July 19th, 2006 | The lowdown by Joanne Bell

The Best Back Alley in Beijing

Here's what I knew about Beijing before I went: 1) It's the capital of China 2) It's near the Great Wall. 3) It's popping full of all the things you're supposed to see. 4) It's going to host the Olympics. With that scant knowledge I went, and with that scant knowledge I saw, and now I can tell you one more thing about Beijing: where to stay.

Arriving after a twenty-two hour train ride, we got our first look at the famed capital, a mass of concrete through a taxi window. We had been forewarned that our hostel was inconspicuous and located in a hutong (narrow street), so it was with peeled eyes that we soaked up the new sights. The hostel is called Peking Downtown Backpackers and, true to form, it’s kind of a blink-and-you-miss-it type of place.

Located in the hutong district, it's within easy walking distance of The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. It’s cheap enough (50rmb a night for a six bed dorm) that we didn’t expect much, so we were happily surprised. The rooms are clean with adjacent bathrooms and a Chinese or Western breakfast is included in the rate. Also worth a mention are the actual happy, helpful people which work there.

In addition to its proximity to the major sights, the hutong itself is filled with quaint shops, good restaurants and bars. In particular, Pass By Bar has a chill, sophisticated half-hippie atmosphere that serves good food and relatively cheap drinks. Close by is Single Edged Eyelid, a brilliantly decorated bar with swinging chairs, connect four and 10rmb draft beer.

Venturing out of our immediate radius, we stumbled upon the Bell and Drum tower, a huge, square building which I’m guessing has bells and drums, although we never made it inside. Further on, in true magic alley style, a chaotic hutong opens under a Chinese arch. We'd spent a couple of days searching for somewhere to go, so the sudden plethora of shops, stalls and rooftop bars we found here felt like hitting the jackpot. As we discovered, the street comes alive in the late afternoon, with some shops opening at 4pm. At this time the bottom of the hutong fills like a clogged artery, with a mass of red velvet rickshaws bumping into one another. Here we crossed off our final Beijing must, finding the best Peking duck in the city.