Once upon a time, Nanluoguxiang was just an ordinary alley in old Beijing.

With the development of tourism in recent years, it has become a lively and prosperous Internet celebrity street.

Old Beijing snacks, creative food, bars and cafes, there is an endless stream of tourists coming to Nanluo every day.

Not long ago, I went to play with my friends. Unable to bear the crowds, we turned into an alley next to it - Black Sesame Alley.

This is a small alley, clean and orderly, and the courtyard gates are very particular.

Under the thick and sturdy locust tree, occasionally three or five pedestrians walked by. There was no noise from Nanluo, and the place was peaceful.

It is said that this area was the city center in the Yuan Dynasty.

During the Ming Dynasty, there were shops selling paper horses (for sacrificial purposes) in the alley. Among them, the paper horses of the He family were the most famous, so the place was called "He Paper Horse Hutong" in the Ming Dynasty.

By the Qing Dynasty, this place was already a wealthy place where celebrities and officials gathered, and almost every house had a large courtyard.

"He Zima Hutong" has gradually been pronounced as "Black Sesame Hutong" (homophone).

Entering from the east entrance of the alley, I was shocked when I arrived in front of the gate of Courtyard No. 13.

There are two huge and solid horse-mounting stones, seven stone steps, and a bright red Guangliang gate. This grandeur is one of the best in the capital.

The courtyard door was ajar, so without hesitation, I took my camera and stepped through the door.

There is a brick screen wall directly opposite the door, and on both sides are the screen doors of the east and west courtyards.

A civet cat was squatting at the door of the west courtyard. When it saw me, it turned around and ran away. It got into a pile of debris and disappeared.

There are twelve inverted rooms in the west courtyard. There are towering locust trees, birdcages hanging on the pergola, and large and small flower pots placed below. Fragments of light and shadow are cast in, and it is quiet and silent.

This should be the original appearance, right?

In front of you is the clear water ridge top, vermilion doors and windows, everything is full of ancient charm.

Just a few steps away is the second door leading to the inner house.

The second door is equipped with a bird stand, a door hairpin, a drum-holding stone, and eight living rooms. I have never seen such a high-standard second door anywhere else.

There is no one, everything is quiet.

While taking photos, my heart was beating fast, like an adventure, I was scared and excited at the same time.

Inside the second gate is a long, flat courtyard, empty with only an old locust tree providing shade for half of the courtyard.

The brick floor, old window lattice, and hanging flower door are old and mottled, but the romance of a single hall is no longer found in modern architecture.

The red and green faded away, leaving solemnity and depth.

More than a hundred years of world affairs have changed from the late Qing Dynasty to today, but now the years are peaceful.

Isn't it?

At this moment, the sun shines on the door panel, as if time has returned to the past.

This is a large house with a garden. It has five courtyards, the west courtyard is for people, and the east courtyard is a garden.

Its earliest owner was Kui Jun, a minister in the late Qing Dynasty. He was a rare legendary figure in the late Qing Dynasty.

The infamous "manure tax" was his original invention when he was the governor of Sichuan.

In the officialdom, he rose through the ranks and served as governor of Shanxi, governor of Jiangsu, and governor of Sichuan.

Later, he successively served as the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and the Minister of Internal Affairs.

The inventor of the "dung tax" was greedy by nature and very capable of making money. He was one of the four famous rich men in the capital at that time.

It is said that this house is his birthplace.

There was also a grand mansion in Shajing Hutong that he later bought.

In the turbulent political arena of the late Qing Dynasty, Guangxu issued edicts three times before recalling him from Sichuan. He was rich and powerful, and had the support of Rong Lu in the court. One can imagine his arrogance.

However, this arrogant owner must have never imagined that ordinary people would be able to live in his mansion a hundred years later... Maybe it is luxurious and illustrious, but it is just a passing cloud in the face of time, and that is how everything in the world is.

The main courtyard where Kui Jun once lived is inside the Chuihua Gate.

The beautiful corridor runs through the main room and the east and west wings.

Perhaps due to changes in the foundation or disrepair, the verandah is somewhat deformed, but the red and green benches, railings, and wooden corrugated carvings under the eaves are still exquisite and elegant, like objects that have been sleeping for a long time, implicitly revealing the time.

trace.

The yard is so well kept that there are no unauthorized constructions.

The roots of the ancient trees poked out from the soil, and the square bricks covered the ground, which was squeezed into uneven places.

There is a short and sturdy pomegranate tree under the window of the main house. The pomegranates bear a lot of fruit, but they are not yet ripe, and the branches seem to be overwhelmed by the weight.

It was an afternoon with a blue sky, and the sunlight was divided by the branches and leaves in a small and dazzling way. I seemed to smell a hint of sweetness in the air.

Beautiful things are always the hardest to encounter. Just like this unique courtyard house in front of me, I have a chance to meet it.

It was previously occupied by units, so it has been well preserved.

Today, there is a plaque of "Jiuwu" and "Jiuwu Tattoo" hanging under the eaves of the main building. Now it is Jiuwu Culture Studio.

No wonder the owner didn't drive me away. I was afraid of disturbing the owner, so I took photos very quietly.

Interestingly, when I went back to sort out the photos, I discovered that there was a black dog lying beside the door of the main room. Why didn't it say anything at that time and didn't bark at me?

Coming out of the west courtyard, I walked into the east courtyard.

The east courtyard is in disarray, and the corridor blocked by a small room behind it can only accommodate one person.