| The Shanglin Immortal Guest House 上林仙馆 (Shànglín Xiānguǎn) was located in a hutong 胡同 (hútong). Shanglin is in Guangxi. It would have been a place for people from that area to stay in Beijing and eat familiar food and speak their own dialect. For the most part, these "hometown" hotels and restaurants were not exclusive. They were built by businessmen for their own comfort and uses, but they were businessmen. They built hotels, tea houses, and other places of entertainment with the intent of making a profit. If you happened to like Shanglin food, you were more than welcome to use the establishment. |
