Shichahai Shadow Art Performance

This is a pretty and quaint boutique hotel deep in the warren of alleys of the hutong near the Shichahai lake in central Beijing. Each room has a different design and surround the central covered courtyard over two floors. Some rooms just have windows to the central courtyard while others also have skylights to the outside. The central courtyard houses the puppet theatre. We saw the show one night which includes about 1/4 hour performance and then an explanation of how the puppets are made etc. in Chinese, with a hardcopy translation in English. You can get an appreciation of traditional Chinese culture if you stay here. The staff are extremely helpful providing concierge type services at least if you speak Chinese... The downsides are that apart from a coffee machine that makes decent coffee, which can be had together with small packaged snacks and free bottled water in the room each day, there isn't any food in the hotel and not much close by in the hutong. But you can order food online to be delivered (again if you know Chinese). Also, the hotel could be noisy if there are small children or other noisy guests in the courtyard area (there is no sound from the outside). Most drivers are skilled to be able to navigate to the hotel through the narrow hutong streets, but vehicles larger than standard cars wouldn't be able to make it.

I really enjoyed my stay in this hotel. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Even if they don't speak much english they will help. The room was big and clean, I felt very confortable. I also enjoyed the shadow performance it was very prety and magical.The metro station is 20 min. by walk and you get to see the traditional hutongs. As a foreign traveler I would recommend this hotel

We stayed here for four nights, and it couldn’t have been a better choice. The location is pretty central, with easy access to major metro lines. Since it’s in a hutong area, taxis can’t drive all the way in, so a short walk is needed - but the charm of the hutongs more than makes up for this. It felt completely safe walking around the small streets even at night, and the atmosphere of the neighborhood added something truly unique to our stay.

Nice boutique hotel in the Hutongs. Room was nice and comfortable and it was nice having the coffee machine in the lobby. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Limited English but we had no problems at all. Wish it was slightly closer to metro, but the location near Shichahai and the lake was nice. Bell and Drum Towers were only a 2 minute walk away. Only complaint is that we had a lot of cigarette smoke coming into our room one of the nights.

I had an unforgettable experience staying in this hotel, steeped in Chinese culture. The staff, especially Er Jie, Mia, Tom, Xuan Xuan, and Chris, were incredibly helpful and friendly. Thanks again for the opportunity to create our own bookmarks with calfskin. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the shadow show as well!The hotel's location is perfect, Gong Wang Fu and Hou Hai are also within the walking distance. I loved exploring the charming traditional alleyways (hutongs) of Beijing. I'll definitely be returning!

Loved everything about the hotel - the reception, the location, the amenities and facilities. Shadow puppet performance is on every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday and was truly enjoyable. 护国寺 is also a 5~10 mins walk from the hotel. Would love to visit again the next time I am back in Beijing.

Absolutely a must visit and stay in Beijing . The place was very unique with a very special vibe to it. Special thanks to 雯雯 & 萱 萱 for allowing us to check in earlier than the original check in time and for their kind hospitality throughout our stay in the property . There were also free shadow puppets shows every Tuesday , Thursday and Saturday.The location may be a bit deep in the Hutongs with difficult accessibility with a car but it is absolutely safe to walk around the area as the villagers in the neighborhood were very friendly.Huguosi snack street is located about 10-15 minutes walk from the property . The nearest MRT station is around 900 meters from the property.The rooms however looks a bit dated and needs a makeover.

Hotel staff are very nice and helpful before, during and after stay. Best part of the stay is the Shadow puppetry show and sharing on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday(s). The hotel is located in a hutong, which may be a walk from the main street and train station but it is nice to be amongst the locals and hutong as they go about their daily lives. Location is conveniently located around the central tourists spots but yet quiet, peaceful and reasonably priced.