A tour into at least 20 alleyways intertwined in the Shichahai area a few blocks from the Forbidden City has topped the agenda of many international tourists to Beijing. The trip, lasting up to three hours, costs 180 yuan (US$22.5) per person. "This is something new. We never saw anything like this in Europe," said Betto Veenenbos, a retiree from Holland.

Beijing Hutong Tourist Agency was the first to promote hutong tours in 1994 and is receiving around 180,000 tourists a year. "Business is good. Sometimes tourists are waiting even before our working hours start at 8am," said a tricycle rider.

"It's more than a sightseeing tour," said the company's vice president Jing Xueming. "By traveling to the innermost parts of Beijing, the visitors will hopefully have a glimpse of Beijing's culture and the locals' life."

However, competition is fierce, he says. "In the Shichahai area alone, 22 travel services are providing hutong tours."

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