Dashilan Traditional Shops

The Zhengyangmen gatehouse rises as a massive, fortress-like structure capped by a gray-tiled roof and red walls. It served as the southern entrance to Beijing’s Inner City, protecting the imperial palace from invaders. During the Boxer…

The Qianxiangyi storefront on Dashilan Street features a traditional wooden facade with elaborate, hand-carved pillars and gilded signage that once signaled elite status in Beijing. Founded in eighteen fifty-three, this silk store became…

The Quanjude roast duck restaurant is marked by a wide, traditional Chinese storefront with a large, golden plaque featuring calligraphy by the late Premier Zhou Enlai. Founded in eighteen sixty-four by a man named Yang Quanren, the…

The Wuyutai tea shop is identified by its bright, yellow-painted facade and the distinctive, life-sized bronze statue of a person pouring tea into a bowl that stands near the entrance. Founded in eighteen eighty-seven by a merchant named…

The Liubiju shopfront displays a signboard written in the calligraphy of Yan Song, a notorious Ming dynasty official. This shop specializes in fermented pickles, a trade that began here in fifteen thirty. According to tradition, the name…

The long, grey brick wall of Majuyuan runs along the street, hiding a history that once centered on the Imperial cavalry. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, this site served as a massive corral and training ground for the horses belonging…

The bronze plaque above the entrance of Tongrentang reads with the weight of three centuries of tradition. Inside this pharmacy, the scent of dried herbs and roots fills the air, a practice that began in sixteen sixty-nine. The founder,…

Neiliansheng is identified by a traditional wooden storefront sign featuring elegant black-and-gold calligraphy. It serves as a historic maker of handmade cloth shoes, originally established in eighteen fifty-three to supply footwear for…

The Ruifuxiang Silk Store features a grand, ornate stone facade topped by a traditional Chinese roof that stands out sharply against the modern storefronts of Dashilan Street. Established in eighteen ninety-three, the shop became the…