Branching west from the commercial bustle of Nanluoguxiang, Mao'er Hutong is one of the better-preserved of the side alleys, lined with grey-brick courtyard houses and noticeably quieter than the main lane. Its chief landmark is the former residence of Wan Rong, the last empress of China, who lived here before her marriage to the deposed emperor Puyi — the courtyards are not generally open, but the gateways and walls survive.
The hutong rewards a slow, aimless walk: glimpses through open gates, old trees, and the ordinary domestic life of a neighbourhood that the main street has largely lost to tourism. A morning is the time to come, before the day-trippers spill over from Nanluoguxiang.