Beijing Walking Tours

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I had heard there are three must-do things in Beijing; eat Peking Duck, walk on the wall and visit a hutong. I'd eaten and I'd walked so it was time to contemplate visiting a hutong.

A hutong is a series of alleys linking traditional courtyard residences. Many neighbourhoods were formed by joining one alley to another to form a hutong, and then joining one hutong to the next.

Sadly, the number of Beijing hutongs has dropped dramatically in recent years as they have been demolished to make way for new roads and buildings. I was keen to see this treasured part of Chinese cultural history and I'd heard that Beijing Walking offered a three-hour walk for free.

I contacted Beijing Walking by email and received an almost immediate reply from Leo who explained that the free tour happens on Mondays and Fridays, starting at the Nanluoguxiang Subway Station (exit E).



Beijing's Metro system is very easy to follow and I found myself in a group of about 10 other walkers in no time at all.

Our tour guide was Joe, a delightful storyteller with a wicked sense of humour. He encouraged brief introductions then led us around the corner to a surprisingly tranquil oasis.



You see Beijing has a population of around twenty-one million people and I felt as though I had seen twenty million of them during the three weeks I spent in Beijing. It's a busy, crowded city.

This small hutong, so very close to the hustle and bustle, was calm and serene. The narrow alleyways ran perpendicular to a river, fringed by weeping willows and transversed by quaint bridges.

The locals were quietly going about the business of shopping for groceries and trimming their dogs' fur.



Some were partaking in a leisurely wander...



... while others chose traditional transport methods to get to their destination.



Joe had a wealth of information to share and patiently answered all tricky questions from our group.



He began by describing traditional society relationships and status within the hutongs, including the indicators of owner status outside each home. My understanding was that a complex series of beams, drums, pillars and other small structures indicated a person's rank, role and relationship potential in more traditional times.



The highlight for me, and, I suspect, most other walkers, was a visit to the home of local character, Mr Liu.



Mr Liu it seems, is a lover of animals and cares for hundreds in his home and garden. He entertained our group with stories of singing grasshoppers and fighting crickets and performed a fascinating 'show and tell' of paraphernalia including a cricket-sized fighting arena and a cricket coffin.



Joe translated the stories between fits of giggling. The fact that Mr Liu is something of a comedian was evident despite the language barrier.



Our walk continued as did Joe's stories and explanations, providing a wonderful insight into traditional Beijing culture. I loved it and can't recommend this activity highly enough.

Beijing Walking offer various private and small group tours, including several to the Great Wall, at reasonable prices. They will custom design a tour for you and also offer a transfer service.

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