The 11 Best Things to See and Do in Xidan, Beijing

Explore Xidan’s sprawling Culture Square

To date, Xidan’s Culture Square is the largest culture square in all of Beijing. Home to quirky boutiques and a massive performing arts center, the area covers a total of 8.65 acres of land. Perfect for people-watching and leisurely strolls, Xidans’ Culture Square – when it’s not being used to host events – makes for a lovely place to experience Beijing and all of its eclectic culture.

Xidan Culture Plaza, Xidan Bei Dajie, Beijing, China

#beijing#xidan

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Visit Xidan’s namesake paifang

Xidan, which translates to “West Single” in English, was named after a historic Chinese arch – paifang – in the area. Originally located on the west side of Xidan, the paifang’s placement led to the naming of what is now one of Beijing’s most bustling commercial areas. In 2008, the original paifang was rebuilt and relocated to the center of Xidan’s Culture Square – it can be seen here now. For a look at an important relic from Xidan’s past, making a visit to the commercial area’s namesake paifang is an absolute must.

Xidan Culture Square, Xidan Bei Dajie, Beijing, China

The Cloud Watching Memorial Arch. #XidanCultureSquare #Beijing #China

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Get in touch with your competitive side at Backyard Board Game Room

Situated inside of a classically charming hutong in Xidan, the Backyard Board Game Room is a place where competitive gaming meets relaxing get-together. Backyard Board Game Room provides prospective gamers with games – PSP, PS2, and Wii – and a comfy spot to play them. An affair fit for the entire family, wasting away a day gaming at the Backyard Board Game Room will only set you back roughly 30 RMB (US$4.75) for six hours of play. For game lovers in the Xidan area, getting in touch with your competitive side at the quirky Backyard Board Game Room is a definite-do.

Backyard Board Game Room,16 Dajiangfang Hutong, Beijing, China, +86 6605 5246

Board game night | © Geoffrey Fairchild / Flickr

Buy Beijing souvenirs at one of Xidan’s many malls

It is widely known that part of going on a vacation means taking the initiative to leave room in one’s luggage to bring back souvenirs. For someone traveling through Beijing, shopping in Xidan for memorabilia to return home with is always fun. With the commercial area’s prominent culture and accessibility to stores of all kinds, shopping for trinkets at one of Xidan’s many malls makes sense. While there are many independent storefronts that tourists can go to for souvenirs, browsing the shops of a mall like Joy City in Xidan may prove to be more exciting – for endless choices and decent prices, buying Beijing souvenirs at one of Xidan’s many malls is a must.

Joy City, 131 Xidan N. Street, Beijing, China

#whatareyoudoinginchina #softxvoyage #ไลฟ์อินปักกิ่งแปป #china #sociallife #filmphoto #huji #shoppingmall #life #capitalcity #xidan #slowlife #mall #nice #beijing

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Take a walk through history while strolling down Lingjing Hutong

Considered to be the largest hutong alley in Beijing, Lingjing Hutong stretches a whopping 2,000 feet (610 m.) long, and 105 feet (32 m.) wide. Lingjing Hutong’s spectacular size attracts the attention of tourists visiting Xidan from all over. Additionally, the hutong’s history dates back to Ming dynasty, although many renovations were made to the historic housing during the Qing dynasty, which can be seen in its varying architecture. Lingjing Hutong is impressive not only to tourists, but locals as well, and is apparent through the masses of people taking a stroll down the street on any given day.

Lingjing Hutong, Beijing, China

Some sidestreet of the hutong…#hutong #store #bycicle #street #sidestreet #travelphotography #travelcrazy #traveling_is_ourlove #travelasia #destinationchina #destinationasia #beijing #beijing🇨🇳 #beijingtrip #mytrip #ourtrip #canoneos500d

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Indulge in one of Xidan’s most outrageous desserts at Freak Shake

Specializing in monstrous milkshakes, Freak Shake, located in Xidan’s Joy City mall, is an ice cream oasis serving up some of the city’s craziest treats. Very appropriately named, Freak Shake is known for concocting milkshake creations unlike any other – served in large mason jar mugs, the shakes and their flavors cannot be contained. Freak Shake offers a wide variety of flavors, ranging from chocolate pretzel to strawberry shortcake, and are equipped with all the works – salty pretzels, strawberry syrup, whipped cream, and macaroon toppings spill over the sides of the mugs. While the milkshakes are out-of-this-world when it comes to creativity and taste, their size is almost too large to enjoy on your own, so grab a friend and couple of spoons and indulge in Xidan’s most decadent dessert.

Freak Shake, 9/F Joy City, 131 N. Xidan Street, Beijing, China

🍹 #freakshake#gouterentrecopines#aurevoirleregime#calories#grossegeule

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