Tourists swarmed to Nanluoguxiang on Saturday, a week after President Xi Jinping’s surprise visit to the hutong, according to Beijing Times, a major daily newspaper.
Despite the rain, shopkeepers in Beijing’s Nanluoguxiang are extending opening hours to accommodate eager visitors.
“We saw it on the news, chairman Xi came to the 29th and 30th courtyard, so we came to see what it looks like,” said a couple surnamed Yang from Hebei. The Yangs, who came to Beijing for a tour, did not plan on visiting the hutong before Xi showed up last week.
Watch: Xi Jinping's surprise visit to a popular Beijing tourist zone last week
Last Tuesday, Xi braved the smog, without a face mask, to walk along one of Beijing’s most well-known streets. He spoke to local people and visited two of their homes.