Beijing Templeside Deluxe Hutong Hotel, Beijing

Hutongs of Beijing

Advantages: Beautiful buildings and a look at life for many ordinary citizens of Beijing
Disadvantages: Can be busy and cramped

A hutong is an ancient alleyway or lane found in Beijing which can date back as far as the Yuan dynasty of China in the 13th century. The crisscrossing alleys can now offer a glimpse of another part of this ancient city that is quite different to the major attractions such as the Summer Palace or the Forbidden City. The tiny, twisted and interconnected lanes wind through whole areas of the city of Beijing. The lanes are lined with traditional stone houses all arranged in quadrangles, so four houses around a courtyard, which are beautiful old fashioned buildings. They often involve carved pillars, window frames and doors and the open spaces of the courtyard lets in air and light to otherwise quite cramped areas-some of the lanes really are tiny with less than a metre of breadth. Most of the hutongs are still used as housing and are ...

flyingllamas 07.08.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Hutongs, Beijing

Hotel Kunlun-one of the best hotels in Beijing

Advantages: convenient location, good service and delicious food.
Disadvantages: Expensive.

If you lived in Beijing and you said you don't know Hotel Kunlun people would think you were joking. I have lived in Beijing for over 11 years and visited the hotel many times for business meetings and leisure. Personally I think it's one of the best hotels in Beijing. Location The Hotel Kunlun is situated just inside the Third Ring Road of Beijing, which is the main traffic link between the centre of Beijing and the suburbs. Its central location is convenient for visitors and guests. From Hotel Kunlun to Beijing Capital International Airport the distance is 20km, to Tiananmen Square 10 km, to Beijing railway station 8km. It is also surrounded by many embassies, such as USA, Canada, Japan, etc. It's a 10 minute drive to the British Embassy. Last but not least there are many famous and popular department stores, shopping malls ...

happysh2009 28.09.2009 (08.10.2009) · Read full review
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Review of Hotel Kunlun, Beijing

Hutong tours

Advantages: great to see some culture
Disadvantages: small streets

The hutongs is small alleyways crisscroding east west acoss the city. They are small narrow street which one car could fit down. In some places only a bike could fit down them.It is a great opportunity to see some culture of Beijing and how people lived in the past. People still live here but not as many as there used to be as younger generations prefer to live in modern homes. Some of the hutong and courtyard homes are protected by Beijings Cultural Relic's Protection Association however many others are being bulldozed so there are getting less and less available. We got a rickshaw ride around the hutongs which had been arranged by a tour operator. Beware it is abit rough around the edges and quite dirty in places however it was worthwhile to see how people of beijing live. At times I felt very enclosed in. Once on the rickshaw ride ...

DeniseKelly40 27.08.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Hutongs, Beijing