53.Hutongs
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Historical Places
Hutongs
Beijing is famous for its hutongs:
intersecting alleyways bustling with residential and commercial
activity, that are found all over the city. Many hutongs were developed
during the Yuan (1206-1341), Ming (1368-1628) and Qing (1644-1911)
dynasties. The Ming dynasty design of Beijing had the imperial Forbidden
City at its center, with the next highest social classes living to the
east and west of the imperial palace. Extending out from the center in a
rigid social hierarchy was an intricate lacework of interconnecting
courtyards joined by hutongs. In the neighbourhoods originally inhabited
by the aristocracy, the hutongs are lined with large houses and walled
gardens. However in the areas where laborers, craftsmen and other
commoners lived, the hutongs are narrower and the courtyards smaller.
Most hutongs run east to west so that the houses could take advantage of
natural light. Smaller passageways, running north to south, connect the
main hutongs.
House decoration in Liu Li Chang.
Many hutongs have been destroyed to make
way for modern construction, but some of Beijing’s archetypal alleyways
have been designated as protected areas to preserve this part of the
city’s history and culture. Some hutongs have been reconstructed with
two and three storey buildings and modern stores, others dating back
hundreds of years give a glimpse of how life must have been generations
ago.
Some of the most famous hutongs are found
near the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower and in the area around Shichahai
Lake. Most hutongs are straight, but Beixinqiao Hutong has 19 twists
and turns. The shortest hutong is Guantong Hutong at 33 yards long,
while the longest is Dong Jiao Min Hutong which stretches for 4 miles
from Tiananmen Square. Qianshi (Money Market) Hutong near Qianmen (the
front gate of Tiananmen Square) is the narrowest hutong in the city
measuring only 16 inches wide at its narrowest point.
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