The long-awaited spring comes. It's morning, the temperature is still 4℃, and May and I begin our tour to the southwest part of the city.

The plan: We start at Qianmen, turn west and go along the street of Dashilan, through the Yangmeizhu Xiejie to Liulichang, then head south to Guang'anmennei Dajie, farther west until Jiaozi Hutong, turn south to the Fayuan Buddhist Temple, then go to the Ox Street Mosque several hundred meters away, back to the main street, have a look at the Baoguosi Antique Market, go farther west to Tianningsi Flyover and turn south to find the brick tower that's 1,500 years old, and then, if we have time, go to the White Cloud Temple one kilometer away.

Qianmen

I'm standing in front of the Quanjude Roast Peking Duck Restaurant at Qianmen at 9:30am, and May is 30 minutes late. We hurry to take a picture at the restaurant, which has been in business since 1864. Though branches of the restaurant in Wangfujing and Hepingmen are larger and have taken over most of the business, Qianmen boasts the original site and the original recipe.

The Qianmen area is packed with travelers (whom Beijingers call "waidiren"), migrant workers, shoppers and tourists. They can always find bargains in the stalls along the street.

Dashilan

Dashilan, a crowded hutong several hundred meters long, has some of the oldest specialty shops in Beijing. Liubiju, with more than 400 years of history, is still going strong as the definitive pickle and sauce outlet in this corner of the world. Ruifuxiang, several doors away to the north, has a century of business despite its well-protected face and quadrangle-style store, dealing in fine fabrics -- silk, wool and fur. Its made-to-order traditional Chinese clothes are still popular today and bring an influx of customers.

Next door to the south is the Neiliangsheng Shoe Store, another business that has survived the centuries. The shop has kept a careful record of its celebrity customers since Qing Dynasty and now holds a shoe cultural exhibition on the third floor. From time to time, a shoemaker gives live demonstrations on the first floor, but when we arrive, we're told he's out teaching his apprentice. It's nice to know, though, that somebody is still learning this craft.

In and out of the hutongs

At the end of Dashilan, there is small hutong filled with snack stalls of local flavors. I spotted big signs that said, "Kaifeng Baozi" and "Henan Huimian." Oh, my favorites! It turns out to be a big, clean restaurant. It's only 10:40am, and we are ready for lunch. We ask for a trayful of baozis and a bowl of huimian (boiled noodles). The restaurant kindly splits the big serving of noodles into two small bowls. The bill is only 6.4 yuan, because it has just opened and we are given a 20 percent discount.

Outside the restaurant, a rickshaw rider tells us the turn to Yangmeizhu Xiejie. Surprisingly we find this is a clean, quiet hutong. We venture into one quadrangle's courtyard, and no one seems to notice us. I guess maybe this house is shared by several families.

Several meters away, we see an old man and a little boy playing with an electric cart. They smile at us and then continuing murmuring to the small cart running on the ground. May hides behind a chicken house, and I take her picture.

As we ride on, the smell of Liulichang comes closer. Several small antique shops on the right side of the two forks make us believe it is the way to Liulichang. We're right! After passing a few fruit sellers, we are in the Liulichang Dongjie.

Liulichang

Liulichang, meaning "glazed tile factory," is lined with curio stores and bookstores. In the windows, you can clearly see what the vendors sell: ceramics, copper coins, mini-warriors, old cameras, clocks, fans, embroidery ... Anything old can be bought here! But real antiques are not on the shelves. What on display is only to satisfy the curious travelers, as we are told by an old seller. So, don't be discouraged by the inflated prices; test your bargaining skills. I hear foreigners sometimes get lower prices than the Chinese do.

It's noon, and the sun looks bigger in the sky, but we're starting to get tired. Then, "Hey, it's Tianfu," May shouts. I wheel around, saying, "Who? Who?" It's a shop. A tea store. We go in, pretending to look very carefully at their teapots. Immediately a young woman comes up and serves us jasmine tea. It's bitter but all right to quench a real thirst. We sit on the comfortable chair and enjoy a good rest.

To the west is the famous Jiguge Antique Store, the China Bookstore and the Beijing Teahouse. Across the street, we pass by the Kongshantang Restaurant, the Huaxia Book and Painting Store, the Rongbaozhai Antique Store and a private museum. All of them have long histories.

Our next task is to find the Fayuan Temple and the Ox Street Mosque. We decide to walk along the Weiran Hutong to Guang'anmen Neidajie, and then take a bus.

Fayuan Temple -- a well-kept secret

Getting off at Niujie, we cross the street, walk back 300 meters and turn right at Jiaozi Hutong. The map says the relics are somewhere in the south. It's 1:30pm, and people are napping. Whom can we ask the way?

Just then, a tricycle rushes by us. We yell, "Stop!" and run up. It's an old granny. We blurt our first question, "How old are you?"

She proudly answers, "I'm 77! I dance discos every day! That's my way of keeping healthy and having a long life." We tell her how impressed we are and finally ask if Fayuan Temple still exists.

She answers, "I will ride slowly, and you just follow me!"

That's totally unexpected -- a guide! On the way to the temple, we see monks with backpacks and earphones. Later I'm told this is where more than 80 undergraduates study at China Buddhism College.

May and I buy the 2-yuan ticket and enter the quiet temple. First is a small temple (Tianwang Dian) that holds four heavenly gods. A woman is praying to every god. We leave an incense offering and walk into a bigger courtyard.