Cuan Di Xia is a village that dates back to the Ming dynasty. Located in the modern day Mengtou District of Beijing, the village is home to about 500 courtyard homes, which are preserved in a traditional Chinese architectural style reminiscent of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Fast Facts: Name: 爨底下 / Cuàn Dǐ Xia Where: About 95km west of Beijing Getting There: Go to the last stop on the western end of the Line 1 Subway (Píngguǒyuán Zhàn | 苹果园站). Then either take a cab (which should take you around another 30 minutes), or take the 892 bus to Zhāitáng zhèn | 斋堂镇. What to Do: Walk around the courtyard houses; eat lunch; hike around the surrounding hills.

Cuan Di Xia makes for a perfect day-trip escape from the crowds and bustle of Beijing. Due to the village’s humble offerings, Cuan Di Xia isn’t on most first-time-to-Beijing tourists’ list, which means it’s quiet more often than not. Go during the winter after a snowfall for a particularly dramatic view of the village from the opposing hillside.





In an effort to consolidate all of our travels in one place, this post, in addition to several more to come, is a quick update to China Nomads of some of our earlier China travels. We visited Cuan Di Xia back in 2011, about 2 years after we moved to China. I’ve found that looking back at old pictures is both a great way to keep old memories fresh, and an interesting exercise in re-imagining old images and taking note of how one’s photography has changed over the years.