A Beijing Hutong Adventure!

Riding Rickshaws Through Ancient Beijing Alleyways

Beijing Hutongs are the old traditional alleys and thousands of lanes weaving in between the courtyard homes surrounding the Forbidden City where most Beijing residents used to live.

Although many still remain, the old Hutongs are sadly being replaced by high-rise buldings to give way to the modernization of Beijing.

A trip through the Hutongs gave us a glimpse of Chinese traditional life. One of the most fun ways to see this is with a rickshaw ride.

The kids thoroughly enjoyed it, not just the zipping around, but all the sights and surprises along the way. There were groups of elderly people playing Mahjong, some were practicing their early morning exercises. There were colorful markets and small stalls selling the local foods. Kids playing on the streets, and everybody going on their daily routines.

After our Pedicab ride, we walked around and ended by the Drum Tower. It's an imposing structure and quite colorful, hard to miss.

Climb the steep stairs and check out the Drums. There is one large drum and 24 smaller ones which were used to mark the hours in the old days.

The kids might enjoy the Drum Ceremony which takes place every hour on the half hour. Check out the short clip at the end of the video just below.

Go outside to the terrace and look out over the city, the views from up here are great. There is also a nice view of the Bell Tower just accross.

The Bell Tower like its counterpart, was used in ancient times to tell time, the bell would ring mornings, and the drums at dusk. The Bell Tower in Beijing contains the largest and heaviest bell in China and it is made of copper.

Click on the arrow and watch a short video from our rickshaw ride through this fascinating part of old traditional Beijing, which might not be for too much longer:

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Alternatively, you might want to see this part of ancient Beijing by bicycle, hop on and go like the locals, just watch out for the crazy drivers and pedestrian traffic!

Check out our Beijing Map for this and other Beijing Attractions' locations.

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