A fusion of old and new Beijing

After touring the Palace Museum and Jingshan Park, visitors looking for a place to grab a coffee, have a meal, or simply unwind might find the nearby Longfu Temple area in Beijing's Dongcheng district a good place to stop.

First built as a royal temple during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Longfu Temple was historically a gathering place for temple fairs and bustling crowds. Although the temple itself disappeared over the years, the area gradually evolved into a commercial marketplace. In the 1980s and '90s, Longfu Temple Street was among Beijing's trendiest pedestrian streets.

In recent years, the area has undergone urban renewal, bringing traditional culture together with modern commercial and cultural offerings.

According to Gao Tianliang, assistant general manager of Beijing Xinlongfu Cultural Investment Co, the commercial area has retained the basic layout of the former Longfu Temple Street in an effort to avoid large-scale demolition and reconstruction.

"On one hand, we want to preserve the memories and nostalgia of old Beijing. On the other hand, we hope to attract young people and create a diverse cultural marketplace," Gao says.

Today, the area is home to a mix of long-established Beijing brands, museums and galleries, theaters and international brands.

For many longtime Beijing residents, the name Longfu Temple still brings to mind guanchang, a traditional local snack made from sweet potato or mung bean starch. Crisp on the outside and soft inside, it is typically served with a savory garlic sauce.

Fengnian Guanchang, a shop specializing in the snack, has been in the area for about 60 years.

"Back in the 1980s and '90s, there would be a line as soon as we opened in the morning, and people would still be waiting when we closed," says Shi Huanping, the shop's manager.

The shop temporarily moved away in 2016 because of the area's redevelopment. In 2026, following the completion of the renewal project, it returned to its original location. Several tables outside the shop are once again regularly filled with diners.

"About half of our customers are longtime residents of the neighborhood. Many of them have moved away, but they still take buses or the subway to come here. The lines are particularly long on weekends," Shi says.

Although the area is no longer surrounded by traditional hutong neighborhoods, traditional food businesses remain an important part of its identity. Alongside Fengnian Guanchang are time-honored pastry maker Daoxiangcun, Muslim restaurant chain Ziguangyuan and Yaoji Chaogan, known for its traditional Beijing-style pork offal stew.

"Together, they have formed a cluster of established shops," Shi says. "You can walk around the area and take home many of Beijing's traditional flavors."

But food is not the only way visitors can reconnect with old Beijing. A dedicated intangible cultural heritage space brings together more than 10 brands showcasing traditional handicrafts.

At Beijing Zhuangyuan Workshop Culture Co, manager Li Mei holds a stack of colorful paper and two wooden sticks. With a few quick movements, she transforms the paper into more than a dozen patterns.

"One pattern is called Flowers of Prosperity. Give it a gentle shake and it becomes Three Rams Bringing Prosperity. Swing it to the left, and it becomes a riot of color; turn it again, and it becomes a competition of splendid forms," Li says, reciting a traditional rhyme.

The traditional toy she demonstrates is known as fanlihua, a paper-folding toy that dates back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and is a childhood memory for generations of Beijingers.

In May, Li's shop opened at Longfu Temple. In addition to selling products, the store can accommodate up to 28 people for handson workshops where visitors can learn how to make the traditional toy.

Li initially worried that locating the shop inside an office building rather than directly on the street would hurt business. But three months after opening, visitor numbers have exceeded her expectations.

The shop also participated in a spring market jointly organized by Longfu Temple and other businesses in the area. For Li, such events provide an opportunity to introduce traditional Beijing brands and crafts to a wider audience.

She expects business to continue growing as the area becomes better known.

Bringing different businesses together to create a more interesting destination has long been part of Longfu Temple's strategy.

Mahua FunAge, a theater company popular with young audiences, has embraced the role of an "anchor", helping draw visitors to the area and, in turn, bringing customers to neighboring businesses.

Qiao Yunlei, who is involved in the theater's operations, says the company attaches great importance to its location despite already operating multiple theaters across Beijing. The theater, which focuses on immersive performances, was among the first businesses to move into Longfu Temple.

The theater covers more than 500 square meters and can accommodate about 300 people. During a typical week, it brings more than 1,000 visitors to the Longfu Temple area.

Outside the theater, advertisements for restaurants, exhibitions and bubble tea shops offer discounts of 20 to 30 percent to theatergoers who present their ticket stubs.

"Audience members may come to see a show, then have a cup of coffee or a meal here. In this way, we create a complete commercial loop," Qiao says.

The Longfu Temple area now receives about 60,000 visitors a day. During holidays, its central square is used for events ranging from magic shows and traditional folk performances to outdoor movie screenings.

Foreign visitors have also become a familiar sight. Some sit with beers and chat with friends, while others sample traditional Beijing dishes or take part in hands-on workshops featuring intangible cultural heritage.

Gao says the growing number of international visitors to Beijing has created new opportunities for the area. A hotel near the commercial district, for example, may have foreign guests accounting for about half of its occupancy at times, he says.

Located in one of Beijing's historic and cultural neighborhoods, Longfu Temple is seeking to combine the character of the old city with modern forms of entertainment, dining and cultural consumption.

The result is a place where traditional Beijing flavors, crafts and memories coexist with contemporary cultural experiences — offering a glimpse of how the city's historic neighborhoods are being reinvented for a new generation of visitors, both domestic and international.