China Buzz: Exploring Beijing hutongs for a taste of Southeast Asia

Vietnamese coffee, Malaysian nasi lemak, travel guides for Cambodia... As you wander the hutongs of Beijing, you'll see that many Southeast Asian cuisines and cultures are flourishing, much to the delight of the locals.

Shared cultural experiences and delicious cuisine bring people together. Vietnam is a world-class coffee producer while southwest China's Yunnan Province's coffee is also "fragrant" abroad and is a local economic pillar industry. Despite its bitterness, coffee has made life sweeter for the Chinese and Vietnamese.

After being introduced to Malaysia, fried rice noodles from China's Chaoshan region became part of the local flavor, and the refreshing taste helps to sustain the cultural connection between China and Southeast Asian countries.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia's royal palace ruins, were restored with the help of Chinese scientists, which brought the people of the two nations closer together.

As you follow People‘s Daily Online reporter Ahmad Syukri, you'll get a taste of Southeast Asian culture amid Beijing's hutongs and an understanding of the deep cultural heritage shared by China and Southeast Asian nations.