Hutongs

One of the unique features of Beijing is its numerous Hutongs which means small lanes. The life of ordinary people in these lanes contributes greatly to the charm of this ancient capital. In these small lanes, you'll find many siheyuan, or quadrangles which are the living quarters of ordinary Beijingers. No one knows exactly how many lanes there are in Beijing which has been China's capital for five dynasties. But one thing is certain, if we connected all these lanes, their total length would be longer than the famous Great Wall, which is more than 6,000 kilometer' long.

 

Why are Beijing's lanes called Hutong: According to historical records, a small scall scale city first appeared in the Beijing area about 3,000 years ago. It was not until the Jin dynasty in the 12 century that Beijing became the capital city for the first time. At that time, there were no Hutongs in Beijing, just streets and roads. The word "Hutong" is said to originate from the Mongolian language which is one of China's minority language. It means a passage between rows of Siheyuan courtyard house, the traditional residence of Beijingers, each consisting of rectangle courtyard surrounded by one-storeyed tile-roofed houses, usually one to six meters wide, hutongs are where life was going on for the last 700 years since they first appeared in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

 

In the early 13 century, a Mongolian tribe from the north became very strong. Led by Genghis Khan, the Mongolians occupied Beijing, then the capital of the Jin. In 1260, Kubla Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan established Yuan Dynasty. Kubla Khan set Beijing as the capital city. Unfortunately, the old city was destroyed during the war. So they had to rebuild it. In old China, all the structures and roads were required to be symmetrical. So the city was well designed. First, they had to find a centre, and then built a regular square city. After construction was completed, they asked all the residents who lived in the old city to move to the new one. In this newly-built city, you can find streets and Hutongs. At that time, there was a clear definition for a street or a lane. A 36-metre-wide road was called a big street. An 18-metre-wide one was called a small street. And a 9-metre-wide lane was called a Hutong.

 

Most of the Hutongs which remain today were formed in the Ming and Qing dynasties. But you can still find some from the Yuan dynasty. For instance, the Zhuanta Hutong in Xisi on the west side of the city is a typical example. In the Yuan dramas this Hutong was often mentioned. The area was also the home of famous playwright Guan Hanqing, China's Shakespeare of the Yuan Dynasty.

 

Over the last 7 centuries with the growth of the city, more and more Hutongs appeared, but they were not the same as the old ones. During the Qing Dynasty in the 17th century, the Manchu people who used to live in North China ruled. After they overthrew the Ming Dynasty, they divided Manchu people into eight banners.

 

Over the last 7 centuries with the growth of the city, more and more Hutongs appeared, but they were not the same as the old ones. During the Qing Dynasty in the 17th century, the Manchu people who used to live in North China ruled. After they overthrew the Ming Dynasty, they divided Manchu people into eight banners. Each of them was distinguished by a different colour. With the growth of the population the city had to expand. So the Manchu people with all the banners, lived in the inner city. Han people, whether high ranking or ordinary people were driven to the outer city. There they built their houses randomly. And a lot of Hutongs appeared.

 

Since then, Beijing has quite many Hutongs with different shapes, Lengths or directions. The shortest one is just 10 meters' long, and the narrowest Hutong is only about 40 centimeters' wide. some Hutongs have more than 20 turns. And slanting Hutongs also appeared due to the terrain. The majority of hutongs run straight from east to west, some from north to south. That has resulted from the need for houses to face south so as to take in more sunshine and resist cold wind from the north.

 

Even though the city wasn't symmetrical, it promoted the development of the economy. In the inner city, all the places were designed for their functions. For instance, the Forbidden City was the court, and behind it was the market. The left side of the center was the place to worship ancestors, while the right side was for worshipping all kinds of gods. Later in the outer city free markets appeared due to the needs of the local people. Such as markets for furs, jewels, silk, hats and shoes, grain and so on. Gradually, some of these became shopping centers like Qianmen ( or the front gate ), Dongdan and Xisipailou (Xisi Archway).

 

However, transportation was not as convenient as today, so street peddlers emerged. They wandered from lane to lane selling various goods or providing all kinds of services. People could judge their goods from their singing or the sounds of their special instruments. At sunset, the peddlers selling food were among the first to come. The food they sold include Youzhagao, which is deep-fried twisted dough sticks, baked pan-cakes, seasoned millet mush, armen tea and so on. A little bit later, peddlers who sold vegetables of daily necessities would appear. A barber never shouts, his instrument is a big pair of scissors and an ironing stick. But now it's unusual to hear such melodious cries of sounds.

 

Beijing's hutongs are not only an appellation for the lanes but also a kind of architecture. It's the living environment of ordinary Beijingers. It reflects the vicissitude of society. Most of the Hutongs look almost the same with grey walls and bricks. Hutongs are a happy kind of place. There are often 4 to 10 families with an average of 20 people sharing the rooms of one courtyard compels. The main attraction of Hutong life is a friendly and interpersonal communication. Children living in one courtyard play together and grow up like one family. For the eldly, the charm comes from each other's company.

 

Well, is Beijing denying 700 years of its history by destroying many of its hutongs? Recently, a new style of apartment building has been built in Beijing. Even though, it has four stories, it is built in the same way of Siheyuan and it has a very traditional name: Ju'er Hutong or the Chrysanthemum Lane. People who live there enjoy the convenience of modern facilities while maintaining good relations with their neighbours.

 

A new pastime -- roaming through Beijing's old, narrow streets, hutongs, by old-fashioned pedicab to visit siheyuan, the old quadrangles, and learn about the daily life of ordinary Beijing citizens-- has attracted more and more overseas visitors.

 

Existed as early as hundreds of years ago, narrow lanes, orhutongs were common in ancient Beijing. In the past, several thousand lanes, alleys and quadrangles formed residential areas for ordinary people living in the capital. Today,as the city develops into an international metropolis, its lanes and alleyways, occupying one third of the city proper, still serve as dwellings for half the total urban population.

 

If sightseeing at the ImperialPalace, Ming Tombs and the SummerPalace is helpful in learning about the lives of China's emperors, the hutongs of Beijing reflect in turn the history of Beijing as a whole.

 

A day tour through hutongs gives you fresh insight into Beijing's local life.

 

* Start from the north entrance to BeihaiPark by old-fashioned pedicab to the picturesque ShishahaiLake area.

* Visit Gu Lou, the DrumTower, where visitors will enjoy a bird's eye view of the old city.

* Visit the neighbourhood in the rear ShishahaiLake area and walk in hutongs to drop in one or two courtyard- style homes and, if arranged, meal with a family.

* Visit the mansion and garden of Prince Gong of the Qing Dynasty.