Yan Dai Xie Street

　　   Yan Dai Xie Street is located on Di’anmen Outer Street in front of the Drum Tower, within the jurisdiction of Changqiao in Xicheng District. From the late Qing Dynasty to the 1920s and 1930s, the street was primarily known for shops selling dry and water tobacco pipes, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, picture mounting, stationery, as well as local snacks and service businesses. The architecture of the storefronts was simple yet distinctive, bearing the characteristics of Beijing’s northern city area. It was one of the more renowned cultural streets in northern Beijing and has been frequented by many cultural figures.

　　　   It is a small alley in the northeast of Qianhai at Shichahai and is the oldest commercial street in Beijing, surrounded by numerous restaurants, hotels, and other foreign goods shops.

　　Function

　　　　   During the Qing Dynasty, the street mainly dealt in tobacco pipes, calligraphy and painting mounting, and the trade of antiques and jade artifacts, making it a bustling commercial area. Back then, only the Manchu nobility and wealthy merchants could afford to smoke snuff or collect art and calligraphy. Since 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 Yan Dai Xie Street (Tobacco Pipe Slanted Street) in the “Guangxu Shuntianfu Zhi” (Annals of Guangxu-era Shuntian Prefecture).
　　   On the bustling street, you’ll often come across shops with distinct styles. While some of these establishments may have once sold works by famous artists, today they mostly offer unique local snacks and souvenirs rich in ethnic flavor.

　　Formation

　　Geographic Location

　　　　   From a geographic standpoint, the formation and development of Yan Dai Xie Street are closely related to the locations of the Drum Tower and Shichahai, as well as the socio-economic environment.
　　   The eastern entrance of Yan Dai Xie Street is located on the west side of Di’anmen Outer Street. The street trends from east to northwest. About 50 meters into the eastern entrance on the north side lies the southern entrance of Dashi Bei Hutong, which leads to Di’anmen West Street. The middle section of the slanted street connects with Yi Liu He Yan, and walking south along Yi Liu He Yan will take you to Houmen Bridge. The southern entrance of the middle section of the street leads west to the eastern edge of Shichahai, connecting to Yinding Bridge. The western entrance of the street is directly opposite the eastern entrance of Ya’er Hutong. Heading northwest from Ya’er Hutong will take you to the famous Guanghua Temple, and continuing along the northern edge of Houhai will lead directly to Deshengmen Xiaoshi. The southwest corner of the western entrance of the street is home to Yinding Bridge, known for the view “Yinding Kan Shan” (Viewing the Mountains from Yinding Bridge). Crossing the bridge to the south leads to the western edge of Shichahai, while going west leads to the southern edge of Houhai. The northeast corner of the western entrance is the southern entrance of Xiao Shi Bei Hutong, which leads to the middle section of Dashi Bei Hutong.

Yan Dai Xie Street is aAAA-grade attraction