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By Yin Yeping
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 La ma 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.

Modern art
Arty districts and young entrepreneurs go hand-in-hand, and this lane is no exception. Most of the business owners are around 30, like Pan Haiyi, whose creative paper-goods shop, Paper Talk, has occupied its little storefront at No. 12 for several years. After quitting her job in the IT industry, Pan devoted herself to arts and crafts, making delicate items like bottles and wallets and even shelves out of paper. She said she chose this hutong location because it embodies the quiet, thoughtful style of her little shop.
"This place is quiet and peaceful, which allows me to have my full attention focused on making these paper gadgets with all my thought," she said.
At the east side of the lane in No. 51 is the MI-Space Gallery, which sells decorative maps of Beijing. While they aren't as detailed as more practical city maps, their stylish cartoon-style paintings make them very popular for home decoration and souvenirs.
Winding down the tour at the east access, the Fangjia One Two restaurant is another good place for hipsters to take a load off. The owner, Han Jiangxing, is a professional guitarist with a great passion for music. If you visit at night, the place is a perfect spot to unwind with a couple cold beers, listening to live music on stage or Han playing his own guitar from behind the bar.