German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Nanluoguxiang, a traditional hutong area in Beijing, on Thursday. Merkel is in China on an official visit from Thursday to Saturday. [David Gray / Reuters]

BEIJING - Chinese culture always appeals to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

After visiting the Museum of Qin Shihuang Terracotta Warriors and Horses in northwestern China's Shaanxi province during her last visit in 2010, Merkel visited a traditional Chinese hutong area on Thursday.

Merkel walked through the 1,000-meter Nanluoguxiang, a lane in eastern Beijing with more than 700 years of history. It is home to many bars, stores, restaurants and traditional courtyard homes called siheyuan.

She had a brief tour of Courtyard 7, a hotel with 300 years of history located in the central area of Nanluoguxiang, and was introduced to it by its manager.

Despite repairs, Courtyard 7, previously owned by a high-ranking minister in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), is a well-preserved example of traditional Chinese architecture.

Many Germans are interested in Chinese culture and history, and activities like the 2012 Chinese Culture Year in Germany, launched on Monday, will further deepen understanding of each other, said Merkel in a speech to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on Thursday morning.

Michel Sutyadi, a 35-year-old Germany-born-Chinese, co-founded his first fashion shop on the street in 2008.

"We chose to locate our first shop here because of the perfect location, a place of galleries and workshops that combines the historical architecture of the street with an artistic atmosphere," said Sutyadi.

Both the street and the shop have witnessed a boom since 2008, the year Beijing hosted the Olympic Games.

"It feels like we moved in at the right time because the rent went up ever since and it is expensive now," Sutyadi said.

Currently ties between Beijing and Berlin are quite good, Sutyadi said, adding that Merkel is visiting China against the backdrop of the European debt crisis, which is expected to encourage her to call for more investment from China.

During the 2012 Chinese Culture Year in Germany, Chinese artists will stage more than 500 programs featuring Chinese music, theater, literature and films, as well as cultural dialogues, forums and seminars in more than 30 German cities.

The culture year is aimed at enhancing bilateral relations and enhancing friendship and cooperation between more than 60 pairs of sister states (provinces) and sister cities on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Sino-German diplomatic relations.

China Daily