Walking from Shichahai Metro Station to Nanluoguxiang at night, the entrance is still bustling with lights and voices. Traveling through the crowd, I’m greeted by various street snacks. If you often find yourself in Beijing, this place is as good for street photography as Nanjing’s Confucius Temple.

Nanluoguxiang is clearly commercialized, while the sixteen hutongs on either side have retained their original charm. Overlooking this centipede-like street, its body feels alive with energy. This time, I finally found the chance to visit Beiluoguxiang. Under the soft yellow lights, the narrow alley is filled with various vehicles, and aside from the delivery workers, there are few people to be seen. While commercialization has altered some of the street’s original appearance, it has also attracted crowds, allowing the old streets to thrive and gain new life, which is far better than being abandoned or demolished.

I browsed through the Ingress missions in Beijing, realizing that most of the easier tasks have already been completed. Luckily, many tasks in universities, like those in “The Adventures of Shuke and Beta,” have been done, or it would be difficult to enter now. On my way back through Beiluoguxiang, I spontaneously started the 2016 Beijing MD task, reminiscing about the glorious moments in the history of Ingress.

Passing by Jindin Bridge and walking through Yandaixie Street, I noticed that even late at night, people continue to take pictures beside the Bell and Drum Towers. This reminds me of that small segment of the internet-famous red wall at the Guangzhou Agricultural Lecture Hall; in Beijing, there’s no shortage of iconic red walls to check in on.