The Skewed Tobacco Pouch Street (烟袋斜街) is a well known narrow street or hútòng (Chinese: 胡同) in Beijing that is known for the tobacco stores, bars, and hotels. It is near the Beijing Drum Tower and was known in the past as as an artists and artisans’ street specializing in jade pieces, calligraphy, paintings and tobacco products. The street is called Skewed 斜Tobacco Pouch (Pipe) 烟袋 Street 街 because the street crosses diagonally and tobacco was sold there. Now the narrow street is under national protection as a famous “commoners” street, and it has been rebuilt in a traditional style of architecture and is full of international restaurants and tourist shops selling international products.

The Skewed Tobacco Pouch Street was awarded the designation as a Famous Street of Chinese History and Civilization by the Ministry of Culture and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage in November of 2010. It is now a tourist highlight that presents a typical commoner street that was known historically for its craftsmen and tobacco shops. While many landmarks in Beijing are of China’s imperial heritage, this street preserves the character of a street of the common people of Beijing and highlights some of the traditional customs. While visiting the Skewed Tobacco Pipe Street, you can shop for tobacco products and all types of tourist products, eat at the restaurants, stay in the hotels, and go to the coffeeshops and bars.

This street is mainly now a tourist shopping street. It is reminiscent of West Street in Yangshuothat is known as a foreigner’s street in that famous international tourist getaway. This is a place in Beijing where tourists come to buy things like bronze tobacco pipes, jade pipes, tobacco, Indian clothes, Chinese ethnic handicrafts, products from Dali and Lijiang, and Tibetan products. There are shops selling all these things and more as well as international restaurants, Chinese restaurants, and tea shops.

If you are hungry, there are local Chinese street snacks available as well as Chinese restaurants: Master Ji that serves roasted lamb, Master Yao that serves pork, and Master Hou that serves wontons. But if you want to try international cuisine, among the many restaurants are Thai Restaurant and Ou Restaurant that serve spicy Thai food, the Moon in the Lake Café that features Korean food, the Xingfumanman (Full of Happiness) Restaurant that serves Taiwanese food, and some western restaurants or coffee shops. There are also bars.