Beijing Stories (3) - Hutong

The most fascinating landscape about the modernized Beijing is not the skyscrapers or broad streets, but the winding, secluded Hutong (??hú tón?), cramped with beautiful Siheyuans (Quadrangle). Some refer the culture of the ancient capital Beijing as ‘Hutong culture’ or ‘Siheyuan culture’.

Beijing Hutong

Beijing used to comprise tens of thousands of Siheyuan of different sizes orderly arranged in rows. The passages between the rows are called Hutong.
In the Yuan Dynasty (?yuán, A.D. 1271-1368), each Hutong was as wide as a large three-courtyard quadrangle. It was later divided into many nameless narrower lanes by houses built in it. Hence the saying that goes, ‘there are 3,600 Hutong with names, while nameless ones are as many as the hairs on a cow’.

Beijing Hutongs

Beijing is crisscrossed by thousands of Hutong, where there are numerous ‘sweet homes’. That is the main reason why citizens of Beijing are so much attached to them.
The slimmest Hutong is Qianshi Hutong (????qián shì hú tón?) in Dashilan area beyond the Qianmen. The narrowest part of it measures only 40 centimeters wide. Some Hutong are known for being tortuous. Beixinqiao Hutong (?????b?i x?n qiáo hú tón?), for instance, was said to have nine bends, but it actually had more than twenty; it was later divided into five parts. The lane beyond the Qianmen, also said to have nine bends, actually has thirteen. The names of Hutong are like an encyclopedia of the city’s history and folk customs. In recent years, Hutong has been developed as a precious tourist resource.

Qianshi Hutong

As the shabby old Dazayuan (???, dà zá yuàn, Siheyuan shared by several households) are being replaced by modernized buildings, old Hutong will be gone too. However, many famous Hutong have been preserved as cultural relics reflecting the city’s history as an ancient capital. They are among the remnants of the past of this fast developing city.

Man-powered Tricycles along a hutong

Beijing Hutongs, always filled with people walking through them all day long, are more bustling than alleys in southern China. Most of Beijing Hutongs are in the southern part of the city. Traveling around the Hutongs in Beijing, you will experience the life of old Beijing and learn more about the past of this modern metropolis. This kind of tour has been developed as a new sightseeing program for foreign tourists. Man-powered tricycles (???, rén lì ch?), a means of transport typical of old Beijing, will take you to various of mysterious Hutongs.

Old Beijing Hutongs

Next time, we'll continue to talk about Beijing Old Strories - Pailou.