[Photo from visitbeijing.com.cn]  

[Photo from visitbeijing.com.cn]

Free ticket

Ju'er Hutong sits in Beijing's Dongcheng district. The architecture here reflects the historical culture of Beijing. Every alley here has witnessed thrilling stories in the past.

Ju'er Hutong is open to the public all day. Tourists can come any time. It takes about three hours to go through the hutong.

The hutong sits in the northwest of Dongcheng district. It starts off at Jiaodaokou South Street in the east and runs to Nanluoguxiang in the west. It's adjacent to Houyuan'ensi Hutong to the south and connects to Shoubi Hutong in the north. Ju'er Hutong is in the charge of the Jiaodaokou Street committee and is 438 meters long and 6 meters wide. The northern part of the hutong has mostly been taken up by buildings or quadrangle courtyards.

Courtyards No 3, No 5 and No 7 used to be the mansion of Rong Lu, grand secretary of the Qing Dynasty governor. Courtyard No 3 served as ancestral hall, No 5 acted as a residential area, and No 7 was used as a garden. Courtyards No 3 and No 5 were named the culture relics under national protection in 1986, and courtyard No 7 was then used as the Afghanistan embassy. Ccourtyard No 41 used to be a temple where a monk named Kai Shan practiced Buddhism on behalf of the emperor. Tourists can trace these anecdotes from books and websites about Beijing's history. They have become the city's splendid backdrop after 2,000 years. One might find themselves nearby Ju'er Hutong when they come out from Nanluoguxiang.

Ju'er Hutong is in the neighborhood of Sanlitun, the center of Beijing's night life. Perhaps it's the profound historical ambience that makes the hutong irresistible to foreigners who choose to live here because they enjoy clinging to the local culture. They often chat with the locals in the hutong. The new buildings in the hutong have won awards for their distinctive style. To date, the hutong have become a home to many foreigners who love Beijing or have just arrived in the city.

The hutong now have residents from France, the US, Italy, Germany and Finland. They are drawn here by the unique appearance and good internal living environment, which can feed their Beijing dreams. They have better financial capacity compared with foreign students pooling at Wudaokou and can afford the well-designed and spacious rooms at Ju'er Hutong.

When night falls, a small group of foreigners shuttle back and forth in the hutong. They act like they are at home and are comfortable with Beijing life. Foreigners living here have become real Beijinger.