Another weekend, another FilmNeverDie photowalk – this time taking a page from the life of David Bowie and going on an eclectic journey through the hutongs of Dongcheng.

Much like previous versions, our photography centered stroll, there will be a strong focus on heritage buildings, but this time with a twist. Much like the history of the hutongs – traditional spaces once reserved for families but now divided, divided more, and used for all kinds of things, from shops, to eateries, to palaces and everything in between – our walk will focus on the oddities to be found within these old alleyways.

We begin at the former residence of Duan Qirui. This massive complex, originally built in 1920, served as the residence of the infamous warlord and commander of the Beiyang Army, who served as Chief Executive of the Republic from 1924-1926. Today, the building is an annex of Renmin University.

From here we move to Wujin. It’s not at all related to Duan Qirui, and if the hutong it lies in was part of some skirmish or fight for power during the Republic or Warlord Era, that story has since been lost to time. Instead, Wujin is a quaint little space serving some decidedly wild Saturday brunches, plus they’ve also got a sauna in the back for colder months.

Things take a turn for the more odd as our walk continues to Yuanliao and the French Supermarket. These two mainstays not far from Nanluo are some of the places to see and be seen if you’re a hutong hipster. They’ve also got some good drinks – the former cocktails, the latter beer – and they’ve got some good snacks as well.

Winding down, it’ll wind back up again come 8pm, when we arrive at nugget café. This livehouse/café/bar/tape shop is where all things geared around art and sound orbit around Andingmen, and it’s here they’ll be showing two of David Bowie’s greatest classics – Labyrinth and the Man Who Fell to Earth.

The caption is excerpted from FilmNeverDie official WeChat account.

Original Post: 

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