Hutongs are the "regional business card" of Beijing, blending history and modernity. Zhuanta Hutong is the root of Beijing's hutongs, with a bookstore and historical significance. Wudaoying Hutong is evolving into a cultural and artistic hub. Guozijian Hutong retains the style of old Beijing streets and houses the Temple of Confucius. Shijia Hutong has a museum and was home to the Beijing People's Art Theater. Nanluogu Xiang is a historic neighborhood with famous former residences. These hutongs showcase the charm and heritage of old Beijing.

Guozijian Hutong

Walking out of Wudaoying Hutong and turning into Guozijian Street from Andingmen Inner Street, this is the only street in Beijing that retains four archways. It was named "Chengxian Street" in the Qing Dynasty because the Temple of Confucius and National Imperial Academy (Guozijian) were located here, and it is also called Guozijian Hutong.

Guozijian Street has a history of more than 700 years and retains the style of old Beijing streets and alleys. In the 24th year of the Yuan Dynasty's Yuan Dynasty, Emperor Shizu Kublai Khan built the "Guozixue" on this street inside the Chongren Gate (now Dongzhimen) of Dadu City. In the sixth year of the Yuan Dynasty, the Temple of Confucius was officially built, and in the tenth year of the Yuan Dynasty, the National Imperial Academy (Guozijian) was officially built to reflect the regulation of "on left is the temple, on the right is the academy". It was called "Chengxian Street" during the Qing Dynasty, later in the period of the Republic of China, it was called Guozijian Street in 1965. Emperor Qianlong once praised it as "the capital city is the best area, and Guozijian is the best place".

The Temple of Confucius is a building for worshipping Confucius from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, also known as the "Temple of the First Teacher". The temple faces south and retains the style of the Yuan Dynasty. Upon entering the Confucius Temple, the entire building is covered with yellow glazed tiles, which represents the highest architectural regulation of feudal society.

Temple of Confucius has a forest of thirteen classic steles. The thirteen classics refer to the 13 classic works of Confucianism, including the Book of Songs, the Rites of Zhou, the Analects of Confucius, and the Mencius, and others. There are a total of 189 engraved stones of the thirteen classics in the Temple of Confucius. In the front courtyard of the temple, there are 198 steles of the names of successful candidates in the imperial examinations from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, with the names, hometowns, and rankings of 51,624 successful candidates. This is a precious material for studying China's imperial examination system. Liu Yong, Ji Yun, Lin Zexu, Kang Youwei, Zeng Guofan, and Li Hongzhang are all listed among them. In addition to the thirteen classics, there are also 13 steles of Emperor Kangxi's "Monument to the Great Learning" and "Imperial Inscription of the Sutra" engraved in 1795 during the 60th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, as well as one each of the Manchu and Chinese inscriptions of "Imperial Inscription of the Thirteen Classics by Jiang Heng in Pi Yong".