Yan Dai Xie Street

Yan Dai Xie Street

Yan Dai Xie Street is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Yan Dai Xie Street is located in front of the Drum Tower on Di’anmen Outer Street in Beijing, within the factory bridge area of Xicheng District. From the late Qing Dynasty to the 1920s and 1930s, the street was mainly occupied by shops selling dry tobacco pipes, water tobacco pipes, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, mounting services, stationery, as well as local snacks and various service businesses. The architecture of the shops was simple yet distinctive, featuring characteristics of Beijing’s northern districts. It was one of the more well-known cultural streets in Beijing’s northern area, where many notable cultural figures once left their footprints.

Located in a small alley in the northeast of Qianhai Lake in Shichahai, it is one of Beijing’s oldest commercial streets, surrounded by numerous restaurants, hotels, and other foreign goods shops.

Function

During the Qing Dynasty, the street primarily dealt in tobacco pipes, calligraphy and painting mounting, and the trade of antiques and jade artifacts, making it a bustling commercial hub. In those days, only members of the Eight Banners and wealthy merchants could afford to smoke snuff or collect art and calligraphy. As tobacco was a fast-moving consumer good, it became the main draw for visitors to Yan Dai Xie Street. As a result, the street was named “Tobacco Pipe Slope Street” in the “Guangxu Shuntianfu Annals.”

Walking along the bustling street, you’ll often come across uniquely styled shops. Some of these may have once sold works by famous artists and calligraphers, but today they mostly offer distinctive local snacks and souvenirs rich in ethnic flavor.

Formation

Geographic Location

Geographically, the formation and development of Yan Dai Xie Street are closely related to the locations and socio-economic conditions of the Drum Tower and Shichahai.

The eastern entrance of Yan Dai Xie Street is on the west side of Di’anmen Outer Street. It runs from east to northwest, and about 50 meters in, on the north side, is the southern entrance of Dashi Bei Hutong, which leads to Di’anmen West Street. The middle section of the street connects to Yiliuhe Yan, and walking south along Yiliuhe Yan will take you to Houmen Bridge. The southern entrance in the middle of the street leads west to the eastern edge of Shichahai, connecting to Yinding Bridge. The central western entrance of the street faces the eastern entrance of Ya’er Hutong. Heading northwest from Ya’er Hutong will take you to the renowned Guanghua Temple, and from there, following the northern edge of Houhai will lead directly to Deshengmen Xiaoshi. The southwestern part of the street’s western entrance is the Yinding Bridge, known for the “Yinding Viewing Mountain” view. Crossing the bridge southward takes you to the western edge of Shichahai, while going westward leads to the southern edge of Houhai. The northeastern corner of the street’s western entrance is the southern entrance of Xiaoshi Bei Hutong, which leads to the middle of Dashi Bei Hutong.

Time Needed

2 hours

Transportation

Bus:

Take bus No. 5, 60, 107, 124, or 635 to the Gulou stop, then walk 202 meters to reach the street.

Subway:

Take subway Line 2 and get off at Gulou Dajie Station.

Take subway Line 6 and get off at Nanluoguxiang Station or Beihai Bei Station.

Admission Fee

Free

Opening Hours

Open all day

Location

Di’anmen Outer Street, Xicheng District, Beijing