Yandai xiejie
Yandai xiejie
Yandaixie Street, also named as Tobacco Pipe Lane, is one of the oldest streets in Beijing. It begins from Di An Men Wai street and intersects with Xiao Shi Pai Hutong and Yaer Hutong. It is in the direction of Northwest-Southwest with a length of 232 meters (760.96 ft). The street connects the three important tourist attractions: Di An Men, the Bell and Drum Tower and Houhai. As an entrance of Houhai, Yandaixie Street has become a channel which connects the ancient Beijing and present Beijing. Along with the development, the street now takes a new look after reconstruction. Ethnic shops and various bars and cafes are opened here which attract lots of tourists from in and abroad.
During the Qing Dynasty (1636-1911), people lived in Beijing liked tobaccos very much, which caused the increasing demand of tobacco pipe. Therefore, more and more tobacco pipe shops were opened in the street. Most of the shops in Yandaixie Street are situated on sidesteps with a big wooden tobacco pipe standing in front of the gate. The logo of black pipe and golden hollow is vivid and impressive. “Shuangshengtai”, one of the most famous shops in the street, has a huge wooden tobacco pipe standing in front of its gate which is the largest one in this street.
Beijing Walks presents six detailed walking tours of the most important historic quarters of the Chinese capitalthe Forbidden City, the former Legation Quarter, Beihai Park, the Temple of Heaven, the Confucius Temple, the Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square, and the Olympic Village. All tours are placed in their imperial contexts and enlivened with drawings and photographs. Cohn offers vital information on everything from feng shui, Pekingese dogs, and Peking duck to Peking Opera and the emperors' private lives, evoking the sights, sounds, and smells of old Peking, its pleasures and its grandeur. 115 full-color photos and 17 maps
About the Author: Don J. Cohn lived in Beijing for five years and has visited the city over 200 times since 1979. As a China scholar, he has written, edited, or translated over 50 books, articles, and reviews on many aspects of Chinese culture. He now divides his time between New York, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.
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