Branching west from Nanluoguxiang, Yuer Hutong is one of the calmer side alleys that show what the main lane was like before the souvenir shops arrived. Its best-known address is the former residence of Qi Baishi, the painter who became one of the defining figures of twentieth-century Chinese art; the courtyard has served as a small gallery. Further along stand the remnants of a grand Qing official's mansion and garden.
A few minutes' walk takes you from the crowds of Nanluoguxiang into a working residential lane of grey-brick walls and quiet gateways. Like the other hutongs here, it rewards an unhurried wander rather than a hunt for any one sight.