Hutong adventures await

外国青年在琉璃厂古文化街的老字号戴月轩观摩第五代湖笔制作技艺传承人王后显制作毛笔.JPG

Students try their hand at making Chinese frog buttons (pankou) at Ruifuxiang, a time-honored brand store in Xicheng District’s iconic Dashilanr Commercial District
A craftsman makes a traditional Chinese calligraphy brush at time-honored brand store Daiyuexuan
A craftsman makes a traditional Chinese calligraphy brush at time-honored brand store Daiyuexuan
A student films a woodblock waterprint painting at the Rongbaozhai art gallery
Traditional Beijing Lord Rabbit clay figurines on display at Dashilanr

Xicheng District in downtown Beijing has rolled out the red carpet for newly arrived international students with a culture and tourism promotion campaign running from early September to November. It invites the students to explore Beijing's historic hutongs, the city's ancient alleyways, through curated CityWalk routes, interactive challenge missions and a range of low-barrier, high-reward "light consumption" experiences.

Xicheng is home to many renowned heritage sites, including Beihai Park, one of China's oldest and best-preserved ancient imperial gardens.

(Text and photos by Wei Yao)

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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