Nan Luo Gu Xiang
Are you tired of visiting the Great Wall, the Forbidden City or the Summer Palace during your travelling in Beijing? Are you interested in appreciating a peaceful Beijing different from its general impression as an international metropolis? Have you tasted typically local Beijing cuisines and snack? Are you attracted by Hutong culture in Beijing and various kinds of traditional Chinese handcrafts? Please come to Nan Lu Gu Xiang. You won’t regret for your choice.
General Introduction
Nan Luo Gu Xiang is located in the inner part of Beijing City. With a length of no more than 1000 meters, the small street is home to a large number of bars, stores, cafes, restaurants, and handcraft shops. Compared with the busy and fast-paced city life in Beijing, you are able to enjoy a slow, simple and peaceful life in Nan Luo Gu Xiang. Visitors are free to wander around the blocks and browse in various kinds of shops. Its name literally means “South Gong and Drum Lane”, demonstrating traditional Chinese characteristics.
History
Nan Luo Gu Xiang is considered as one of the oldest hutongs in Beijing due to its history of over 800 years. Its construction can be traced back to the Yuan dynasty. It consists of 8 symmetrical lanes, or hutong, on both the East and West sides. The walls are in gray or dark schungite, giving a sense of tranquility, nobility and detachment. The area used to be the community of literary figures and court officers in ancient times.
Cool Shops
Nowadays, Nan Luo Gu Xiang functions as the popular place for young Beijingers to gather and hang out. Most of the shops are small in size but demonstrate high-caliber taste. The Pottery Workshop sells such lovely small pieces as teacups and jars. Their resident artists make most of the products by hand. They also teach you basic techniques without charging fees. So it will be wonderful experiences if you’ve got plenty of time.
Grifted is a fabulous store filled with crazy and unconventional Chinese-inspired toys and gifts. The portraits of Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro and Lei Feng are printed on the exterior of bags or cups. Many other items are made with elements of Peking Opera or other traditional Chinese folk art forms in a humorous way. These small articles demonstrate the ingenuity and originality of the shopkeepers The products range from lovely decorative crafts to a practical hats and T-shirts. As a foreign visitor once expressed, "What I like here is that the articraft is really hard to do. There is a lot of craftsmanship you have to do and it's unique."
Nan Luo Gu Xiang is also home to many bars and cafes with unique constructing and decorating style. For example, Passby Bar is a well-established place for people obsessed with travelling around. Salud serves music fans with draught beers.
If you get tired of living in concrete buildings, you are able to enjoy a peaceful and quiet afternoon by sipping a cup of coffee and chatting with visitors from every corner of the world.