Beijing's Top Sights - Beijing - page 263

Wind your way through the fascinating hútòng west of Meishi Jie, once infamous as
old Peking's red-light district ( CLICK HERE ) .
Check out the distinctly different Muslim neighbourhood around Niujie Mosque (
CLICK HERE ), the capital's largest.
Make sure to visit the Běijīng Ancient Architecture Museum ( CLICK HERE ) to see
how imperial Běijīng was built.
Pop into the little-visited Fǎyuán Temple ( CLICK HERE ), one of the city's oldest and
most peaceful Buddhist shrines.
Explore: Dashilar & Xīchéng South
Divided from neighbouring Dōngchéng by Qianmen Dajie ( CLICK HERE ), Dashilar and
Xīchéng South takes in the former district of Xuānwǔ. Its major sights are concentrated in
two distinct areas: Dashilar and the surrounding alleyways, and the Muslim district around
Niu Jie, with nearby hútòng to explore as well.
Spend a morning visiting the shops of Dashilar, before lunching at one of the small res-
taurants on Dazhalan Xijie. The hútòng off Dazhalan Xijie, the former red-light district of
old Peking, are worth diving into.
From the western end of Dazhalan Xijie, it's a short stroll to Líulìchǎng, the capital's
premier shopping street for antiques, calligraphy and traditional Chinese art, which is bi-
sected by the busy Nanxinhua Jie. Curio-hunters will be in seventh heaven here. Round
off the day by catching a show at one of the acrobatics or Peking opera theatres in the
neighbourhood.
Start a second day in the area with a trip to the Běijīng Ancient Architecture Museum, a
must for anyone interested in the capital's beginnings. It's a short hop by taxi, or a brisk
2km walk, northwest from there to Niu Jie, the main drag of Běijīng's Muslim Huí neigh-
bourhood. Visit the mosque, an intriguing blend of Chinese and Arabic styles, before eat-
ing at a local Muslim restaurant. After that, backtrack to the nearby Fǎyuán Temple, a se-
rene shrine still surrounded by hútòng that are good for a wander.