The "Wide and Narrow Alleys" are three parallel lanes of Qing courtyard houses near the centre of the city, restored a decade ago into a polished food, tea and shopping district. Wide Alley is grandest, with old courtyard mansions turned into restaurants and teahouses; Narrow Alley is more boutique-and-bar; Well Alley keeps a slightly more local feel. Touristy but genuinely pretty, and a good place to try traditional ear-cleaning, shadow puppetry and Sichuan opera face-changing performances.
Kuanzhai Xiangzi
Restored Qing-dynasty alleys with teahouses, food and performances