"Hutong" is a Mongolian word in origin, meaning "water well", Later it was referred to narrow streets or lanes. As the symbol of old Beijing City , a hutong has its own layout and structure.When taking a bird's eye view of Beijing's old districts,you will find the combination of Hutongs and courtyards just like an orderly chessboard with delicate gardens,and ancient ruins. Hutongs are becoming the living memory of the development of Beijing City.

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Just about 100 meters to the south of Drum Tower in Beijing ,following the signboard and decorated archway, you enter the narrow hutong named "Yan Dai Xie Jie" which means "slanted Tobacco Pipe Street". In the Qing dynasty, there were a great number of shops selling pipes in the street , but today , you can see different kinds of bars , tea houses, cafes, and souvenir shops .

To explore the beijing 's yesterday and experience Beijing typical narrow alleys and visit local family . High recommend taking a rickshaw tour ,a English-speaking tour guide will tell you more history of Hutong.