Photos: Yin Yeping/GT

Hutong fans are always looking for interesting things to see on their tours, but sometimes in the midst of interesting stores or fascinating people, the original quiet atmosphere of an old lane falls by the wayside. If you happen to be the one of those people who finds the commercialized Nanluoguxiang or the hutong in Houhai region too crowded with small businesses and visitors, then Fangjia Hutong in the Lama Temple Region could be the ideal place to find the real flavor of the hutong.

Machine past

Although there is still plenty to see, Fangjia Hutong has far fewer shops and businesses than busy Nanluoguxiang. But this area has not always been so peaceful. During the 1920s, it was partially occupied by the Hai Jing Foreign Firm, a machine importing and installation business run by disciples of the American Presbyterian Mission.

During the Japanese occupation, this place was used for making armaments like cannonballs and mines. In 1949, the Peking Machine Factory was founded here, and it later became the predecessor of today's China National Machine Tool Corporation.

In 2008, a small art zone moved into the factory's 9,000-square-meter space, ending the lane's long manufacturing history once and for all.

The original site of the massive machine tool factory has now been transformed into the big courtyard at No.46 that's also known as "The Mini 798" after the city's larger and more famous art district. Today the space is filled with arty restaurants and cafes, luxury fashion stores, a hotel and a theater, so the hutong still offers plenty of things to do if you get tired of soaking in its old-timey quietude.