Shichahai: Hutong and Siheyuan

Shichahai is a famous scenic area that includes three lakes (Qian Hai, meaning Front Sea; Hou Hai, meaning Back Sea and Xi Hai, meaning Western Sea), surrounding places of historic interest and scenic beauty, and remnants of old-style Beijing residences, hutong and siheyuan (courtyard homes). It is located northwest of the Forbidden City and is always a good place for local Beijingers to relax and enjoy their lives. The history of Shichahai can be traced to the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234).
Shichahai is one of the best places to view well-preserved hutong and siheyuan. Visiting hutong by pedicab is a popular activity for visitors from China and abroad. The most famous hutong is Jin Si Tao, which actually includes 18 hutong and which has retained its integrity as an original hutong area. Another is Pipe Hutong or Yandai Xiejie, meaning an oblique street which looks like a long-stemmed pipe. This street used to be a famous street for selling long-stemmed pipes.
The word hutong originates from the Mongolian word hottog which means "well." There are about 3,000 Beijing hutong, including Nanluogu Xiang at Jiaodaokou in Beijing's Dongcheng District and hutong around Xicheng's Shichahai area. The Qianshi Hutong has the city's narrowest passages at 40 cm. The oldest hutong is at Sanmiao Jie, which was also known as Tanzhou Street during the Liao Dynasty (916-1125). Courtyards (siheyuan) with doors in different colours, sizes and patterns indicate the classes of the families.
Xiejie are the interconnecting, winding streets that characterise old Beijing. These often lead into or out of the hutong, the old laneways and buildings that are fast being replaced by modern housing.
Visit Shichahai and experience the authentic taste of the style and features of old Beijing.

The Top Ten Hutong in Beijing

Fengfu Hutong
Many people have visited the famous bustling commercial street, Wangfujing, but few know Fengfu Hutong, or Abundance Hutong. This ordinary hutong is unusual because of the Danshi Courtyard, where the Lao She Memorial House is located. It is different from the skyscrapers in Wangfujing and is an indication of the simple life that Lao She led.

Yandai Xiejie
Back at Houhai, there's a street called Yandai Xiejie which leads from the main road to Yinding Qiao, which bridges Houhai and separates it from Qianhai. As its name indicates, it means an oblique street which looks like a long-stemmed pipe. This street used to be a famous street selling long-stemmed pipes. Now, it is a street full of antique stores and modern bars.

Liulichang
Located at Xuanwu District, Liulichang is a typical Chinese-style lane with shops bearing Ming and Qing dynasty architectural features. With brightly painted doors and eaves and gracefully curved black-tiled-roofs buildings, a little of old Beijing's lifestyle is retained here. The China Bookstore and Rongbaozhai are the most famous antique stores in Liulichang.

Mao'er Hutong
Mao'er Hutong is an interesting place because of its location, hidden in plain sight and in close proximity to well-known places, plus the fact there are four spots on this one alleyway identified as cultural relics, none of which are officially open to the public. The hutong runs west to east from Di'anmenwai Dajie to Nanluoguxiang in the Jiaodaokou sub-district. The best way to find it is from Di'anmen; it's the first alleyway northeast of the old bridge to the east of Qianhai.

Guozijian (The Imperial College)
Guozijian is located at Guozijian Street (originally named Chengxian Street), Andingmennei Street of Dongcheng District. It was once a stage for the emperor, who frequently came here to read Confucian classics to thousands of students. Chinese scholar trees line both sides of the street. Four colourfully painted archways stand each at the east and west ends of the street and the two sides of the gate of Guozijian. It is Beijing's only street that continues to feature an ancient architectural style.

Jinyu Hutong (Gold Fish Hutong)
This old Beijing lane is more like a commercial street today because of its location. The Jinyu Hutong (Goldfish Hutong), on the eastern side of the Wangfujing Street, is now a street of hotels and restaurants, while a back street on the western side has been built into a street of snack bars. The renowned Jixiang Theatre, Dong'an Market and Donglaishun Restaurant are located there.

Dingfu Street
Originally named Dingfu Dajie in Ming Dynasty, Dingfu Jie was renamed after 1949. To the east of the street is the former location of Fu Jen (Fu Ren) Catholic University, which was founded by the Benedictines of St. Vincent Arch Abbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, of the United States in Beijing in 1925. The buildings within the campus were designed with the combination of eastern and western styles. Today, the century-old buildings are still standing along the street under the shadow of green trees.

Ju'er Hutong
Ju'er Hutong, a quiet and traditional alleyway street, has a history of more than 100 years. It is the street where a provincial governor in the Qing Dynasty (1644?911) once lived and is blessed by the tranquil atmosphere of siheyuan, compounds with houses around a courtyard with old Beijing features. Today, it is a popular housing neighbourhood among foreigners.

Zhuanta Hutong
The Zhuanta Hutong in Xisi on the west side of the city is the oldest hutong in Beijing. In dramas written during the Yuan period, the Zhuanta Hutong is often mentioned. The area was also the home of famous playwright Guan Hanqing. The hutong has housed many celebrities, such as Lu Xun, Lao She and Zhang Hengshui.

Dashilan
If the Forbidden City has been a reflection of China's royal culture since the Ming Dynasty (1368?644), the Dashilan area in Qianmen is that of grassroots culture over the same period. It has been a centre of old Beijing's leading retail markets for centuries and mirrored the true lives of local Beijingers. As the oldest commercial street in Beijing, today, Dashilan remains packed with laozihao (Time Honoured Brand businesses in Beijing).

798 Arts Area
The 798 Arts Area located in Dashanzi is located northeast of Central Beijing. It was formerly a large State-owned enterprise built by the Russians in early 1959 as part of a war-reparations deal with Germany.
In 2002, artists and cultural organizations began using the space for design, photography, publishing, exhibitions, performance and art. They rented space in the factory and converted individual workshops into independent studios for art, architecture, music and fashion.
The 798 Arts Area and culture project has generated great interest and should not be left out of any Beijing art tour. 798 Space, Yan Club, Sit, Beijing Tokyo Art Projects (B.T.A.P), 798 Photo Gallery and Vibes are studios worth visiting.
 Dashanzi Area, Chaoyang District
+86 10 6491 2035   401, 420, 909, 991

Beijing Underground City
The Underground City was an elaborate and extensive set of tunnels and bomb shelters built for civil defence. For more than 20 years, Beijing's Underground City has been mostly forgotten by local citizens, despite being well-known among foreigners since it officially opened in 2000. The Underground City has also been called the Underground Great Wall, since they had the same purpose: military defence. The entrance to the underground city is located down an alleyway in the Qianmen area. Today, there are many amusement facilities in the underground city including cinemas, beauty salons and even a silk factory. Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the railway station are all accessible from the underground city.
62 Damochang Hutong (east of Qianmen Dajie and south of Taijichang) 
+86 10 3511 4341, 6702 2657    8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.  
20 yuan

Marco Polo Bridge
The real name of the Marco Polo Bridge is Reed Ditch Bridge. The bridge derives its name from the Venetian travellers' description in his famous travelogue. It was built in the early 12th century, over the Yongding River, to provide access to the capital 16 km away. It is famed for its parapets that line each side, with 140 columns crowned by countless lions行as the local saying goes (if you count them there are 485.)
The bridge also bears historical significance, because this is where China's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937?5) began. To the east of the bridge are Wanping County and its Chinese People's Anti-Japanese Aggression War Memorial Hall and other historical sites.
77 Lugouqiao Chengnan Jie, Fengtai District
+86 10 8389 2521   8 a.m.? p.m.
10 yuan    309, 339, 642, 715, 748, 964

Ming Dynasty City Wall Relics Park
The remaining 1-kilometre-long Ming Dynasty city wall in Beijing is said to be the last existing part of the third ring of the ancient city wall, which stretches from Chongwenmen to Dongbianmen in eastern Beijing.

Museums
Beijing had 129 registered museums by 2005, topping the country in terms of quantity, quality and density. Browsing cultural relics and modern exhibits in cool rooms can be an attraction during the summer months for visitors. There are several must-see museums.

China National Museum
The Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of Chinese Revolution are housed in the same building complex, which stretches for more than 300 metres north and south along the east side of Tian'anmen Square.
It has more than 610,000 relics dating to thousands of years ago. From military relics to cultural relics, visitors can get a sense of the rich culture of a historic nation. They can also get an introduction to China's modern history from the Opium War to the founding of the People誷 Republic of China in 1949. English translations are available for all.
Tian'anmen Square (east side), Dongcheng District
+86 10 6512 8967   20 yuan
8 a.m.-6.m. (April 1-Oober 31)
9 a.m.-4 p.m. (November 1-March 31)
1, 4, 54; Subway: Line 1, Tian'anmen Dong Station

Chairman Mao's Memorial Hall
Immediately behind the Monument to the People's Heroes on the southern side of Tian'anmen Square is the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall where the embalmed remains of Chairman Mao Zedong (1893?976), former Chinese leader and national icon, lies at rest. Chairman Mao's Memorial Hall was completed in August 1977. There are three main halls on the ground floor, one to the north, one to the south and the hall of reverence in between.
Tian'anmen Square, Dongcheng District
+86 10 6513 2277, ext. 80 
8:30-11:30 a.m. (Tuesday-Sunday),
2-4 p.m. (Tuesday-Thursday), (Closed on Mondays) 
Special Route No. 1, 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20, 22, 37, 52, 54, 120, 726, 728,
802, 826; Subway: Qianmen Station

Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution
The museum is composed of two four-storey wings and a main building of seven stories topped with the gilded emblem of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. More than 5,000 years of Chinese military history are on display.
9 Fuxing Lu, Haidian District
+ 86 10 6686 6114   8 a.m.? p.m.   
1, 4, 21, 337; Subway: Military Museum Station

China National Science and Technology Museum
A great place for children and their parents! In a ball-shape building, visitors can even experience what is like staying on the moon.
1 Beisanhuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang District
+86 10 6237 1177   
9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (Closed Mondays)  30 yuan 
21, 300, 302, 367, 387, 407, 718, 801, 825

China National Arts & Crafts Museum
This is a museum that proves that contemporary Chinese craftsmanship is every bit as good today as it was during the Tang Dynasty. Many items suggest this, particularly large chunks of carved jade and ceramic statues of arhats. It's a good introduction to traditional crafts and where they are produced in China.
Fifth Floor, 101 Fuxingmennei Dajie, Xicheng District
+86 10 6601 3377, ext. 3350
9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (Closed Mondays)
1, 4, 15, 44; Subway: Lines 1 or 2, Fuxingmen Station

China Aviation Museum
The China Aviation Museum is located about 64 kilometres north of Central Beijing at the foot of fascinating Xiaotang Hill (Xiaotang Shan) in Changping County. On November 11, 1989, it was opened to the public for the 40th Anniversary of the Founding of Air Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The museum has collected more than 200 airplanes of more than 100 types, along with weapons and equipped samples such as ground-air missiles, high cannons, radar, aviation bombs and aviation cameras.
Xiaotangshan, Changping District
+86 10 6178 4882   8 a.m.? p.m.
60 yuan    912

China Geological Museum
Built in 1916, the museum is world-renowned geological museum, housing more than 200,000 specimens. It has been a leading light among the same kind of Asian museums for its time-honoured history, large numbers of ancient records, its high percentage of curiosities, delicate displays and rich achievements in scientific research.
15 Yangrou Hutong, Xisi, Xicheng District
+86 10 6655 7858   30 yuan
9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (Closed Mondays)
22, 38, 101, 102, 103, 603, 806, 808, 850

Capital Museum
The Capital Museum houses nearly 200,000 valuable artefacts, mostly unearthed in the Beijing area. Among the treasures are: porcelain, bronzes, jade, the four treasures of the study and other objects. At the core of the collection are about 800 historical relics that tell the history of the Beijing area.
On Chang'an Jie (Avenue), the museum building is topped with a rectangular roof that extends over the edge of the edifice like a futuristic mortarboard cap, an amazing experiment in geometric fusion.
16 Fuxingmenwai Dajie  +86 10 6337 0491/ 92
9 a.m.-3 p.m.     20 yuan 
Muxidi Station

Beijing Museum of Natural History
The largest of its kind in China, the Beijing Museum of Natural History is located on the western edge of the Temple of Heaven. The first floor displays China's zoological history. A study of human anatomy with human cadavers and preserved organs are displayed on the second floor. The museum traces the evolution and development of human beings over the last 300?00 million years.
126 Tianqiao Nandajie, Chongwen District
+86 10 6702 4431  8:30 a.m.? p.m. 
15 yuan
2, 6, 15, 17, 20, 25, 35, 36, 45, 53, 110, 120

Beijing Planetarium
Just opposite the Beijing Zoo in Haidian, the newly renovated Planetarium is a fun outing particularly for amateur astronomers and children. With some of the latest high-tech equipment in the field, and displaying some of the oldest examples of scientific activity in China, the new Planetarium opened late 2004.
Resting alongside an original Planetarium that was established in 1957, the 300 million yuan (US$36 million), 20,000-square-metre Planetarium complex has three theatres, two observatories and a solar exhibition hall. The solar system exhibition hall and a galaxy exhibition hall have been the most popular since they opened. Visitors are treated to a state-of-the-art, 45-minute, mesmerising trip through the stars via the Planetarium's newly opened SGI(R) Digital Space Theatre where visitors can for the first time view an impressive array of high-contrast colour images including more than 37,000 stars, 30,000 galaxies, constellations, nebulae, planets, spacecraft, and deep space objects.
138 Xizhimenwai Dajie, Haidian District
+86 10 6831 2517                     10 yuan
9 a.m.-4 p.m. (Saturday), 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (Wednesday-Friday)
7, 15, 65, 102, 103, 107, 111, 334

Beijing Urban Planning Exhibition Hall
The Beijing Urban Planning Exhibition Hall exhibits stunning scale models of Beijing's city planning including its business districts, Olympic Village and on the third floor the entire city of Beijing in miniature and aerial photographs. Look for your own neighbourhood--it's remarkable!
East of Beijing Railway Station, Qianmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng District
+86 10 6702 4505/59               10 yuan
9 a.m.? p.m. (Closed Mondays)
Bus: 5, 9, 20, 44, 120, 819; Subway: Qianmen Station

Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum
It is the first special topic museum of China that focuses on collecting, researching and displaying China ancient architectural technologies and its art and development history. It introduces Chinese ancient architecture development from early hutch and mud houses to Ming and Qing dynasty palaces.
21 Xiannong Altar, Dongjing Lu, Xuanwu District
+86 10 6304 5608   9 a.m.? p.m. 
15 yuan    15, 17, 25, 105, 110

Ancient Observatory
Built in 1442, the observatory is made up of eight astronomical devices designed by Jesuit astronomers and presented to the imperial court.
2 Dongbiaobei Hutong, Jianguomen Subway Station, Dongcheng District
+86 10 6512 8923   9 a.m.?:30 p.m. 
10 yuan
Bus: 1, 4, 52, 403; Subway: Jianguomen Station

Beijing Art Museum
The permanent collection of the Beijing Art Museum includes bronze and jade artefacts from the Shang and Zhou dynasties (17third centuries BC), and ceramics, enamels, carved lacquerware, ivory, weavings and embroideries from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Ancient coins from China and Japan complement the collection. More than 50,000 artefacts from the Neolithic Period to modern times make up the entire collection.
Wanshou Temple, Suzhou Jie, Haidian District
+86 10 6841 3380   9 a.m.? p.m.  
300, 323, 374, 811                  10 yuan

National Art Museum of China
This national museum pioneered the showing of modern art in China. Today, it focuses on displaying, collecting and conducting research into modern art in China. It also engages in international art exchange programmes involving the best of the world's art.
1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng District
+86 10 6401 7076   9 a.m.? p.m.

China Red Sandalwood Museum
Arguably China's largest private museum, most of the exhibits on display at the China Red Sandalwood Museum are not surprisingly made of red sandalwood. The museum also devotes some space to rare woods including ebony and huali (Onmosia henryi).
23 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District
+86 10 8575 2818  9 a.m.-5 p.m. (Closed Monday)
50 yuan   312, 363, 718; Subway: Sihuidong Station

Guan Fu Classic Art Museum
The Guan Fu Classic Art Museum was the first private, non-profit art museum in China. It was approved by the government in 1996 and was established in 1997. The Guan Fu museum is located in suburban Beijing, near the capital airport. The 4,000-square-metre structure includes a museum and membership area of 2,800 square metres. The museum's collection focuses on the relics and antiques of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
18 Zhangwanfen, Jin Nanlu, Dashanzi, Chaoyang District
+86 10 6433 8887   9 a.m.? p.m.
20 yuan    418, 813, 909

Poly Art Museum
This was the first museum operated by a State-owned enterprise on the Chinese mainland. Most of the objects in its collections were recovered from abroad. Its treasures reflect the development and the unique charm of China's ancient bronze civilization. Forty carved figures of Buddha reflect the prosperity of Buddhism in China from the fifth-eighth centuries.
14 Dongzhimennan Dajie, Poly Building
+86 10 6500 8117   20 yuan
9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
44, 113, 115, 118, 701, 823; Subway: Line 2, Dongsishitiao Station

Beijing Jintai Art Museum
The Jintai Art Museum was founded by Yuan Xikun, a famous painter and a commissioner of the national committee of the CPPCC (Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference). China's largest folk art museum relies on the originality of its art and cultural collections to highlight China's profound traditional culture and its charms on the international stage, and introduce the colourful arts of foreign countries into China.
Chaoyang Park West Gate Tel: +86 10 6501 9441
115, 302, 705, 988, 976