Explore Beijing’s Hutongs While Giving Back to Kids in China

Beginning in one of the capital’s most famous hutongs, Nanluogoxiang, the Beijing Hutong Audio Guide provides an introduction to how these seemingly never-ending alleys and byways came to be, and what role they’ve played since they first started spreading throughout the capital roughly 700 years ago. Additionally, you’ll be introduced to some of Beijing’s most colorful characters such as Zhang Zongchang AKA the “Dogmeat General” as well as guided to lesser-known sights such as the childhood home of China’s last empress, Wanrong.

Even the most seasoned expat will tell you that Beijing is so dense with historical peculiarities that you could spend decades here without fully appreciating the totality of its hidden quirks. The hutongs alone are relics of a past that’s as sinuous and labyrinthine as the communities themselves. Even if you haven’t lived in one, chances are you’ve spent plenty of nights eating and drinking in them, surrounded by specters of the city’s bygone days.

1. Download the free izi.TRAVEL App on Apple or Android.

2. Pay the equivalent of RMB 45 to download the “Full Beijing Hutong Tour” or “Full Yu Garden Audio Guide.”