Nan Luo gu Xiang (nán luó gǔ xiàng 南锣鼓巷 South Gong and Drum Lane) is a place where you can see creative ways both to change and to preserve traditions.Walking into the lane, you will forget about the hustle and bustle outside immediately. The long, narrow lane is shaded by luxuriant tree under the early afternoon sun, where rows of Siheyuan, or quadrangle houses built in traditional Beijing local style, stretch far on both sides of the lane. At the entry of the lane, some old ladies are chatting with each other, while not far away some tourists are sitting here and there around some wooden tables in front of a bar house, bathing in the afternoon sun. Nan Luogu Xiang area was built in the Yuan Dynasty with more than 700 years of history. This area is very central, just to the north of the Forbidden City and on the east side of the axial line that runs through Beijing from North to South.