History of the Hutong Walking Tour
What is all the fuss about?
When you arrive in Beijing you soon get the idea that the narrow Hutong alleyways contain the very soul of China’s capital. But who built these charming maze-like neighbourhoods? History of the Hutong is the history of Beijing told through the hutongs. We will take on more than 2000 years of history and piece together a comprehensive narrative seen from street level. Utilizing a huge floor map of Beijing that we can stand on, old antique depictions of the city and other related archival material we will penetrate deep in to the urban maze of old Beijing in search for answers.
10:00-12:30 Saturday, February 13 (newly open)14:00-16:30 Saturday, February 13 (sold out)14:00-16:30 Sunday, February 14 (sold out)Layers of Beijing Walking Tour
70 years ago 「Beijing」 was not the capital of China. It is easy to forget, but our neighbor Mr.Shi remembers. He was standing at the imperial gate of Qianmen when the Communists came in.
Layers of Beijing creates a portrait of the time from 1949 to the present day, with an emphasis on the dramatic changes of the 1950s. With the Communists, wave upon wave of seemingly endless social campaigns started. Illiteracy, rats, sparrows, imperialists and rightists were all targeted in the enormous Communist effort to change society and transform Beijing into the Communist capital of China, and industries were moved into old temples, brothels and opium dens closed down... Based upon interviews and archival research, we have made a portrait of Beijing from the perspective of those who have lived through the immense changes.
It has been an illuminating experience talking to people who remember the city before and just after the Communists arrival. Not long ago camels still carried in coal from the mines of Mentougou, the gigantic city walls were still in place, wood-fired buses rambled through the streets in a flume of black smoke, and ration coupons were just as important as money in hand.
Our neighbor Mr. Shi knows because he was there.
14:00-16:30 Monday, February 15 (2 tickets left)Talk: Murder & Gin
A young girl's grisly murder in 1937 shocked the world and made headlines around the globe. But as Beijing teetered on the edge of war with Japan, her death - and the search for her killer - were soon forgotten.
The author Paul French stumbled upon an unlabeled box of dusty yellow paged files at the British National Archives. The documents inspired him to write his novel Midnight in Peking that became an instant bestseller. Murder and Gin is a portrait of a young girl, Pamela Werner, and her Beijing. A collection of historical photographs and antique maps will open a window to the city that she knew. Using three original maps from the 1930s we will retrace her steps presenting places like the Fox Tower, the French ice skating ring, Hotel Des Wagons Lits and the notorious badlands...16:00-17:30 Tuesday, February 16 (3 tickets left)16:00-17:30 Wednesday, February 17 (new date)
100 Years, 12 Visions: The Evolution of Modern Beijing
How did the Japanese occupation in 1937 impact Beijing? Why was the city wall torn down? What did the decision to move the capital in 1928 mean to Beijing? When did Beijing get its first tramway system and why was it smashed up by 50,000 angry rickshaw pullers? What was Wanfujing called during the 1960s? During this walk, we will answer these questions and more, and piece together the history of how Beijing developed over the course of the last hundred years to become the city it is today. The walk includes a visit to the City Planning Museum, a walk in the nearby hutongs, and finally, we will end at the Beijing Postcards gallery where we will look at historical maps from our collection all related to the different visions of the Capital that we have explored.
14:00-16:30 Saturday, February 20 (sold out)Saijinhua & the Brothels of Dashilar
A hundred years ago, in a country on the verge of collapse, a woman from the shadows stood up and defended her Chinese countrymen. Abandoned by the imperial government, and occupied by western forces looking for revenge, the fate of Beijing was placed on the narrow shoulders of a common courtesan. But who was this saint like figure? A plain prostitute or a Maria of the East? The lover of a German general? A Brothel Madam? An opium addict? Or a liar and a cheat?
Follow us, in the small footsteps of a very unlikely hero with tiny lily feet, through old opium dens and brothels still standing, when we look for answers. During this walk we will track down the life of Beijing’s most famous prostitute - Saijinhua, and create a portrait of Dashilar, the more than 600 year old commercial district of Beijing, and Ba Da Hutong - the old red light district. The walk ends with an exhibition of related pictures from Beijing Postcards collection.
14:00-16:30 Saturday, February 27 (sold out)A Crash Course to the Forbidden City
This walk is a humble attempt to unlock the meaning behind the chambers of the Palace. In a condensed and hopefully entertaining way, we wish to give you a comprehensive history of the Palace from when it was built 600 years ago till the last emperor finally left in 1924.
13:00-16:30 Sunday, February 28