Beijing's Old Hutongs

(34 reviews)

Beijing audio tour: Beijing's Old Hutongs

This is a 1.7mi walking tour

It takes an average of 45 mins to complete.

Beijing

China

$4.99

Access all 16 locations offline with the VoiceMap app

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About the Tour

The hutongs are the historic heart of old Beijing. Join us on this 3km walk from the Drum Tower to the Tibetan Buddhist Lama Temple, through a winding labyrinth of alleyways and local color that takes you past some of Beijing's most ancient landmarks.

IMPORTANT: There is a GPS offset in China, and as a result your position on Google and Apple maps will be incorrect. This issue doesn't affect the offline map, so after you've downloaded all the audio files, but before you hit start, switch to 'airplane mode' (or turn off data) and you'll be able to track your position correctly.

Tour Producer

Alec Ash

1 tour

Alec Ash is a writer and editor in Beijing, author of 'Wish Lanterns' (Picador, 2016) about the lives of young Chinese.

Preview Location

Location 14

Confucius Temple

Stop here, at the gate of the Confucius Temple. You should see a ticketed entrance with a few bored looking attendants. You can buy a joint ticket here for both the Confucius Temple and the Imperial College – they're connected – and if you have the time I recommend you go into... Stop here, at the gate of the Confucius Temple. You should see a ticketed entrance with a few bored looking attendants. You can buy a joint ticket here for both the Confucius Temple and the Imperial College – they're connected – and if you have the time I recommend you go into see both, pausing this tour and picking it up again when you come out of this exit again.

The Confucius Temple was built in 1302, and officials and ordinary folk alike have paid their respects to the Great Sage here for centuries. Confucius went out of style during the Cultural Revolution, when vestiges of China’s traditional, feudal culture were criticised harshly and old temples like this were looted and sacked by gangs of Red Guards. The Confucius Temple was no exception, but many of its treasures have been restored, and it's a favourite among schoolchildren, who come here to pray for good exam results.

Once you're outside again, keep walking east. We're on the home stretch now. You might begin to smell incense in the air, and hear recordings of the Buddhist manta “Om Mani Padme Hum”. Tibetan trinkets are sold in the shops to either side of you, including prayer-bead necklaces, golden Boddhisatva figurines, incense sticks, miniature prayer wheels and other baubles for those seeking a souvenir of nirvana.

Of course, it’s all rather touristy, and the fact that exactly the same trinkets are sold in every shopfront along this strip rather ruins the effect, but I’m still fond of this area for its beauty and charm. It’s also interesting to note that the tourists attracted to this kind of Tibetan chic are mostly Chinese, who are just as fascinated by so-called “exotic” Tibet as Westerners are.

Ahead of you, you should see another main road, which is very near the end of our walk. If it’s summertime, also look out for one of my favourite street snacks, a sugared yoghurt drink that comes in a gourd shaped ceramic pot with paper stretched over the lid that you puncture with a straw. It’s called _suannai_ and if it’s summer you should see them out on display. It’s very refreshing and you could think about getting one as a reward for your navigation skills.

At this final archway that marks the end of Imperial College boulevard, we're just across the road from the Lama temple. Read More

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How VoiceMap Works

Focus on your surroundings, not the screen

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Major Landmarks

Bell and Drum Towers Beijing
Temple of Confucius
Lama Temple

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Da Xiang Feng Hu Tong, Xi Cheng Qu, Bei Jing Shi, China, 100035
Total distance

3km
Final location
Fang Jia Hu Tong, 交道口 Dong Cheng Qu, Bei Jing Shi, China, 100009
Distance back to start location

2km

Directions to Starting Point

Get yourself to the south side of the Drum Tower. If you're taking the subway, get out at Exit C of Shichahai Station on line 8, turn right and walk up. You'll see the tower in front of you: it's a big square red building, past a fork of traffic.

Alternatively, take a taxi to "Gulou" and you should end up at the same spot. Either way, walk over the fork of traffic and get right up close to the barred gate.

Note this is not the entrance to the Drum Tower (the way in is on the north side, next to a quieter courtyard), but is where the walk begins.

Please note: China offsets Google Maps positioning, so if you are using this to find the starting point, please use Satellite mode to view it, so you will be able to see the correct position of the starting point.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Drum Tower, Bell Tower, Ancient Liquor Museum, Imperial College, Confucius Temple, Yonghegong Lama Temple

Best time of day

A lazy afternoon

Precautions

Watch out for scooters

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”