Mutton Alley

Mutton Alley

Beijing Charm: Hunting for Jewelry in Courtyards

Age: Over 600 years

Past: During the Yuan Dynasty, this area was used for livestock trading to serve the imperial family and nobility. After the Ming Dynasty, as the neighborhood became home to a Hui ethnic community, many mutton shops opened along the alley, offering quality meat at affordable prices and gaining widespread fame—thus earning the name Mutton Alley.

Present: Several hundred years later, no one would have expected that an alley historically known for selling mutton would become associated with jewelry in the 1990s and grow into a genuine jewelry hub in Beijing. Affordable quality is the hallmark of Mutton Alley’s jewelry offerings, as most customers are industry insiders, and shop owners see no need to inflate prices. It’s said that prices here are often more than 50% lower than those in major department stores, and some jewelry sold in those stores might even have been crafted by artisans from this very alley. Here, you’ll often spot elderly people wearing reading glasses and holding magnifying glasses, searching for treasures they’ve long sought. If you’re just here to look around or buy an engagement diamond ring, it’s best to brush up on your jewelry appraisal skills beforehand—or follow experienced treasure hunters—so you might just find something you love. Otherwise, you may find it hard to even communicate with the shop staff.

Location: 100 meters south of the Xisi intersection, on the west side of the road

Highlights: Diamond Dreamland, Huayun Hong