Walking Tour 3

Wangfujing

Start: Wangfujing Palaeolithic Museum (metro: Wangfujing, 118, exit A).

Finish: Dong Si Mosque (metro: Dong Dan, 119, exit A).

Time: 3 to 4 hours.

Best times: Weekday mornings or late afternoons.

Worst times: Weekends when window shoppers run rampant. Lunchtime can also be crowded.

Wangfujing (Well of the Prince's Palace) is the commercial heart of Beijing, the modern face that China's leaders desperately want the world to see. But, as you'll find on this tour, duck down alleyways in any direction and the facade melts away. Situated east of the Forbidden City, Wangfujing was the favorite residential neighborhood of royalty during the Ming and Qing dynasties. At the end of the Qing, when the princes fell on hard times, there was plenty of family silver to be sold. Pawnshops sprang up, and the street got its start as a commercial area. It also began catering to foreign tastes, not only for Chinese antiques but for imported luxuries. Unsurprisingly, it was one of the first targets of the Boxer Rebellion in 1900.

You wonder what the xenophobic Boxers would make of it now. There are only a handful of traditional Chinese stores left -- most of them have been bulldozed to make way for huge mega-malls. The cathedral razed by the Boxers was soon rebuilt and was fully refurbished in 1999; its forecourt is a magnet for local skaters, talking a talk that owes nothing to the Confucian Classics. But continuing on, the Boxers might find solace in the small remnants of hutong and the distinctly Chinese (and more affordable) fashions and street food on offer in the stalls of Longfu Si Jie and Dong Si.

Taking exit A from the metro, you'll find:

1. Wangfujing Palaeolithic Museum

The owners of Oriental Plaza were unimpressed when they struck 24,000-year-old bone in the basement of the largest mall in Asia. However, the powers-that-be couldn't resist the urge to build yet another monument to the longevity of Chinese civilization, and forced the Hong Kong developers to build this museum to house their ancestors (admission ¥10/$1.25).

Ascend the escalator to find yourself in the basement of:

2. Oriental Plaza (Dongfang Xin Tiandi)

If you don't get enough of this back home, have a poke around Asia's largest shopping center, which stretches east all the way to the next metro station at Dong Dan. Upscale clothing stores, the Sony ExploraScience Museum, the fine restaurant South Beauty, and the 24-hour eatery Be There or Be Square (Bu Jian Bu San) are all here.

Emerging from the west side of the mall, stick to the right (east) side and head north up Wangfujing Dajie, passing the huge but chaotic Wangfujing Bookstore. Cross the road to:

3. Gongmei Dasha (No. 200)

This is the most reliable shop in town at which to purchase jade rather than the colored glass you'll likely encounter elsewhere. Aim to pay about a third of the marked price. They also stock high-quality tea sets and calligraphy materials, alongside tacky souvenirs. On the fourth floor is a small but interesting craft exhibit (open daily 9am-9pm).

Continue along the right-hand side of Wangfujing Dajie to:

4. Shengxifu (No. 196)

Established in 1912, this hat shop was one of the fortunate few to survive the remodeling of Wangfujing. A paean to the wisdom of the CCP on the first floor suggests they're not taking survival for granted. The modern hats are popular with locals, and the shop displays its revolutionary credentials on the second floor, which brims with sturdy Lei Feng hats (earflaps, thick tops, shiny red stars) and proletarian Mao caps.

Return to Wangfujing Dajie, and continue north along the left (west) side to:

Take a Break--Wangfujing Xiaochi Jie is about as spruced up as street food gets in Beijing. Ordering is a cinch -- everything is on display, and the vendors are well-versed in sign language. In the evening, Donghua Men night market, further north, offers more choices, though hygiene can be a concern. Further on, behind an opaque glass door on the right hand side, is the superb RBL, open 6pm to 2am, which serves the best coffee and cocktails in town. The fare and the ambience are so sublime that your evening stroll may well end here.

Return to the main street, and continue north. On the left (west) side is:

5. Beijing Shi Baihuo Dalou (No. 255)

Despite a recent merger with the fancy Sun Dong An Plaza, the upper floors of Beijing's premier department store are still chaotic. A branch of China Silk on the third floor offers silk at economical prices.

The east side of the pedestrian mall is dominated by what was just a few years ago China's glitziest shopping center:

6. Sun Dong An Plaza (Xin Dong'an Shichang) (No. 138)

Rising like a tombstone on the grave of shop-vendors past, this massive emporium holds designer clothing shops and the usual Western and Japanese food chains -- Baskin-Robbins, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, KFC, Yoshinoya, UCC, Starbucks, and Delifrance. There's also an excellent hot pot restaurant, Dong Lai Shun, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. The old shops that once stood here are mocked by Old Beijing Street, a tacky re-creation found in the basement.

Directly across Wangfujing Dajie, on the west side, beyond the life-size bronze statues of a Qing dynasty barber, a musician, and a rickshaw puller, is the:

7. Foreign Language Bookstore (No. 235)

The Waiwen Shudian houses Beijing's largest selection of English-language materials on the first and third floors. The second floor has a surprisingly wide range of CDs featuring local alternative bands, as well as Beijing opera and soothing instrumental music.

Continue north. On the left side is:

8. Lisheng Tiyu Shangsha (No. 201)

A purveyor of sporting goods since 1921, the store has mountains of sporting clothes and shoes. The basement stocks everything from camping gear and skateboards to gyrating massage machines and shuffleboard tables. Hongsheng Musical Instruments, a highbrow vendor of pianos (grand and otherwise), looks out of place on the third floor. Daily from 9am to 9pm.

Diagonally across the road, it's hard to miss:

9. Dong Tang (East Church)

Also known as St. Joseph's Cathedral, this gray Gothic structure has endured a torrid history. Built on ground donated by the Shunzhi emperor in 1655, this Jesuit church was toppled by an earthquake in 1720, gutted by a fire in 1807, and completely razed during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. Sunday services are held at 6:15, 7, and 8am. After a major renovation from 1999 to 2000, the church became notable for its wide, tree-lined forecourt, the favorite spot of Beijing's skaters.

Continuing north up Wangfujing Dajie, you come to a second major intersection with Dengshikou Dajie. Cross over and enter the Crowne Plaza Beijing. To the right-hand side of the lobby you'll find:

10. Beijing Guoji Yiyuan Meishuguan

This art gallery (tel. 010/6513-3388; open daily 9am-6pm) can be hit-and-miss, and is often clogged with flaccid depictions of rural and hutong life. But their collection of Russian oil paintings, most from the early 1990s, contains some startling and innovative works. You can't go too far wrong -- the works are not for sale, admission is free, and staff is friendly.

Cross over and follow Dengshikou Xi Jie a long block west. If your feet are aching, look for the Donghua Fandian on the left-hand side and pop up to the second floor, where you'll find:

11. Lesheng Mangren Baojian Anmo Zhongxin (No. 32)

"Loving Life Massage Center" (open daily 11am-midnight) can lift you up with a full-body blind massage (quan shen anmo) or a foot wash and rub (zudi anmo). ¥88 ($11) buys an hour of bliss. "Hot pot" (ba huo guan) won't fill your belly, but the heated glass bowls will leave red welts all over your back.

If you can still walk, there are two narrow lanes opposite. The lane to the left, Fengfu Hutong, is the site of:

12. Lao She Jinianguan (No. 19)

The memorial hall to Lao She, one of China's best-loved writers, is located in a quiet and atmospheric courtyard residence. Former premier Zhou Enlai bestowed the house on the writer when he returned from overseas in 1950. While the regime hoped Lao She would become a cheerleader like fellow scribbler Guo Moruo, his post-liberation years were relatively unproductive, and his final work (before he drowned himself in a Cultural Revolution-induced suicide) concerned his Manchu ancestors.

Retrace your steps back to the next narrow alleyway to the east, and turn left (north). You are now on:

13. Fuqiang Hutong

The immodestly named "Rich and Powerful" Hutong still boasts some siheyuan courtyard houses that hint at its wealthy past. Note the finely carved roof lintels with swastika motifs and the lotus-emblazoned door piers (men dunr) at no. 18. While the rectangular door pier indicates the residents weren't officials (whose houses were marked by circular door piers), they must have been well-off to be able to afford skilled stonemasons. The presence of soldiers is due to a more recent resident: Party General Secretary, Zhao Ziyang, who was ousted during the Tian'an Men massacre (even though he prepared the documents for martial law). He lived under house arrest at no. 3 until his death in January 2005.

The hutong ends at a T-junction. Turn right to Wangfujing Dajie. To the south you can see Shoudu Juchang (Capital Theater), but turn left and head north. On your left is:

14. Beijing Kaogu Shudian (No. 27)

Most bookshops near the National Museum of Fine Art are fond of the "stick-up" -- a sticker that elevates the price of the book by as much as a factor of eight. Not this shop (open daily 9am-8pm), which houses a staggering range of art and architecture folios. To the right as you enter, you'll find bronze reproductions of drinking vessels, cooking tripods, and the inevitable "flying horse" (tong ben ma).

Continuing north, you reach the intersection with Wusi Dajie. Off to the left, it's impossible to miss:

15. Zhongguo Meishuguan (National Museum of Fine Art)

Along with musicians and reformist politicians, avant-garde artists took much of the blame for "spiritually polluting" the minds of China's young folks in the 1980s. Once the place to see cutting-edge art, the National Museum of Fine Art (tel. 010/8403-3500; open daily 9am-4pm; admission ¥20/$2.50) gained a conservative director and a reputation for lackluster exhibitions. After a recent makeover, the Cultural Bureau promises those days are over.

Take a Break--Just east of the National Museum of Fine Art is one of Beijing's most interesting Chinese-language bookstores, Sanlian Taofen Tushu Zhongxin, at Meishuguan Dong Jie 22 (open daily 9am-9pm). The second floor houses gorgeous pictorials, a music store, and a tranquil cafe.

Backtrack south from the bookstore, and take the next street on your left:

16. Longfu Si Jie

Along with Huguo Si, Longfu Si was one of the two main markets in old Beijing. It's a tad down market these days, but is still a lively spot to hunt for cheap clothes, music, and street food, and it makes an interesting contrast to its main competitor, Wangfujing. Halfway down the street, on the south side, is a branch of Beijing's most renowned vendor of wonton soup (huntun), Huntun Hou, looking much more at home here than the original store does on Wangfujing.

An archway marks the end of the mall. In front of you is Dong Si Bei Dajie. Turn right and head south to Dong Si Nan Dajie. On the right-hand side, you soon arrive at:

17. Dong Si Qingzhen Si

This is one of Beijing's earliest mosques (admission ¥10/$1.25 for non-Muslims; open daylight hours). It has enjoyed a peaceful history of worship since the 14th century. The second courtyard is serene, a wonderful break from the mercantile and traffic pandemonium.

You can either walk north (or take bus no. 807) to Yong He Gong and Kong Miao (20 min.), or you can head south towards the Dong Dan metro station and the east end of Oriental Plaza (15 min.). In the basement, you'll find:

Winding Down--Be There or Be Square (Bu Jian Bu San), in the basement of Oriental Plaza, offers Hong Kong-style food in a spacious, warehouse-like space. The pork buns, Singapore noodles, and congee are heavenly. If you're in need of a pick-up, try the caffeine-laden milk tea.