Hutongs & Gulou

The hutong districts spreading north from the Forbidden City towards the Drum and Bell Towers represent what remains of Beijing's pre-modern urban fabric. The word hutong derives from a Mongolian term for water well, and the lanes date in outline to the Yuan dynasty, though most surviving structures are Qing. Cycles of demolition and conservation throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries have left the area a patchwork: some blocks feel authentically lived-in, others have been pedestrianised and commercialised with craft shops and coffee bars.

Nanluogu Xiang, the most visited lane, runs 800 metres between two east–west arteries and is lined on both sides with boutiques, tea shops, and snack stalls. It is crowded at weekends. The lanes immediately east and west — Mao'er Hutong, Banchang Hutong, Ju'er Hutong — are quieter and retain residential character. Cycling through them in the early morning, before most residents are up, gives a clearer sense of the neighbourhood's scale and texture.

The Drum and Bell Towers, rebuilt in their current form in the Ming dynasty, stand at the northern end of the central axis that runs through the Forbidden City. The Drum Tower contains an exhibition of traditional timekeeping and offers good views over the grey-tiled roofscape. Evening performances of drum-beating run to a fixed schedule.

Prince Gong's Mansion, a few blocks west, is the largest surviving private residence of the Qing period and a useful counterpoint to the public imperial spaces further south — it shows how the inner court nobility lived.

In winter, Shichahai lake freezes and is used for ice skating. In summer, the lakeside bars and restaurants become a social hub that runs late into the night.