Route: South Xinhua Road - Quanjude Hepingmen Roast Duck Restaurant - Zhengyici Opera Theater - High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University - China Bookstore - Liulichang Street

Heading south from the Hepingmen Stop of Subway No. 2, you will step on the South Xinhua Road. The sites you will see today are mainly on this street.

First, just 100 meters south, you will see Beijing Quanjude Hepingmen Roast Duck Restaurant on the east side of the street. The brand of Quanjude was originated in 1864 and the Hepingmen branch was founded in 1974. 4000 square meters' area makes it the biggest Roast Duck Restaurant in the world and over 2000 people can dine here at the same time. If you would like to have a taste, the reserve phone number is 010-63023062.

Keeping heading south, the alley on your left is called Qianmen Xiheyan Hutong. Walking 150 meters deep, you will find the Zhengyici Opera Theater which has a history of more than 300 years. It is a typical Chinese old style theater tower and can accommodate over 200 audiences. During the day, sometimes local people arrange their weddings or family banquets here. You can visit it between 10:00 and 17:30 and the admission fee is CNY10.00. While in the evening, you can enjoy the famous Peking Opera, or other local operas performed by virtuosos every night from 19:30 to 20:45, and the ticket for opera performance is ranged from CNY50.00 to CNY150.00.

Back to the South Xinhua Road and we continue southward, the High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University is on your left. The school was founded in 1901. It was the first public school in China and also the first batch of key high schools in Beijing. For over a hundred years, the school has cultivated a large number of distinguished graduates, who have been and still are contributing to the development of our country. The school has always been closely related to the educational development in China and an indispensable component of China's educational history.

Keeping riding along the street, China Bookstore, the first nationalized and also the biggest second-hand bookstore in China is your next stop. For over 50 years, the staff there have collected, protected and restored countless precious old books, paintings, Beitie (rubbings from stone inscriptions), seal cuttings, etc. and made great effort in inheriting and carrying forward Chinese civilization. China Bookstore now has 15 branch stores in Beijing and people can find all kinds of books of plenty of aspects here.

If you are interested in Chinese culture and artworks, the Liulichang Street is a must-see for you. When you stop at the first crossroad, the street on your left is the East Liulichang Street and the one on your right is the West Liulichang Street. The street got its name in Yuan Dynasty, as it was a factory used for making glazed tiles for the imperial city. Later in Qing Dynasty, the factory moved away and more and more officials, scholars and examinees have settled here, the street became an aggregate place for books, calligraphies, paintings, antiques and porcelains. The whole street now is about 800 meters' long. Tourists from all over the world love to come here to stroll around the famous old stores. Even you do not buy anything, just feel the atmosphere would be a fun experience.

The main trip on South Xinhua Road ends here. But if you have more time, you can wonder around on your bike, explore the old-style dwelling houses and normal people's lives that hidden in hutong.