Highlights / General details People say that the real culture of Beijing is "the culture of hutong" and "the culture of courtyard". How true that is. Often, it is Beijing's winding hutongs that attract tourists from home and abroad rather than the high-rise buildings and large mansions. Hutong is a typical lane or small street in Beijing that originated during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). "Hutong" is a Mongolian word, meaning "water well". During that time, water well is the settlement around which people lived. There are tens of thousands of hutongs surrounding the Forbidden City. In the past, Beijing was composed of countless courtyards. Hutongs were formed when people left a passageway between two courtyards to make entering them more convenient. This half day tour offers you a hard-to-find opportunity of visiting an old local resident's courtyard, and experiencing an approximately 20-minute rickshaw drive through the zigzag and narrow alleys or Hutongs near Houhai Lake. Inclusion Private car/coach for transfers service and sightseeing program; Local English-speaking tour guide; Parking fee & toll fee wherever applicable. Exclusion Personal expenses such as drinks, optional activities, etc.; Gratuities to the tour guide & driver. Hours of operation Available: Daily; Pick up at 9:00am or 1:00pm. Duration Approximately 4 hours. Location Our private English-speaking guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel around 9:00am or 1:00pm. Itinerary You will travel by taking a rickshaw or called pedicab to visit a local family in a traditional courtyard in Hutongs. You can talk to the host and hostess, perhaps on your interested topics such as a beijinger's daily life. Ascending the 67-meter high and two-story Drum Tower dating from the year 1420 is sure to bring you back to the old Beijing by seeing the big drum tower and having bird's-eye view of the surrounding communities of hutongs and siheyuan - existing traditional courtyards in Beijing. End the tour and transfer you to the hotel at 1:00pm or 5:00pm. During today's tour, a Chinese cultural factory visit is organized. Policies Tour requires a minimum of 2 people to operate. Complete information, including local telephone numbers at your destination, will be included on your Confirmation Voucher. **All information requested must be supplied or booking is subject to automatic cancellation**