Several sections of popular Beijing hutong Nanluogu Xiang are closed this month for “renovations.” In my latest post for the Beijinger, I reflect on the past, present, and future of the neighborhood.

On the Future of Nanluoguxiang

Guidebooks and travel articles still insist it’s a must-see, but many Beijing residents would rather spend a night in a waterbed with a PCP-addled porcupine than wade through the crowds on the bustling lane. No other place in Beijing better recalls the hoary one-liner popularized by American baseball player Yogi Berra: “Yeah … Nobody goes there no more. It’s too crowded.”