The old commercial district immediately south of Tiananmen Square, centred on Qianmen Avenue and the branching lanes of Dashilan. The main Qianmen street is a pedestrianised reconstruction of its Qing-dynasty appearance, somewhat sanitised but handsome enough. The best parts are the lanes branching west — Dashilan itself and the smaller alleys off it — where old shops selling silks, traditional medicines, and hat-making equipment have traded for over a century in some cases.
The Liulichang culture street is a 15-minute walk south and west. Dashilan is one of the better areas in Beijing for slow wandering without a specific destination, particularly in the late afternoon when the light is good on the old shopfronts.