South Beijing

Temples, teashops, and an underground city populate this relaxed side of Beijing

When the Manchurian army invaded Beijing in 1644 to found the Qing Dynasty the Han Chinese residents were forcibly relocated to the south of the city, while the north was reserved for Manchu nobles and hereditary military officials, known as the Banners. This led to the south having a more organic street pattern than the rectangular grid north of Changanjie that the Manchus imposed – and that is still evident. Away from the Imperial Palaces and gardens of the north, the south has always been the poorer side of the city and, unlike the modern north of Beijing, remains comparatively undeveloped.

With a slower pace of life, friendly south Beijing is how the north was a decade ago – don't expect to see glamorous women with designer bags here. People still stop, stare and shout hello at visitors before asking to have their photo taken with the foreigner. The south doesn't have the glitzy modern architecture or the style of the north, but there is an old world charm that offers a glimpse of what life might have been like in Imperial China.

The area is broken up into three main districts: Xuanwu, south-west of the centre, Chongwen, to the south-east and – beyond the Third Ring Road and of no interest to visitors – Fengtai in the far south-west.

Getting there

South Beijing is one of the most pleasant parts of town to stroll around and the main areas of interest can be walked to on foot over several hours. From Tiananmen, keep heading south on foot to get to Qianmen and from there, it is easy to walk through the hutong from Dazhalan to the mosque, taking in Liulichang and Fayuan Temple in just a few hours.

A bike ride makes the same route quicker and just as pleasant and it's easier to reach the further out Tianning Temple to the west. If you are on two wheels, it is only a short ride south-east from Qianmen to the Temple of Heaven, or there are plenty of buses that will take you to the Temple. Qianmen is the starting and ending point for the majority of buses in town, so from here, you can set off in any direction. Take the 803 bus for the temple's South Gate. The Qianmen metro stop is the best place to start journeys into the south-east or south- west or north on to Tiananmen. Chongwenmen station in the east is the nearest to the Temple of Heaven and Hepingli station is only a short walk from Liulichang Market.

Xuanwu district

Xuanwu district has traditionally been the home of the lower classes and trading guilds, shop workers and factory workers. It was the commercial area that existed just outside the original city wall. But just because there isn't a Starbucks on every corner doesn't mean that the area is an unspoilt ideal of old Beijing. Much of the cityscape is dominated by Soviet-style apartment blocks and the wonderful maze of hutongs is being destroyed at an alarming rate.

However, getting lost amid the remaining hutongs is a wonderful way to spend a morning and a highlight of a visit to Beijing that might not be possible in a few years. You can walk from the Cultural Street of Liulichang, through the former red light district of Bada Hutong, to the famous hutongs of Qianmen and Dazhalan. This is one of the few parts of Beijing where walking is enjoyable rather than a chore, and it's possible to also visit Fayuan Temple , Beijing Mosque and even Tianning Temple within a couple of hours on foot.

From the starting point of Qianmen, the Laoshe Teahouse is a great place to soak up some traditional Chinese culture before heading to the Museum of Ancient Architecture, where you can catch a glimpse of how the city used to be. Continue south and you will hit Beijing's oldest public park, Taoranting Garden. The devotion at Catholic Nantang Church to the east of Qianmen shows that, despite the communists' best efforts, religion is not dead in this officially atheist country.

First built in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) south of the Peace Gate, Liulichang means coloured glaze factory and it was where tiles were made for the palaces and temples of the city. Luilichang became a hangout for scholars preparing for the Imperial exams; to make ends meet they would peddle calligraphy and writings. Soon, stores selling art materials sprang up as other shops opened to sell the works of the impecunious students. It wasn't long before tailors, cobblers, pharmacies and shops made this the main shopping centre of the Qing Dynasty.

In recent years Liulichang has been redeveloped and given the moniker 'Culture Street', meaning that, like so much of Beijing, government tinkering has added a theme park feel to the area and removed much of the organic nature that gave the area charm and attracted visitors in the first place. But the brightly coloured façades of the shops, the paved streets and the low-rise buildings are a great place to browse for Mao memorabilia, tea, jade, books, trinkets, small antiques and Buddhist statuary, as well as calligraphy brushes and wall hangings. As usual, haggling is a must and don't expect the antiques to be genuine, but this is a good spot to pick up souvenirs and gifts.

Rongbaozhai Bookshop (behind the first courtyard as you head north) is China's most famous art supplies store and has a wonderful mix of old Chinese and foreign-language books. Make sure to get off the main strips and into the surrounding hutongs. Nan Xinhua Lu is a good place to get your bearings, and the central point where Liulichang Xi Lu meets Dong Lu.

At the end of Liulichang Dong Lu pass through the hutongs heading south-east and you will come across Dazhalan – another collection of hutongs that is home to the city's oldest commercial shopping district. Here you'll find the same shops selling the same goods that they have been offering for hundreds of years, together with, of course, fake watches, trainers and North Face jackets. Ruifuxiang Choubu Dian at No.5 Dazhalan has been in the silk trade since 1893 and is still a great place to pick up a tailored qipao, whereas Tongrentang (No.24 Dazhalan) is probably the most famous of all. It first began selling Chinese medicine to emperors and public alike in 1669.

Just north of Dazhalan is Bada Hutong – literally the eight big hutongs. Bada was Beijing's largest red light district from the 18th century until 21 November 1949 (just over a month after the founding of the Peoples Republic of China), when 3,000 troops marched into the area 'freeing' 1,290 prostitutes. A 1908 survey had earlier revealed 308 brothels in the area, and entertainment ranging from ladies of the night serving the masses to 'flower girls' reciting poetry. Local street-side 'hair salons' still exist, but it is the quiet old city hutongs that makes the place worth a morning stroll.

Chongwen district

Most famous for the Temple Of Heaven, Chongwen district is also home to two of the city's best markets – China's biggest pearl market at Hongqiao and the antique market at Panjiayuan . The Museum of Natural History has a host of interactive displays while Longtan Park is divided by Zuoanmen Dajie, with Beijing Amusement Park taking up most of the western side of the park.

After the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven is probably the most famous of Beijing's landmarks and arguably the most interesting. The finest architecturally and the most active of all Beijing's temples, a morning spent strolling around the impressive park is a must for any visitor.

Built by the Yongle Emperor in 1420 at the same time as the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven was one of the four sacrificial temples of the emperors – the others being the Temples of Sun, Moon and Earth. But it was this temple that was the most important and it was here that all Ming and Qing Emperors performed sacrificial rites at each winter solstice.

Built according to strict religious principles, with perfect symmetry and covered in dark blue tiles representing heaven, every detail of the architecture is built in nines – the number that represented the emperor. Originally the temple was known as the Temple of Heaven and Earth and so a perfect square park was built to the south, and a semicircular park to the north – as earth was symbolised by long and square, heaven was symbolised by high and round. However, during the Cultural Revolution two large chunks were taken out of the south-east and south-west corners of the square, southern half of the park, ruining its symmetry. But this hasn't really affected the park and there's still plenty of space to explore.

The structure is divided into three main parts with the South Gate being the natural starting point of any visit to the temple, that culminates at the incredible Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest – perhaps the most impressive architectural structure in Beijing.

Qianmen

In the heart of the old town Qianmen, meaning front gate, was the doorway to Beijing. The gate itself was built in 1419 and rebuilt with German advice in 1914, but it is the surrounding area rather than the gate that people come to see. A busy shopping area evolved just outside of the front gate. Qianmen is still a bustling part of the city, where shops merge with hutongs, and a good place for a stroll. In recent years most of the hutongs of Qianmen have been destroyed, but some remain, so catch it while you can. But be warned: this is a prime place for tourists to be ripped off, so make sure you bargain hard and don't end up paying 100RMB for a bowl of 5RMB noodles.

You won't be ripped off at Quanjude, Beijing's most famous restaurant, but the food doesn't really live up to its renown. On the other hand, the almost unknown Underground City is well worth a visit.

Tom Pattinson