The total route is 473 meters long and includes five boutique alleys: Jiudaowannan Xiang (South Alley of Jiudaowan), Jiudaowandong Xiang (East Alley of Jiudaowan), Jiudaowanzhong Xiang (Central Alley of Jiudaowan), Jiudaowanbei Xiang (North Alley of Jiudaowan), and Jiudaowanxi Xiang (West Alley of Jiudaowan). Along the way, visitors can admire many historical buildings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This area is also the setting for the popular TV drama Love is Full of Jiudaowan.
Guijie (St)
Initially, there was no street in Beijing named Guijie (St) The street's real name today is Dongzhimennei Dajie (St). It starts at the Dongzhimen overpass in the east and ends at the Beixinqiao intersection in the west, spanning 1.4 kilometers. Sometimes, Beijing residents affectionately call it "Dongnei Dajie". Dongzhimennei Dajie is an old street, as Dongzhimen has existed since the Yuan Dynasty.
Some say that the name "Guijie" originated from an early "ghost market" on Dongzhimennei Dajie. However, according to Mr. Jin Shoushen, the most famous ghost markets in old Beijing were in only two places: the southern market outside Chongwenmen at Dongxiaoshi东小市 (now known as Dongxiaoshi东晓市), and the northern market, initially located by the river northeast of Deshengmen Bridge, later moved to Duanjia Hutong at the northwest corner of Houhai. Old Beijing's ghost markets had two main categories: one sold goods of unclear origin, often stolen items, and the other was a market that opened late at night and disappeared like mist at dawn.
Whether Dongzhimennei Dajie once had a ghost market is unverified, but what truly made it famous was the emergence of 24-hour restaurants on the street in the late 1980s. At that time, there were almost no restaurants in Beijing that operated overnight, so this street became a pioneer, quickly gaining popularity and flourishing. People adopted the name "Guijie" (meaning Ghost Street) from the old practice of night-time business in the ghost market. The name gradually spread through word of mouth. Later, since the character "Ghost" was deemed inappropriate, it was changed to "Guijie" (using a different character for Gui).
Nowadays, the true charm of Guijie (St) lies in its food. Interestingly, in the 1980s, during the economic reform wave, various businesses and shops sprang up along Dongzhimennei Dajie (St), but almost all of them failed, even forcing state-owned department stores to close. Only the restaurant business managed to take root, and it grew steadily. The street's restaurants are almost empty during the day, but at night they are bustling with activity, creating a unique scene of prosperity. With the growing demand for nightlife in society, and the fact that Beijing had few places for late-night snacks in the past, Guijie (St) became a booming night destination.
When it comes to iconic dishes on Guijie (St) Mala Xiaolongxia (spicy crayfish) stands out. Today, Guijie (St) is a culinary hub offering a variety of regional cuisines, including Sichuan, Shandong, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Northeastern, and Halal foods, with spicy crayfish, fragrant spicy crabs, spicy hot pot, grilled fish, and skewers being the main highlights. Diners have informally crowned spicy crayfish, grilled fish, and hot pot as the "Three Giants" of Guijie (St), a status that remains unshaken to this day.
