©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 124

Dashilar & Xīchéng South

Neighbourhood Top Five 1 Dashilar (p126) Peruse Meishi Jie, which retain a seum to discover how impe- the historic, pedestrianised local neighbourhood char- rial Běijīng was built. shopping street, still home acter in the face of rapid-fire 5 Fǎyuán Temple (p126) to some of the oldest and development. Pop into this little-visited most prestigious empori- 3 Niújiē Mosque (p126) Buddhist shrine, one of ums in the city. Whether it’s Check out the capital’s larg- the city’s oldest and most silk or ancient aphrodisiacs, est Muslim neighbourhood. peaceful. you’ll find it here. 4 Běijīng Ancient Archi- 2 Hútòng (p129) Wind tecture Museum (p126) your way through the fas- Visit this informative mu- cinating hútòng west of 0000000 0000000 0000000 X Qianmen Xidajie (2nd Ring Rd)0000000 Xidajie u

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0 1 km i e# 0 0.5 miles e For more detail of this area see Map p280.A 125 Lonely Planet’s Explore Dashilar & Xīchéng South Top Tip Divided from neighbouring Dōngchéng by Qianmen Avoid the restaurants off Dajie, Dashilar (大栅栏) and Xīchéng South (南西城) the south end of Dashilar; take in the former district of Xuānwǔ. Its major sights many still try to charge foreigners more than locals

are concentrated in two distinct areas: Dashilar and the Dashilar &Xīchéng Muslim district around Niu Jie, with nearby hútòng to by offering them a special explore as well. English menu. Instead, head Spend a morning visiting Dashilar’s shops (p126), be- down Dazhalan Xijie for fore lunch at one of the small restaurants on Dazhalan cheaper options. Look for Xijie. The hútòng off Dazhalan Xijie were once the red- the places that have plenty light district of old Peking and are well worth diving of locals eating in them. Be into. wary of anyone in the Dashi- From the western end of Dazhalan Xijie, it’s a short lar area offering to take you stroll to Liulichang, the capital’s premier shopping street to a tea ceremony; it’s a very expensive scam. for antiques, calligraphy and traditional Chinese art and S a must for curio-hunters. In the evening, catch a show outh at one of the acrobatics or Peking opera theatres in the neighbourhood. Best Places  5 Begin a second day in the area with a trip to the to Eat Běijīng Ancient Architecture Museum (p126). Then, hop ¨¨Gǒubùlǐ (p128) in a taxi to Niu Jie, the main drag of Běijīng’s Muslim ¨¨Turpan Restaurant (p128) Huí neighbourhood. Visit the mosque, a blend of Chinese ¨¨Liú Family Noodles and Arabic styles, and eat at a local Muslim restaurant. (p126) Nearby Fǎyuán Temple (p126) is a serene shrine sur- rounded by intriguing hútòng. For reviews, see p126.A

Local Life 3 Best Entertainment ¨ Táorántíng Park North of Běijīng South Railway Station, this is the lungs of the neighbourhood and a ¨¨Tiānqiáo Acrobatics great escape from the surrounding urban madness. Theatre (p129) ¨ ¨ H ú t ò n g Visit the alleyways sandwiched between ¨Húguǎng Guild Hall Dazhalan Xijie and Qianmen Xidajie; they see far fewer (p129) foreigners than others in the area. ¨¨Lao She Teahouse (p129) ¨ Market Locals head to the streets around Mǎliándào For reviews, see p129.A Tea Market (p131) for both tea and reasonably priced tea sets. 7 Best Places to Shop Getting There & Away ¨¨Ruìfúxiáng (p130) ¨ ¨ Subway For Dashilar, get off at the Qianmen stop ¨Xían Yàn Tāng (p130) on . Go to Hepingmen on the same line for ¨¨Mǎliándào Tea Market Liulichang. runs north–south through the (p131) neighbourhood towards Běijīng South Railway Station, For reviews, see p130.A with the stop at walking distance from both Nui Jie and Fǎyuán Temple.