It's a quiet afternoon in Beijing's lake district, as it has been for every afternoon for nearly 1,000 years. Rickshas whisk by, tinkling their bells as grannies sweep with twig brooms in front of their giant red doors. You glimpse into a courtyard filled with wisteria, while neighbors clack mah-jongg pieces on a board under a tree. This is the Shichahai Lake District — one of Beijing's few leafy areas. While the rest of the city rushes headlong into the 21st century making way for the 2008 Olympics, residents here still take their mid-day naps and chat with the neighbors.

As noted by Marco Polo, nearly all of Beijing was once a huge maze of hutong, narrow alleyways connecting family courtyards where parents live on one end, elder sons on the sides and children behind the courtyard. One of these courtyards may house two or three generations of a family. Today, only a few of these neighborhoods still thrive. Most notably, Shichahai Lakes District. This area is made up of three lakes: Houhai, QianHai and XiHai, but most people just refer to lakes collectively as Houhai after the biggest one, since all three lakes connect.

The surrounding lanes are named after historical facts, simple realities or whimsical references. ("Walk down Happy Hutong, take a left at Chrysanthemum Hutong until you get to Dragon Whiskers Ditch Hutong ...")

Visitors can rent a bicycle by the lakeside or hire one of the ricksha drivers by the hour and peddle around at the same pace as the surroundings. You will stumble upon a larger street or space, and a corner market springs up — live crickets in tiny cages, tangerines stacked into neat pyramids and carts of melons. Observe the neighborhood barber as he sets up his shop, attaching his mirror to a tree while someone has a massage on a bench nearby.

The lakes have always been a fashionable residential area, and a retreat for poets, painters and writers. The last emperor of China, Pu Yi, was born here. The area has been home to people from the most humble ricksha driver to Chairman Mao Zedong, who maintained a villa nearby. In recent years, the area has found new devotees who have rediscovered the charm of hutongs and the lakes. Today, modern bohemians linger at trendy cafes and teahouses, or dine at lakeside restaurants on Lotus Lane.

DRUM AND BELL TOWERS

Hovering over the courtyards and lakes are two landmark towers. In ancient times, the Drum Tower was the time-keeping center for the whole city and was equipped with water clocks, and drums which were beaten to mark the hours. The nearby Bell Tower was converted from the Temple of Eternal Peace, to take over from the earlier Drum Tower in the role of timepiece for the city. A giant bronze bell was cast, surviving to this day, and resonated for 10 miles around. Both towers make great signposts for those lost in the district's maze and are worth the stairs for the view of the area.

Though the tiny alleys and secluded courtyards ensure the privacy of residents, this does not keep Beijingers in their compounds — they thrive on street life. Small lakeside parks or the plaza in front of the Bell Tower are popular meeting spots where residents hang out. Every evening, locals stroll out from their courtyards to cool off, play badminton and relax with neighbors in these parks. It's a great way to experience a part of Beijing life that has escaped the wrecking ball, since courtyard and hutong life is not just about the buildings and lanes. It is about the people who live there and the city's enduring, living history.

FORBIDDEN CITY

At the center of Beijing lies the grandest of all the collections of courtyards — the Forbidden City. Consisting of 9,999 buildings, the Forbidden City divides into the Inner Court, the center of power, and the Outer Court, where emperors lived, the last of whom was Pu Yi, who was driven out in 1924. One million workers labored 14 years to build this vast city within a city, the world's largest palace complex. Now called the Palace Museum for its architectural marvels and treasures inside, the Forbidden City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Beijing's premier attraction.

The Imperial Gardens are considered the highlight of the complex. Unlike the rest of the Forbidden City, marked by imposing courtyards, the benches and restful pavilions are arranged within lush greenery in the Imperial Gardens. Just outside the Gate of Terrestrial Tranquility the gardens are composed of rock formations, footpaths of yellowish pebbles and trees — all laid out in harmony with each other. The corners of the garden are marked with magnificent pavilions, symbolizing each of the four seasons.

For all its history and grandeur, the Palace Museum can be an exhausting experience. After all that walking, drop in at the Terrace Tea House near the East Gate of the Forbidden City, have a pot of Eight Treasures tea and take five.

Owner Kelvin Wang is happy to chat with visitors about the Forbidden City, hutongs and all things tea. Kelvin grew up in a hutong and explains that "hutong are a symbol of this ancient city, making it totally different than any other city in the world. You can have a cup of Starbucks coffee anywhere, but while in Beijing, better to have a cup of Chinese tea in a typical hutong-style teahouse."