Shichahai has a long history, can date back to the 13th century, Mongolia began the conquest of China, Kublai Khan decided to build a new capital. Shicha Lake was fundamental basis model of the old capital Dadu, In this sense, they said the Shicha Lake is the pre-capital, then Beijing appeared. Street structure of Shicha Lake area was formed around the Yuan Dynasty, these were buildings with traditional architecture typical of Beijing. Beijing Urban Master Plan has the protection of the region, including 25 historic districts. In addition, people here have being lived together for dozen of years, you can feel the enthusiasm and friendship from old Beijing neighborhood when living with them.

Alleyways and Courtyard Homes have been the signature features of Shicha Lake scenic area , such as gold sets of large and small Gold Alleyway, South and North Guanfang Alleyway, Ya'er Alleyway on the north reign of Houhai, and so on. Relying alley and courtyard, there are many distinctive activities in Shicha Lake area since ancient times, such as Dutch light up, boating in lake, skating, etc. Today, some folk activitiesare are still alive vivid in the Shicha Lake area. Such as fishing, swimming, boating, rowing, playing chess, summertime dances and so on, the singers accompanied by orchestras made up of traditonal Chinese instruments also can be seen. "Hutong Tour" has been the unique feature of Beijing Culture.

Snacks of Shicha Lake

Sightseeing, cultural illumination and thrill seeking are all excellent reasons to travel here, but local cuisine shouldn't be missed. Gourmand tourists won't disappointed with the Shicha Lake area. It is a gourment area with a collection of various dishes from all over the country. Almost all the local dishes in Beijing can be found here without much effort. There are the Palace dishes for your taste of royal life, the Official dishes for the convenience of your business, the Literati dishes for cultivated personages, Muslim dishes, nourishing medicinal diet and vegetarian food. The most notable are snacks like Three-Delicacy Stuffed Steamed Dumpling (with dough gather at the top), Jellied Bean Curd and Stewed Lamb Head.