Reading the past in the bones of Beijing's historical alleys

Li says that while many of his neighbors have moved out over the years, he remains in his family's courtyard house.

"In the past, residents relied on communal toilets and kitchens, which was inconvenient and lacked privacy," he explains. A few years ago, the government initiated a plan to improve living conditions for residents in the hutong area, installing toilets and kitchens for each family and upgrading infrastructure such as roads and public spaces.

"I enjoy living here, though it can get very crowded during weekends and public holidays," he says. "For me, life in Nanluoguxiang is a blend of pride in living in a historic and vibrant area."

Wu Honglin, a 68-year-old retired teacher, spent nearly 40 years in Nanluoguxiang before moving away after getting married. The professor at Peking University's College of Architecture and Landscape used to bring his students to Nanluoguxiang and other nearby hutong areas for research.

"For me, every time I visit Nanluoguxiang, it feels like coming home. It's a place full of childhood memories. People bought supplies at closet-sized stores, built pigeon coops on rooftops and visited neighbors without changing out of their pajamas," he says.

Today, with historic architecture sitting side by side with trendy shops and cafes, the area reflects Beijing's broader urban transformation, where the ancient and the modern coexist. "I'm attracted to the trendy shops and cafes interspersed among traditional buildings," Wu says.

Before Nanluoguxiang became the vibrant hub it is today, one store helped set the tone: Plastered 8, a shop that used to decorate T-shirts with locally inspired designs.

The shop was founded in 2006 by Dominic Johnson-Hill, a British entrepreneur who moved to Beijing in the 1990s and fell in love with its culture. Though Johnson-Hill moved to Hong Kong in 2019 and closed the store in 2022, he fondly recalls his time in Nanluoguxiang.

"When I first opened the shop, Nanluoguxiang was far from the trendy hot spot it is today. My neighbors became my employees, and they were passionate about their work. With their warmth and kindness, these ayi (aunties) made the shop feel like a family business," he says.

Plastered 8 became a popular destination, blending Beijing's cultural heritage with a modern, humorous twist. Its success helped cement Nanluoguxiang's reputation as a creative hub, attracting other entrepreneurs and artists to set up shops.

"Nanluoguxiang means a lot to me. My wedding took place in Shichahai, and my kids were born in the hutong area. They speak Mandarin and enjoyed running around in the hutong area just like other kids living there," Johnson-Hill says.

"We returned to Nanluoguxiang earlier this year to spend Spring Festival with our old neighbors. We all miss the place."