©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 Xuanwumen 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 Line 2. Go to Hepingmen on the same line for ¨¨Mǎliándào Tea Market Liulichang. Line 4 runs north–south through the (p131) neighbourhood towards Běijīng South Railway Station, For reviews, see p130.A with the stop at Caishikou walking distance from both Nui Jie and Fǎyuán Temple.