Do you know what the real old Beijing is like? Here at the Peaceful Fruit Shop

Foreigners who want to understand old Beijing, the hutongs of old Beijing, and the life of old Beijingers must go to the Peaceful Fruit Shop in the Wangfujing Department Store on Wangfujing Pedestrian Street. Address: B2, Wangfujing Department Store, Dongcheng District, Beijing Content: Showcasing the real life in old Beijing hutongs and among old Beijingers Ticket: Free🆓 Business Hours: 10:00-22:00 Transportation Strategy: Take bus 60 to Xilahu Tong Station, walk 511 meters to arrive, take bus 2 to Dong'anmen Station, walk 496 meters to arrive, take bus 103 to Xin Dong'an Market Station, walk 556 meters to arrive, take bus 41 to Wangfujing Station, walk 1.5 kilometers to arrive, take bus 141 to Xin Dong'an Market Station, walk 556 meters to arrive. 1️⃣ About Hutongs: Nothing touches the memory of old Beijingers more than the word 'hutong'. As Beijing becomes increasingly prosperous, skyscrapers bear witness to its changes. But it is the hutongs that instantly take people back to the most pure, most original memories. Hutong culture is the essence of Beijing. Since the Ming Dynasty, Beijing has been the capital for hundreds of years, accumulating a profound history, and hutong culture is one of its representatives. There are currently 950 hutongs in Beijing, with 479 in Dongcheng District and 471 in Xicheng District. 2️⃣ About 'Beijing Ban'er Ye': A true portrayal of old Beijing culture. Ban'er Ye were originally people who helped transport goods, usually found at railway freight stations, furniture stores, and trust shops waiting for work. Most old Beijingers are between the ages of 50 and 70, wearing spill shoes, and their trouser legs are often clipped with a small clip to avoid being scraped by the chain of the pedal. They like to drink a few sips when waiting for work or eating, and they are not particular about what they eat with the alcohol, having seen Ban'er Ye with a piece of fruit candy, taking a bite, and then a sip of alcohol. Beijing currently has 800 human-powered tricycles. Unlike the 'horse-drawn carriages' and electric bicycles of Tianjin's Five Avenues, Beijing is all about 'human-powered tricycles'. It's all about that 'style'. 3️⃣ About Old Beijing Hutong 'Toilets🚾': You often see the slogan 'Quick! The latrine is this way!' Beijing's toilets have both 'private latrines' and 'official latrines'. Beijingers are used to calling toilets 'latrines'. The private toilet is located in the southwest corner of the courtyard, for family use only. The 'official latrine', now the public toilet, is chosen to be in places where residents gather. See👆🏻picture. 3️⃣ About Old Beijing Hutong Life Using 'Coal Balls': The slogan on the wall is 'Stealing coal kills the whole family' 😂😂😂. In the 1980s and 1990s, from mid-October each year, every household in the Beijing hutongs would start assembling coal stoves. Some government employees and large state-owned enterprise workers could live in buildings with heating, but there were more people living in bungalows. Every year, stoves and chimneys had to be installed, with each household having a stove, but often needing to buy a new chimney. 4️⃣ Old Beijing Hutong Grocery Store: 'Hiding the Old Times of Beijingers' Full of Memories Grocery stores are mostly operated at the entrance of hutong alleys, with inconspicuous storefronts. Grocery stores provide services for people living in the courtyard houses of the hutongs, bringing great convenience. The goods sold are low-profit, earning just a little money, but they truly offer genuine goods at fair prices, which is the basic principle of doing business; fair to all, young and old... Some also call these stores 'mountain goods' shops, which is also correct. The 'curtain' made of sorghum stalks, the brooms tied with millet sprouts, the garlic pounders spun from stone, and the bar-shaped sharpening stones mined from the mountains are all genuine local and mountain goods. Although the names differ, the goods sold are basically the same. 5️⃣ In the 1980s and 1990s, you couldn't miss the 'Big Brother Pager' It's the mobile phone of today, probably only known by those born in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, as the popular communication device of that era. Having a Big Brother Pager was a very 'awesome' thing... 😂😂😂 6️⃣ About old Beijing snacks, I won't go into detail, as various platforms on the internet have information. 7️⃣ After visiting the Peaceful Fruit Shop and the hutong culture of old Beijing, you must also go to the hutongs in Dongsi and Xisi, especially to Shichahai to see, Prince Gong's Mansion, and the Rain Hutong and Hat Hutong in Nanluoguxiang, which are very characteristic; you can also see the former residence of the 'Last Empress' Wanrong in Hat Hutong. Yangmeizhu Xiejie is also one of Beijing's most artistic old hutongs, and don't forget to check out the most lively place for nightlife, 'Ba Da Hutong', near Jiefang Bridge.