A Wonderful Place you can enjoy the tradition of Beijing: Join the bash at Nanluoguxiang

"Nanluoguxiang is very much an international community that attracts many people with its mixed but agreeable culture," said Jiang Senhai, a British expat who has lived in Beijing for 18 years, speaking fl uent Chinese. Jiang opened his famous T-shirt shop called "Plastered 8" in this well-known hutong, in 2001 when "it was more quiet and less competitive running a business."

Plastered 8 was one of the first few stores opened up in this over 700-yearold lane, which today is a thriving, hip district. At this weekend's 5th annual "Nanluoguxiang hutong culture festival," Plastered 8 and 100 other distinctive stores will get out in the street and show o. the culture that makes Nanluoguxiang one of the coolest streets in Beijing.

The three-day festival is themed as "show intangible cultural heritage of Dongcheng, observe the changes in Nanluoguxiang," a title that almost sucks all the fun out of the event, which will open on Friday with an opening ceremony announcing the winners of this year's top 10 stores, restaurants and landmark spots in the lane.Liu, who runs the "most quickly sold out" product in the lane is pretty confident that his "Wen Yu milk curd" will win. Normally his best-selling "red bean milk curd" is only sold from 11:30 am until the batch is gone, but for the festival he said he could make an exception and just make more when he runs out.

The official celebration will take place in Nanluoguxiang and the No.31 courtyard in Qinlao Hutong, and will include painting and calligraphy exhibitions as well as local residents' handicrafts in addition to the food and shopping, said Yu Yongjun, dean of the Jiaodaokou Subdistrict Administrative Office. Many local residents are the only successors of their arts in China. As an international district, Nanluoguxiang's offerings include performances by musicians and other talented people from all around the world.

A Western band playing live jazz could be followed by an old Beijing peddle demonstration zone with traditional costume and instruments, and acrobats and lion dancers could be performing next door to a bartender "fl air" show.

In the No. 31 yard, Qinlao Hutong, there will be open-air movies played for two days straight, including animated works and creative pieces from all over the country. There will also be a graffiti art show and several of the lane's local theaters will be premiering new works, like at the Penghao Theater, Beijing's first and still smallest 300-square-meter folk theater.

According to Yu, the festival promises that everyone who attends will, "have something to enjoy eating, enjoy seeing, enjoy bringing home and enjoy playing," (that rhymes in Chinese), and all the stores at Nanluoguxiang will join the festivity with special sales and promotions. Says Plastered 8's Jiang, "People should come, it will be hen renao (bustling with excitement)."