Beijing Hutong City Walk
£136.00
A day on foot through the old lanes, courtyards and lakes at the heart of Beijing.
Highlights
Historic Hutong Lanes
Countyard (Siheyuan) Tea Experience
Historic Hutong Lanes
Drum & Bell Towers
Countyard (Siheyuan) Tea Experience
Historic Hutong Lanes
Countyard (Siheyuan) Tea Experience
Countyard (Siheyuan) Tea Experience
Countyard (Siheyuan) Tea Experience
Itinerary
Drum & Bell Tower: Ancient Timekeeper of Beijing
The Bell and Drum Towers were central to official timekeeping in China during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The Bell and Drum Towers continued to function as the official timepiece of Beijing until 1924. That year, the Beijing Coup led to the expulsion of Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, from the Forbidden City, and the adoption of Western-style clocks for official time-keeping.
Hutong Grid Walk Tour: Beijing's Daily Life
Hutong is the name given to a narrow lane, alley, or small street between rows of single-storey Siheyuan dwelled by Beijingers in the past. When viewed from the air the interlaced lanes resemble a maze or a chessboard with delicate gardens, fine rockeries and ancient ruins which makes them a wonder in the world.
Because of the interlacement of the lanes, every house is connected to the other, making it easy for local people to keep in touch with their neighbors. Therefore, once one enters any of the lanes, one can feel the deep and warm relationships among people, which is rarely found in this modern world.
Courtyard Home Tea Experience
Gossiping in these lanes and courtyards is a common scene as it is the main way for people to strengthen their relationship. These lanes have witnessed the development of Beijing. Where there is such a lane, there is a story.
Step inside a traditional siheyuan courtyard home for tea and a conversation about hutong life, past and present.
Shichahai & Houhai: Commercial Area Next to the Royal Courtyards
Shichahai is a famous scenic area in the northwest part of Beijing, which includes three lakes (Qianhai, meaning Front Sea; Houhai, meaning Back Sea, and Xihai, meaning West Sea), surrounding places of historic interest and scenic beauty, and remnants of old-style local residences, Hutong and Courtyard.
Shichahai is always a good place for local residents' recreational life, and in the last 200 years, many governmental officers, celebrities, monks and nuns chose to build mansions, temples and nunneries in it. Thus, the attraction of Shichahai lies not only in its natural beauty, but also in the historical value of its architecture.
(Optional) Prince Gong's Mansion: The Grandest Surviving Courtyard Estate
The mansion was constructed around the year 1777 and was originally the private residence of Heshen. Heshen controlled finance and the appointment of civil servants during Qianlong's sovereign thus enabling him to acquire great wealth.
As a result, this fine example of ancient Chinese architecture with its cultural connotations is important not only for its aesthetic value but as an asset to those who wish to study the lifestyle of the privileged classes in the feudal society of a bygone era; it also has an interesting history.
(Optional) Jingshan: Classic Hilltop View over the Forbidden City
Located on the center of the north-south central axis of Beijing, Jingshan Park was the imperial garden in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and once the highest point of central Beijing. The Wanchun Pavilion at the Jingshan Park lies on the highest point of the Central Axis of Beijing.
Jingshan Park served as an imperial garden and was properly laid out under the Ming Dynasty when numerous fruit trees were planted as well as many palaces and pavilions built for the emperor to make sacrifices to his ancestors.