Shijia Hutong (史家胡同)

The most praiseworthy of Shijia Hutong must be the strong cultural and artistic atmosphere here, which owe as much to the primary school and the dormitories of the People’s Art Theater in the hutong as to the excellent old artists here. That is the reason why the hutong is attractive. Unlike the noisy outside streets, the hutong itself is a quiet and simple place of residence for ancient Beijing.

Connecting Chaoyangmennei North Road in the east with Dongsi South Avenue in the west, the 700-meter-long Shijia Hutong still keeps 80 quadrangle courtyards among which around 30 are well-preserved and large-scale, featuring classic Beijing style of gray wall and red door.

In the obscure Hutong, a galaxy of celebrities had lived here, including Li Weihan, the founding member of CPC, and his son, Li Tieying, Hu Sheng, Editor-in-Chief of Red Flag (magazine), and Rong Yiren, the Red Capitalist.