An open door offers a peek into a classic courtyard home in a hutong north of Beihai Park in Beijing. [Photo by Anne Ruisi / chinadaily.com.cn]

Beijing's hutongs are as symbolic of the capital city as the Great Wall is of China itself. The narrow alleyways were mostly built over 700 years during the Yuan (1206-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911).

They were bustling neighborhoods of siheyuan, or courtyard homes, and businesses sometimes occupied by succeeding generations of the same family.

One of the best things to do in Beijing's autumn is to take a stroll among the hutongs, especially when the weather is clear and the air is crisp but not too cold.