Discover a typical old neighborhood in Beijing
As our last excusion on the program, we went to Nanluogu Xiang, one of the typical hutong (small street) in Beijing. Even though it has been developed into a commercial street, we can still peek old fashioned lifestyle in Beijing. As a Beijing native, looking at the traditional courtyard and the locals mixed in the trendy stores is an interesting experience. The street is so touristy, both locals and tourists are curious about each other. While the courtyard remindes me my childhood, the popularity of this area is nothing alike when I was little. As soon as we finish the group phone, our 26 students instantly disappeared in the crowd. On their way of exploration, they found many craft stores, traditional clothing, local street food and gift shops. The diversity and variety this neighborhood presents are just incredible.
Below is a reflection by one of our students, Neb:
"Today we went to Nanluogu Xiang! It was a really interesting place to visit (kind of like the pedestrian shopping street we went to in Tianjin) and it was pretty cool seeing the old architecture in contrast to the current shops and vendors. It was a nice opportunity to get some cool stuff (I found something I liked), and I'd definitely recommend visiting there."
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