Experience Old Beijing at Bars in Hutong

　　Nan Luogu Xiang lane， located in the city's downtown area， or as the old Beijingnese called it， "the foot of the imperial city"， is becoming a good place for local residents to go to in their spare time.

　　The lane is actually situated at the northern part of the Forbidden City. It starts from the Di'anmen Dongdajie and stretches to Gulou Dajie. With a history of over 700 years， it is a typical example of the "chessboard" symmetric street building formula popular in the Yuan Dynasty.

　　Preserved by the Beijing municipal government as a mirror of the old Beijing city， the lane is now dotted with over 30 bars， cafés， restaurants and small handicraft shops， all attracting people in their unique style.

　　For Zhang Qiaowen， a Canadian Chinese， his home is not far from here. As he is now studying religion at Peking University， he would visit the lane every day during the recent week-long May Day holiday. The bar he went in very often was called the "Xique Café"， or magpie café， where he normally spent half a day， sipping tea while surfing on the Internet. "I like to come here because it's quiet and everything is easy to get，" said Zhang. To him， the tranquil atmosphere here makes the lane different from most other bar streets that are usually noisy. Also， he said the "Siheyuan here is very well protected and displays the Old Beijing's city feature."

　　For Li Fei， who has just finished her postgraduate examination， the lane is an ideal place for her to relieve the pressure of the exam. She happened to find the place by map and when she arrived with her friends， she felt the trip was totally worth it. "It is so different here from the street outside. When everybody in the street seems to be in a hurry， you will calm down once you enter this lane. It is indeed a good place to relax，" she said.

　　At the Shalou Café， old-style furniture is neatly placed in the room. "Most of our customers are young people，" said the café manager， "they mostly work in Beijing and would like to come here at night for relaxation." He said the bars and cafés inside the lane were mingled with residential houses. For residents living here， they don't like the lane to be too noisy， and for most tourists， they come here to enjoy the quietness of the lane. Therefore most bars here are usually quiet.

　　The Guoke Bar， or guest bar， which is located at the southern end of the lane， has been running business here for nearly seven years， and has now become a must for backpackers from home and abroad. A waitress said the bar received some 150 guests every day on average. Manager Haiyan said she had chosen the place to open her business because she liked the family atmosphere here.

　　When this reporter went into the Laowu Bar， he saw a musician surnamed Mr. Ke， who was absorbed in enjoying the country music being played in the bar room. He said as most bar streets in other places become more and more commercialized， he cherished the cultural atmosphere here， where people often come to experience the old Beijing culture.

　　According to a rough estimation from the Jiaodaokou Community Office in Dongcheng district， where the lane is located， some 8，000 people visited Nan Luogu Xiang during the recent May Day holiday.

　　当你漫步于北京南锣鼓巷的时候，胡同里宁静的气氛就会使你忘记大街上的匆忙和喧嚣。午后阳光洒在繁茂的树木上，树木掩映着那长长的，窄窄的胡同。四合院体现了北京的传统建筑风格，一排又一排的四合院远远地延伸在小巷的两端。午后的阳光也洒在了酒吧的屋子上面，一些老太太在一边聊着天，而前面不远处，坐在酒吧前面木桌子旁的都是一些游人。

　　南锣鼓巷胡同，位于该市的繁华地段，或者用老北京人的话说叫"皇城根儿"，此地乃是当地居民闲暇时常去的一个好地方。

　　其实，应该说这条胡同位于紫金城的北面。因为该巷头在地安门东大街，巷尾在鼓楼大街。在元朝的时候，棋盘状的大街建造格局很是普遍，而这条胡同就是当时建筑风格的一个典范，这条胡同已经有700多年的历史了。

　　北京市政府把这条胡同当作是老北京的典范来保护，这条胡同里目前已有30多家酒吧、咖啡馆、餐馆和小手工店铺，她们都各以其特色吸引着众多游人。

　　张乔文，是一位国籍为加拿大的中国人，目前他正就读于北京大学，研究宗教。他家离这很近。 "五一"七天长假期间，他每天都来胡同这里。他经常来的酒吧叫做"喜鹊酒吧"，他平常一呆就是老半天。一边品茶，一边上着网。他说："这个地方很安静，什么东西都方便，我喜欢来这里。" 对他来说，这条胡同和其他酒吧大街的不同之处就是，这条酒吧胡同很安静，而其他那些酒吧大街都是很吵闹的。他还说，这里的四合院保护得比较好，而且，这里有老北京的味道。

　　李飞，刚结考完她的研究生考试。对她来说，这条胡同是让她摆脱考试压力的理想之地。她还是从地图上偶然发现这个地方的，当她和朋友一起来到这里后，她感觉这次旅行非常值。她说："这里和外面的大街非常不一样，大街上的行人行色匆匆，可你一旦来到了这个地方，你就会沉静下来，这里确实是一个放松身心的好地方。"

　　在一家叫"沙漏咖啡"的酒吧里，屋里的老式家俱摆放得井然有条。酒吧里的经理说："我们的很多顾客都是年轻人，他们大部分都在北京工作，晚上喜欢来这里放松一下。" 他还说这条胡同里的酒吧和咖啡馆都是和居民的住房混杂在一起的。住在这里的居民不喜欢这条胡同太吵，而来这里观光的游人也是为了享受这安静的气氛的，因此，很多酒吧平常都很安静。

　　"过客酒吧"经营快有7年时间了，该酒吧位于该胡同南口。 现在过客酒吧已经成为国内外游人必去之地了。一位女服务员说过客酒吧平均每天接待客人达150多人。海燕经理说她之所以选择在这里开酒吧是因为她喜欢这里有家的气氛。

　　当该报记者走进"老屋酒吧"的时候，记者看见一位姓克的音乐家，他沉浸在酒吧演奏的乡村音乐当中。他说其他地方的酒吧大街变得越来越商业化，他很珍视这里的文化氛围，这里也有很多人经常来这里品味老北京的文化韵味。

　　南锣鼓巷位于东城区，而根据东城区交道口社区办公室的粗略的估计，在五一期间大约有8000人来南锣鼓巷游玩。