The not-so-hidden corners in Beijing

Has it really been *forever* since I wrote about my life in China?  Contrary to what you may think, I have not been doing nothing ok? In fact, it has been so busy at work and on weekends (being a weekend warrior - what else man) that I have been putting off writing. And with the year coming to an ominous end, I turn around and find that I have been neglecting honing my writing skills. To my horror, I find that I am at a loss for words - like clever words. Normal sentences like, "My name is Tracy. I am a girl." still manage to find their way out of my constricted throat. But clever snooty words like ... you see! I can't even find examples to prove my point. This is a commonplace China illness - the loss of your tongues. Now my English stinks and my Chinese sucks. Great.  I know I used to know cool difficult words because they are on the edge of my brain - like wisps of mist. I try to swipe at them with my brain fingers (creepy imagery I know but the loss of words is not helping) but they just edge further into the recesses of the mind. I give up. So for today's post, I am using simple words. Ok? *grunt*

This post is a return to roots in China, of sorts. I made a trip to Beijing this summer and it was beyond amazing.  This was not the first time for me in Beijing but I made the deliberate attempt to be hipster and cool this summer (because I am usually working too hard to go to cafes pls), which therefore meant, visiting cafes, bars and restaurants in random hutongs (more on that later); picking & choosing my favourite historical spots to go and spending the day just pushing people around (more on that even later); and finally climbing and trekking the wild part of the Great Wall.

But for now, get lost in Beijing's hutongs 胡同 with me...

Insta must-have picture: magazine, polaroid cam with polaroids, coffee, raybans (no gucci pls) and erm, my hips.

So hutongs are Beijing's version of alleys. They are winding, narrow and usually revolve around residential areas. Today's hutongs, while still inhabited by the Beijingers, have also evolved into hipster places with hard-to-find bars with bespoke cocktails and cafes offering drip cat-shit coffees.

Peh pehs just chillin' 

So this trip, I picked airbnbs which are situated in hutongs, and stayed in traditional courtyard houses 四合院.

So rustic and local right? Got motorbike, got cardboard boxes, got wires and got underwear - everything a Beijinger needs.

I had to walk through this narrow path, next to a hotpot restaurant. The employees were fanning their charcoal every single time I walked by, putting me at risk of catching fire. Beyond the wall was also a huge pile of debris.
Maybe from the Qing dynasty...?

The courtyard of the erm, courtyard airbnb I stayed in.
After breakfast in the "courtyard", the folks transformed it into a wushu training area - no shit ok.
They used the spears and swords in one corner for sparring and they did the moves like in movies, sans air walking. 

I forgot to take pictures of the courtyard houses I stayed in, but all of them were comfy and kinda clean.

The cafes and bars were interesting and fun to uncover. So hard to find, but when found, they never disappointed.  The Great Leap Brewing is one of these hipster places - today a Chinese craft brewery with outdoor seating in the courtyard where maybe the previous courtyard owner used to sit around, smoke his pipe and watch his kids play.  That is the great thing about Beijing - history is seeped in every corner. Maybe Jiang Zemin did his Meet the People's session here before? Or perhaps Deng Xiaoping whizzed past when he was going for the CCP meeting long ago? Maybe Qian Long was in his sedan on this road and waved to his peeps! ok ok.. back to the present...

Couldn't decide which to beer so had to take the taster set. Only FOUR?!

Another pub that comes highly recommended is Mao Mao Chong, as in furry worm.  Because this is a pub, of course I went at night. And of course I got incredibly lost. But like I said, totally worth it. The place is small and cosy, with a long bar and a cool lady bartender. The drinks feature local infusions involving not-oft-used baijiu, watermelon, pandan leaf, beetroot etc.  And they are very good value for money at 50-70 rmb per drink - where to find la!

Another craft brew in Mao Mao Chong.

For teetotalers, the hutongs teem with little cafes in unfinished deconstructed decor, filled with zakka, cutesy ornaments and mismatched tables and chairs - you know you are a hipster wannabe when you immediately imagine everything I described and get an instagram rush.  One of the prettiest cafes is the Peking hostel cafe in Nan Luo Gu Xiang 南锣鼓巷, a touristed-out hutong.

Insta-ed! With the "mayfair" filter.

For gourmet coffee, head on to Soloist Coffee. This was the hardest to find of all the hutong places - took me about an hour and by the time I got there, it was almost sunset. But it was rewarding because the cafe has a rooftop where I sat, saw the sunset and also spied on some Beijing peh pehs chit chatting in the lane below.

Deconstructed interior, exposed lights, bicycle on wall - all hipster check boxes checked!

Immersive hutong experience included in price of the cuppa.

Beijing's sunset above the hutong's tiled rooftops.

Beijing has been demolishing hutongs as the city unavoidably expands upwards and outwards but for now, we still have these weaving lanes of respite, full of history and best of all, we still have Beijingers to disturb when asking for directions to the next cafe.

xoxo,
Tracy

I think I picked the best looking one.