Hutongs of Beijing

Advantages: Beautiful buildings and a look at life for many ordinary citizens of Beijing
Disadvantages: Can be busy and cramped

...A hutong is an ancient alleyway or lane found in Beijing which can date back as far as the Yuan dynasty of China in the 13th century. The crisscrossing alleys can now offer a glimpse of another part of this ancient city that is quite different to the major attractions such as the Summer Palace or the Forbidden City. The tiny, twisted and interconnected lanes wind through whole areas of the city of Beijing. The lanes are lined with traditional stone houses all arranged in quadrangles, so four houses around a courtyard, which are beautiful old fashioned buildings. They often involve carved pillars, window frames and doors and the open spaces of the courtyard lets in air and light to otherwise quite cramped areas-some of the lanes really are tiny with less than a metre of breadth. Most of the hutongs are still used as housing and are...

flyingllamas 07.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Hutongs, Beijing

Hutong tours

Advantages: great to see some culture
Disadvantages: small streets

...The hutongs is small alleyways crisscroding east west acoss the city. They are small narrow street which one car could fit down. In some places only a bike could fit down them.It is a great opportunity to see some culture of Beijing and how people lived in the past. People still live here but not as many as there used to be as younger generations prefer to live in modern homes. Some of the hutong and courtyard homes are protected by Beijings Cultural Relic's Protection Association however many others are being bulldozed so there are getting less and less available. We got a rickshaw ride around the hutongs which had been arranged by a tour operator. Beware it is abit rough around the edges and quite dirty in places however it was worthwhile to see how people of beijing live. At times I felt very enclosed in. Once on the rickshaw ride...

DeniseKelly40 27.08.2007 · Read review
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Review of Hutongs, Beijing

A living history of life in Beijing

Advantages: It's a great insight to the living and breathing history of life in Beijing from the local perspective
Disadvantages: If you go indepently you may get lost.

...The Hutongs are a large expanse of "ancient alleyways" (semi- literal translation) which house a large number of Bejing's families right in the heart of the city. It is really worth visiting, as it gives a more grassroots perspective on living and breathing in Beijing as opposed to the vast imperial palaces like the Forbidden City. What is so great about the Hutongs is that despite all the upheaval that this great city and China has witnessed, they are still very much a functioning part of the city- with hundreds of families still resident. The organic nature of the Hutongs means that they have sprawled across a large area of central Beijing- easily accessibly from the Tiananmen Square, the shopping district of Wangfujin (if you walk behind the main street), and HouHai (which is a wonderful bar and restaurant district spanning...

njim274 22.09.2005 (23.09.2005) · Read review
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Review of Hutongs, Beijing

A brief trip around the Hutongs.

Advantages: Another insight into Chinese social history.
Disadvantages: Narrow alleys, bleak, and as informative from the outside as the inside.

...A hutong is an ancient city alley or lane typical in Beijing, where hutongs run into the several thousand surrounding the Forbidden City. The word "hutong" originates from the word "hottog" which means "well" in Mongolian. Villagers dig out a well and inhabited there. Hutong means a lane or alley and now refers to a compound with houses set around a central courtyard where old Beijing residents live. The main buildings in the hutong are almost all quadrangles consisiting of a building complex mad up of four houses around a quadrangular courtyard . The guide informs that the quadrangles vary in size and design depending on the social status of the occopier. In days gone by the big ornate quadrangles were occupied by high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants; these were specially built with roof beams and pillars all carved...

jasonking12 25.10.2005 · Read review
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Review of Hutongs, Beijing

A Beijing Bolthole

Advantages: Cheap, with helpful staff
Disadvantages: pricy food (compared to outside of hostel),

...I am back again, writing from the East! I write this while still at the hostel, while I wait for a train to Shanghai this evening. We checked out before 12 so effectively my experience of the place is complete. They are storing our bags and allowing us to use the communal facilities as we wait. We booked our holiday to China in November, planning to go to Chengdu to visit a school friend of mine. She told us she would scope out the local hostels for us and that there was a chance we could stay in her friends flat instead. Then the earthquake hit Sichuan, and our holiday looked like it was going to be cancelled. We decided to change our destination to Beijing instead, and my friend came to join us. She recommended the hostel that she had stayed in on her last visit and it looked nice enough online, so she booked it for us a couple...

fabulous_girl 07.06.2008 · Read review
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Review of Red Lantern House, Beijing

A seek Peking to Beijing life

Advantages: world class attractions, Friendly people, amazing food
Disadvantages: n/a

...I arrived into Beijing by train from Mongolia via the trans Siberian express, sadly we arrived just after the Olympics had finished last summer, but the weekend we arrived was a national holiday ? therefore there was lots going on. The train station we arrived was located in the middle of the city and was swarmed with thousands of people at the exit for international arrivals similar to that of a major airport and gave our first impression of the city. However this crowded mad city impression was forgotten after we arrived at our hotel near the lama temple was soon forgotten as the hotel was very nice and this was budget accommodation, but we had one of the best rooms we had around on our trip around the world. One thing that struck me instantly was that the smog that seems to plague the city was not as bad as I thought it would be, but...

mtpatton 17.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of General: Beijing

No gold medal for Beijing 2008

Advantages: Good online multiplayer, excellent graphics
Disadvantages: Controls, no story line

...Satisfactory sporting games are often hard to come by, especially for those of us wanting to experience a variety of events. Luckily, Beijing 2008 just made the cut. For the first time ever, Olympics fans have gained the chance to try their hand at running, swimming, shooting, jumping and much more from the comfort of their own homes. Sounds like a dream, and the game really did have some great features, but there were also some huge disappointments. .Graphics. Excellent graphics, in my opinion, are important in any good game, and Sega certainly didn't let us down here. Whether you're mid-race in a running event or getting ready to dive into the pool, you can always depend on the stunning looks of the surroundings. Simply everything is life-like, and the athletes become real as they cross the finish line first, last or somewhere in...

CaimheKnox 03.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Beijing 2008 (Xbox 360)

Hotel Kunlun-one of the best hotels in Beijing

Advantages: convenient location, good service and delicious food.
Disadvantages: Expensive.

...If you lived in Beijing and you said you don't know Hotel Kunlun people would think you were joking. I have lived in Beijing for over 11 years and visited the hotel many times for business meetings and leisure. Personally I think it's one of the best hotels in Beijing. Location The Hotel Kunlun is situated just inside the Third Ring Road of Beijing, which is the main traffic link between the centre of Beijing and the suburbs. Its central location is convenient for visitors and guests. From Hotel Kunlun to Beijing Capital International Airport the distance is 20km, to Tiananmen Square 10 km, to Beijing railway station 8km. It is also surrounded by many embassies, such as USA, Canada, Japan, etc. It's a 10 minute drive to the British Embassy. Last but not least there are many famous and popular department stores, shopping malls...

happysh2009 28.09.2009 (08.10.2009) · Read review
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Review of Hotel Kunlun, Beijing

Top 3 bar areas in Beijing

Advantages: many choices.
Disadvantages: westerlized.

...There are more than 400 bars around Beijing. Most of them are located in the northern and eastern areas of the city. The most famous areas are the top 3 listed below. 1. San li Tun & Worker's Stadium Since the first bar opened in the southern street of San li Tun in 1989 this area has developed into 9 sq.km. It was most popular and still is especially with foreigners. Around San Li Tun there are more than 70 foreign Embassies and a famous silk market(now the market moved inside and is called Ya Xiu Market). Here you can find many bars with different themes. Some are very big. Some just have a couple of tables. The bars in the southern street are more simple, quiet and popular with people who are interested in art and music. The bars in the northern street are more noisy and popular with foreigners especially single men...

happysh2009 15.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of General: Beijing

Ten years in Beijing

Advantages: Great people, fabulous food
Disadvantages: Pollution levels high, extremes of temperature

...for cheaper accommodation, the Lonely Planet has a long list. There is a youth hostel in the Sanlitu area, which is cheap and clean. Things to do There is plenty to do in Beijing. Most tours will arrange trips to the main attractions; but if you are not on a tour, then you should particularly aim for the Forbidden City, The Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, the Lama Temple, the hutongs (alleyways) in the Houhai area and of course the Great Wall. Try to get to the Simatai section of the Great Wall, rather tha the Badaling Section - the views are absolutely stunning from the top. There is quite a climb, so not for the unfit or elderly. All of the places except the Great Wall are within the city proper - you'll need at least an hour and a half to two hours to reach the Great Wall. Peking Opera is also worth seeing if you get...

sunmeilan 30.09.2005 · Read review
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Review of China - beijing