Nan Luo Valley [南锣鼓巷] - Ancient Buildings, Modern Lifestyle @ Beijing, China

The write up on the tour itinerary plainly mentioned the experiencing of the typical old Beijing lifestyle at Nan Luo Valley; in reality, it was barely halfway there. 

Built in 1267 during the Yuan dynasty, the 700-year old street took the position as being the oldest and the best preserved in Beijing. Again, i have no argument against these bare facts. 

What i took issue was that there was no way i can experience the old Beijing lifestyle, at least not at night! The 786-meter long walkway was packed with hip cafes, lifestyle shops etc and appeared to be more popular with the younger generation.

Other than the untruthful information on the itinerary, i have nothing but praises for Nan Luo Gu Xiang; it was an ideal place where i can leisurely stroll from shop to shop, pop in every now and then to uncover hidden gems and stop by the snack shops for a serving of freshly fried smelly tofu! 

Handmade cloth shoes - at least this will fall under the traditional footwear that is more aligned with the rich historical background of the place. 

Some of the shops have quirky names like this tea shop - 找茶 means to find tea in Chinese but in its common phonetic usage, it actually refers to making trouble.

Military attire for that uniform fetish monster festering in your psychotic mind? Things were not cheap and could even be more expensive than Singapore.

One of the side roads that led to the more traditional hutong dwellings - note, this would be more appropriate a place to catch a glimpse of the ancient Beijing lifestyle!

Backpackers' accommodation; this shall be one place for consideration when i next visit Beijing. You may find out more details from their website [http://backpackingchina.com]. Update me on your review!

If memory serves me well, this was part of a club or cafe. Anyway, this could be a perfect setting for filming art films set in the war torn 1930s. 

Another side road; albeit with a bit more vibrancy. 

The signboard was displayed wrongly on purpose! It seemed to be a shop selling chicken wings (which were sold out by that time) and it was written on the couplet that it would be a waste to visit Nan Luo if you don't eat the chicken wings! Damn!

I could have walked a few hours along the street.

And the time given to us by the guide was 30 minutes.

=_=