Surviving pieces of old Peking are sprinkled across the capital like little ancient islands amidst a rising tide of urban modernity. These precious parts of the past, the alleyway environment and its way of life still abound, but at increasingly scattered locations, forming a hutong archipelago in the forgotten city.

October is widely regarded as the best time of year here with a comfortable climate and the longest continuous streak of blue-sky days in a month. The first week during National Day holiday is especially fine as Beijing gets a breather with lighter traffic and most construction workers hanging up their hardhats and taking a break.

If you're staying put for the National Day celebrations, it's a good opportunity to go exploring around the "Golden Treasure" islands for a genuine narrow byway experience that'll broaden your horizons. It takes most of a day to systematically meander by foot, or half a day to investigate by bike.

The island chain effect was formed over the last few years by the creation of Jinbao Jie, or Golden Treasure Street. A flood of concrete for construction projects created this new division between the Jianguomen and Chaoyangmen neighborhoods. Jinbao combines the gold from Goldfish Lane (Jinyu Hutong) on its western end and the treasure from Dayabao Hutong (Big Elegant Treasure Alley).

These sub-districts are worth visiting, both as evidence of historical erosion and to see the remains of a hardy human ecosystem dating back to the Yuan dynasty. The area is bounded by Jianguomennei Dajie on the south and Chaoyangmennei Dajie on the north. The western border is formed by the busy shopping streets of Dongdan Beidajie and Dongsi Nandajie, while the western side is defined as Chaoyangmen Nanxiaojie, an old thoroughfare freshly widened this century. There's little to see east of Nanxiaojie to the Second Ring Road, bar a few one-stop islets like Zhihua Temple.

The wisest approach is to ride a bike through the southern islands of Golden Treasure Street, starting at Beijige Santiao, across the street from the northwest corner of the Oriental Plaza, then heading east. The first stop is a couple of meters into the alley, the remnants of a prince's palace called the Ningjun Wangfu also known as Xieqin Wangfu. The palace belonged to the 13th son of the Qing Emperor Kangxi, who survived a bitter struggle for succession by not vying for the throne against his numerous male siblings. The winner, Yongzheng (r. 1723-1735), made his half brother a trusted advisor in charge of finance and water conservancy.

While it's consistently difficult to get past the jealous palace gatekeepers for more than a harassed glimpse, the next stop, left then right around the corner, number 21, is easier to penetrate. Behind the colonnaded arched entryway is one of two secret gardens in the area, Western-style housing dormitories completed in 1921 for foreign doctors and nurses staffing the Peking Union Medical Hospital, or Xiehe. The other compound is on Waijiaobu Jie.

The old environment heading north from Beijige Santiao to Dongtangzi Hutong is eroding fast. Large chunks of the courtyard housing are already gone and the remainder is a reminder (like this picture of Xinkai Lu) of the future, not the past. On Xizongbu Hutong there is a sign noting the memorial temple of late Qing statesman Li Hongzhang (1823-1901) and a fragment of the vermilion wall that once encased it.

Aside from the doctors' dorm on Waijiaobu Jie (Foreign Affairs Street), the other noteworthy edifice is the reception hall entrance of the foreign ministry built in 1909. It also served as the first Foreign Ministry of the PRC between 1949 and 1966. There is no marker for the original foreign ministry established during the Qing dynasty, located on Dongtangzi Hutong. On the west end of that alley was the residence of the noted educator Cai Yuanpei (1868-1948).

The hutong environment is much better on the island north of Jinbao Jie. It's great for pictures and mixing with residents. Start east to west on Ganmian Hutong, crisscross northward to Shijia Hutong (once the home of Mao's successor Hua Guofeng and now the Haoyuan Guesthouse), followed by Neiwubu Jie (Interior Ministry Street). Be sure to check out the courtyard just inside the northeast corner.

You can only go west to east on Bence and Dengce Hutongs as they merge with other paths: Bence takes you to Yanyue Hutong (Practice Music Alley); Dengce drops you on to Lishi Hutong (Ceremonious Official Lane). Both are great. Unfortunately the stunning residence on Lishi, which once served as the Indonesian Embassy, is not open to the public. The north island of the Golden Treasure chain ends with Qianchaomian Hutong, and then you're back in today's Beijing.