A crowd explores Dashilar Hutong. [photo: CRIENGLISH.com/William Wang] |
Centuries' worth of architecture can still is found, though none of it is glorified as it is on the Qianmen side. No, this side of Dashilar is charming for its lack of pomp.
A local resident Huang noted that the busier side of the hutong used to draw celebrities to its teahouses and clubs. "But this side," she explained, "is more of a daily life atmosphere. The local residents themselves represent culture, so a lot of visitors like to see them. Dashilar is the only place in Beijing that a whole section of hutongs is well-preserved. There are other places with hutongs, but now they're run down or the buildings aren't original."
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