their hands. One moment you will be traversing a busy main road, the next will feel like you have suddenly been transported into a neighborhood that time forget －a maze of hutongs. Enjoy them while you can, for they are fast being demolished as Beijing modernizes.

The winding older hutongs and the calmness of the three lakes that adjoin them make for a placid scene. Once in a hutong, it is easy to conjure up the past. Gray-washed brick, single-story houses line your passage, one traditional feature being stylish gates designed to thwart the entry of evil spirits. Sometimes there is a glimpse of laundering taking place in a bucket, or you may see a few less-than-plump chickens scratching at the hard-packed ground.

Some hutong residents have opened their homes to tour visitors, allowing a brief look inside and thus providing a genuine slice of their daily lives. Usually they are happy to answer questions. Courtyard dwellings stand wall-to-wall on both sides of a hutong, with some residences sporting privacy gates as well as to ward off evil spirits. Some compounds are surprisingly large, with several courtyards separated by rows of single-story houses. Or you may see courtyards whose four sides are ringed by dwellings.

Hutongs' South-facing rooms are called wings, and those facing North are termed "reverse positioned rooms". Main rooms have higher ceilings and are brighter and better ventilated than other rooms. Traditionally they were occupied by the head of a family; with children usually relegated to wing rooms. Your tour may also include visits to Liu Yinjie Neighborhood Center and a hutong primary school.

Hutong Tour Agency. Tel: 6615-9097; Boat Cruises: 6612-5707.

Lake Tours
Boat tours of Qianhai and Houhai lakes are another touring alternative, operators being well aware that most people can't resist a leisurely circuit of calm waters on a sunny, or at least warm, day. These tours are a pleasant complement to oft-bumpy pedicab rides, a point brought romantically home to tourists when traversing these waters � and which is why, three years ago, they were given the overall name of "Dream in South China"

Before boarding one of the 10-seater wooden boats, you will spend a short time in a South-China-style teahouse. Seven meters in length, each boat is lit by lanterns fore and aft. A catering service is provided once you set off, and usually you will be serenaded by a young woman playing a traditional instrument. The best time to cruise is dusk, or shortly after, when the shores� trees, other foliage and old buildings are mirrored in the waters.

The lakes' banks also have people fishing, playing chess and mahjong, or bellowing songs from Peking Operas. You will also see open-air barbers-cum-masseurs, and nurses tending to people with minor ailments. Boats� lanterns are lit when the craft is about to pass the small Yinding Bridge which crosses both Qianhai and Houhai lakes.

Passengers can, if they wish, ask for their boat to tie up on a bank if they wish for a closer look at hutongs or the people pursuing leisure activities. You can even have a quick drink at one of the local bars. One nice touch concerns tiny paper boats which all passengers are given. But we won't spoil it by telling you what happens next.

Drum & Bell Tower
To find it, cross the Silver Ingot Bridge and head north-west along a narrow hutong. Once you have climbed to the balustrade of the 700-year-old tower, once the tallest building in the imperial capital, you can look down on the narrow streets or lift your eyes to Beihai Park's magnificent White Dagoba. Look West, and you will see the lakes of Shichahai and perhaps wax nostalgic for the age when time was recorded by a water-driven clock, with the hours tolled by a drum in this very tower.

Former Residence of Song Qingling
Walk to the West from Silver Ingot Bridge and, within a few minutes, you will come to the tall gate of Song Qingling's former residence. It was built in European style in an extensive garden owned by Prince Gong. Madam Song was later to be the wife of Sun Yat-sen, the father of the Chinese Republic. She died in Beijing in 1981. The solid, spacious home, with its many bedrooms and double windows that filter out noise and dust, is in striking contrast to any of Beijing's modern apartments.

Palace of Prince Gong
From the residence of Song Qingling, you may wish to do an about-turn and visit this historic mansion, Beijing's largest remaining garden compound. One side alone of the three-hectare property has 99 rooms that housed the prince's concubines. Prince Gong never ruled China, but his son, Puyi, ascended to the imperial throne as a child and later found fame (and notoriety) as the Middle Kingdom's last emperor. Prince Gong's nine spacious courtyards and elaborate gardens are enclosed by massive brick and mortar walls.

Lotus Flower Market
This is a "must" for any sightseeing itinerary, for rather than flowers it is best known for its antiques and arts and crafts. It is also a great place to savor local snacks. The market runs from Beihai Lake's wharf. It was reopened only in 1990 after several decades of being dormant.

Places to stop on the way:
Dong Zi Store
A good place to buy a wide selection of hand-made porcelain and craft items.
Cong Ming House
This offers jiaozi and other home-made foods to tourists.
Chan Wei Xuan
With its Buddhism-style name, this new teahouse offers a huge selection of teas and organizes traditional tea ceremonies.
Kao Rou Ji (Ji's Roast Mutton)
This is one of Beijing's best-known restaurants, both for its quality and the fact that the Ji family has been serving its delicious roast mutton for 140 years. The mutton hotpot and barbecued mutton are particularly satisfying in Winter.