Beijing, China Hutong

 Photo & story by:  Debbie Stock

Around Shichahai Lake in the heart of Old Beijing are 700-year old temples, royal mansions with gardens and hutong.

A hutong is a type of narrow alleyway formed by lines of  residences (siheyuan) built next to each other to form squares or rectangles, thus creating courtyards. By joining one siheyuan to another, to another, and so on, a hutong is formed, then joined to another hutong. Shichahai is one of many hutong neighborhoods found in northern Chinese cities and provinces primarily.

In Beijing  neighborhoods where the structures have been spared from redevelopment and high-rise projects, you can witness a piece of history through these architectural artifacts where people live and sometimes share their stories. In the mid-20th century when the siheyuan began to crumble from age and wear, many hutong were lost. Preservationists sprang into action to safeguard this significant aspect of the Chinese architectural culture by convincing others that the remaining hutong were worth saving.

Seeing them has become a popular tourist attraction and business for rickshaw drivers who guide visitors through the narrow, winding passageways. Visitors can take boat rides on Shichahai Lake and dine & drink at waterfront cafes and bars.  Tour operators package a Hutong Experience which includes a visit into someone's home. 

Hutong History:  First appearing during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368,) aristocrats living close to the Imperial Palace enjoyed spacious homes (siheyuan) and gardens forming hutong that aligned with garden walls. Away from the palace, commoners (laborers, artisans and merchants,) lived in small, simple siheyuan forming narrower hutong. Such class systems no longer exist, and the crumbling siheyuan, likewise, would not live to tell China's story if money hadn't been spent to repair and save some of them. Like California's missions, some may be replicas or contain parts of original buildings.

Next photo: Kids on a bus