Beijing's historical street welcomes young global storytellers

The 2026 "Check in at Gulou West Street and Stroll Along Diagonal Street" cultural consumption series kicked off on Thursday on Gulou West Street, bringing together the International Mini Market and the "Reading Guxi" cultural exploration activity.

Nearly 20 international students from nine countries joined the two-part event, which combined interactive displays at the International Mini Market with a cultural exploration of the historical neighborhood. Along the nearly 800-year-old street, they mingled with longtime residents, local citizens and tourists, creating a lively cultural exchange that bridged countries and continents.

The gathering offered international students a firsthand look at the protection and renewal of Beijing's historical districts, while creating opportunities for Chinese and foreign cultures to meet and learn from one another amid the bustle of the hutong alleyways. It also brought fresh, youthful and international energy to the integrated development of culture, commerce and tourism in Beijing's Xicheng district.

The International Mini Market was set up in Koudai, or "Pocket", Park on Gulou West Street, where a row of flower-decorated carts lined the street. The international students showcased landmarks, folk motifs and memories of their homelands through an array of souvenirs and merchandise, attracting passersby to stop, browse and interact.

The students were not only vendors but also cultural ambassadors, enthusiastically introducing their home countries to local residents and tourists in sincere, sometimes accented, Chinese.

Beyond the market, the "Reading Guxi" cultural exploration invited the students to discover the neighborhood on foot.

At Guxi 33, a shared courtyard complex, they saw a vivid example of how old-city spaces can be renewed for contemporary use. At Dianjiangchun, named after a Kunqu Opera tune, they experienced a blend of traditional theatrical culture and modern consumption over a cup of coffee in a setting that combines an old house with a new cafe.

They also visited Yifeng, a time-honored restaurant founded in 1915 and now run by its fourth generation, where its signature lamb noodles in broth won praise from the visitors. Time-honored brands, new forms of consumption, old teahouses and traditional Chinese medicine clinics came together along the street, turning it into an open-air cultural experience where visitors could see, taste and engage with the neighborhood's history and contemporary life.