The moment you set foot on Beijing soil you will hear about the hutongs. It is as if these narrow, grey lanes of the capital encapsulate the very soul of the city. However, Qing dynasty residents of Beijing would probably scratch their heads if they saw how the dusty back alleys of the capital have been awarded this glorifying status of representing the “real” Beijing.

The city plan of Beijing was measured out according to a tree. This glorious plant stood just outside of what we today know as the Tiananmen gate. Whilst sadly the tree itself is no more, the grid of roads that it helped measure out still exists to this day.

Only a hundred years ago, when Chinese people from the south of the country arrived in Beijing, they did not have a clue what was sold inside Beijing’s shops. This was because the signage outside the stores was particular to Beijing. You could almost call it a code of the capital.

Xingshi Huabao was established in 1909, but only existed for around half a year. It was located in the Dashilar area and reported numerous stories from brothels and opium dens in a gossipy, sensationalist yet not very openly political way.

Travelling in Asia, pioneering female journalist Eliza Scidmore was truly taken with Beijing when she started visiting the city in the 1890s. When she first arrived, the city was still divided into two parts - a Manchu inner city to the north, and a Chinese outer city in the south.

A cultural revolution letter from one of the greats of the Dashilar Beijing Opera scene

I was six years old when I made my first brush. My father taught me. In 1956, he was one of the first workers at the state-owned Lifushou brush making factory here at Liulichang. And I ended up being the last one. I took over from my father in 1979.