377:
659:
603:
673:
570:
163:
254:
594:
246:
155:
582:
640:
631:
561:
622:
351:
court was disintegrating as China's dynastic era came to an end. The traditional arrangement of hutongs was also affected. Many new hutongs, built haphazardly and with no apparent plan, began to appear on the outskirts of the old city, while the old ones lost their former neat appearance. The social
295:
of these high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants often featured beautifully carved and painted roof beams and pillars and carefully landscaped gardens. The hutongs they formed were orderly, lined by spacious homes and walled gardens. Farther from the palace, and to its north and south, were the
430:
Hutongs represent an important cultural element of the city of
Beijing. Thanks to Beijing's long history and status as capital for six dynasties, almost every hutong has its anecdotes, and some are even associated with historic events. In contrast to the court life and elite culture represented by
367:
from 1911 to 1948, society was unstable, fraught with civil wars and repeated foreign invasions. Beijing deteriorated, and the conditions of the hutongs worsened. Siheyuans previously owned and occupied by single families were subdivided and shared by many households, with additions tacked on as
338:
However, as the ancient
Chinese urban administration division system gave way to population and household divisions instead of geographical divisions, the hutongs were no longer used as the lowest level of administrative geographical division and were replaced with other divisional approaches.
224:
Since the mid-20th century, many
Beijing hutongs were demolished to make way for new roads and buildings. More recently, however, many hutongs have been designated as protected, in an attempt to preserve this aspect of Chinese cultural history. Hutongs were first established in the
291:, surrounded in concentric circles by the Inner City and Outer City. Citizens of higher social status were permitted to live closer to the center of the circles. Aristocrats lived to the east and west of the imperial palace. The large
523:
s divided into sections, are often identified by direction. for example, there are three
Hongmen Hutong ("Red Gate Hutong"), being the West Hongmen Hutong, the East Hongmen Hutong, and the South Hongmen Hutong (all three
368:
needed, built with whatever materials were available. The 978 hutongs listed in Qing
Dynasty records swelled to 1,330 by 1949. Today in 2008, in some hutongs, such as those in Da Shi Lan, the conditions remain poor.
319:. Each fang (坊) was enclosed by walls or fences, and the gates of these enclosures were shut and guarded every night, somewhat like a modern gated community. Each fang (坊) was further divided into several
303:
had their main buildings and gates facing south for better lighting; thus a majority of hutongs run from east to west. Between the main hutongs, many tiny lanes ran north and south for convenient passage.
431:
the
Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and the Temple of Heaven, the hutongs reflect the culture of grassroots Beijingers. The hutongs are residential neighborhoods which still form the heart of Old Beijing.
602:
327:(牌), which is equivalent to a current day (unincorporated) community (or neighborhood). Each pai (牌), in turn, contained an area including several hutongs, and during the
438:. Teams explore hutongs within one city block in detail and complete activities based on art, food, calligraphy, history and technology and often with local businesses.
403:
and
Shichahai Lake are preserved amongst recreated contemporary two- and three-story versions. This area abounds with tourists, many of which tour the quarter in
716:
296:
commoners, merchants, artisans, and laborers. Their siheyuan were far smaller in scale and simpler in design and decoration, and the hutongs were narrower.
392:
s were demolished during the period 1989-2019, with remaining lanes often converted into tourist attractions as objects of historic preservation.
307:
Historically, a hutong was also once used as the lowest level of administrative geographical divisions within a city in ancient China, as in the
752:
569:
461:
is located in the "Xizhimen Nei", or "Xizhimen Within", neighbourhood, which is on the city side of
Xizhimen Gate, a gate on the city wall.
886:
364:
837:
786:
411:
376:
221:
to another to form a hutong, and then joining one hutong to another. The word hutong is also used to refer to such neighbourhoods.
446:
Each hutong has a name. Some have had only one name since their creation, while others have had several throughout their history.
911:
896:
418:
spent his fifteen years of house arrest inside a hutong. Zhao's hutong had previously been occupied by one of
Empress Dowager
958:
829:
184:
58:
931:
176:
44:
639:
400:
396:
316:
490:
means willow), which was originally named "Liushujing Hutong", literally "Willow Tree Well Hutong", after a local well.
963:
742:
720:
691:
853:
806:
926:
509:
Others were given an auspicious name, with words with generic positive attributes, such as Xiqing Hutong (
916:
867:
385:
410:
Today, as in the past, hutongs are home to celebrities, business owners and officials. After the 1989
272:
planned the city of
Beijing and arranged the residential areas according to the social classes of the
581:
498:
s were named after people, such as Mengduan Hutong (named after Meng Duan, a mayor of Beijing in the
419:
204:) are a type of narrow street or alley commonly associated with northern Chinese cities, especially
686:
532:
281:
833:
782:
776:
748:
269:
136:
128:
531:
While most Beijing hutongs are straight, Jiudaowan Hutong turns nineteen times. Located near
93:
968:
890:
932:
The Herbert Offen Research Collection of the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum
114:
352:
stratification of the residents also began to evaporate, reflecting the collapse of the
253:
807:"Charles takes on China to save Ming dynasty houses from Beijing's concrete carbuncles"
539:
404:
288:
593:
245:
154:
952:
678:
162:
664:
499:
328:
277:
273:
234:
230:
226:
217:, traditional courtyard residences. Many neighbourhoods were formed by joining one
100:
609:
415:
189:
630:
560:
936:
654:
613:
453:
s were named after their location, or a local landmark or business, such as:
904:
621:
696:
480:
300:
292:
213:
468:
literally means sheep market), or Yizi Hutong (a local term for soap is
940:
543:
332:
311:(牌坊) system: the largest division within a city in ancient China was a
308:
205:
17:
868:"Zhao Ziyang: Chinese Leader Who 'Came too Late' to Tiananmen Square"
395:
Many hutongs, some several hundred years old, in the vicinity of the
353:
258:
195:
937:
Hutong of Beijing (The Chinese beautiful girl who plays at Hutong)
375:
265:
161:
434:
From 2014 to 2019, an exploration game was played called 胡同谜踪 or
257:
A typical courtyard of a Hutong. On the roof the owner keeps his
608:
No. 6 Fuqiang Hutong, successively home to two deposed leaders:
348:
927:
Learning from the Hutong of Beijing and the Lilong of Shanghai
287:
In the Ming Dynasty (early 15th century), the center was the
457:
City gates, such as Inner Xizhimen Hutong, indicating this
363:-like areas have been demolished. During the period of the
276:(1027–256 BC). The term "hutong" appeared first during the
917:"Chorography to record rise and fall of Beijing’s Hutongs"
528:
s have been obliterated as of 2011 and no longer exist).
27:
Type of narrow street or alley in northern Chinese cities
887:
Preservation of Beijing's Hutongs: An Alternate Approach
912:
Hutong pictures in Liulichang, Qianmen and Panjiayuan
133:
119:
105:
874:. January 18, 2005. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
744:
The Chinese Language: Its History and Current Usage
127:
113:
99:
92:
87:
71:
57:
43:
34:
211:In Beijing, hutongs are alleys formed by lines of
900:'Real people' transition in China's old hutongs"
464:Markets and businesses, such as Yangshi Hutong (
805:Booth, Robert; Watts, Jonathan (June 5, 2008).
535:, its name 九道弯 literally means "Nine Turns".
63:
49:
8:
575:Structural diagram of a siheyuan (in French)
781:. Princeton University Press. p. 729.
800:
798:
546:(Front Gate) is only 40 centimeters wide.
335:was divided into a total of 36 fangs (坊).
84:
645:A woman riding a battery car in an alley
380:Hutong roofscapes viewed from Drum Tower
252:
244:
153:
707:
553:
486:Local features, such as Liushu Hutong (
135:
31:
826:An Ecological History of Modern China
388:greatly increased, many of Beijing's
347:At the turn of the 20th century, the
229:(1279–1368) and then expanded in the
7:
775:Steinhardt, Nancy Shatzman (2019).
717:"The Death and Life of Old Beijing"
475:Temples, such as Guanyinsi Hutong (
166:Entrance to a residence in a hutong
747:. Tuttle Publishing. p. 191.
25:
671:
657:
638:
629:
620:
601:
592:
580:
568:
559:
893: (archived January 6, 2011)
778:Chinese Architecture: A History
315:(坊), equivalent to current day
75:(borrowing of Middle Mongolian
830:University of Washington Press
284:origin, meaning "water well".
200:
188:
180:
134:
120:
106:
64:
50:
1:
519:s sharing a name, or longer
502:whose residence was in this
343:In the Republic of China era
985:
923:article on hutong research
692:List of hutongs in Beijing
538:At its narrowest section,
412:Tiananmen Square Protests
148:
83:
39:
824:Harrell, Stevan (2023).
372:In the People's Republic
371:
59:Traditional Chinese
854:"Beijing at Warp Speed"
237:(1644–1911) dynasties.
45:Simplified Chinese
381:
261:
250:
167:
159:
959:Architecture in China
379:
256:
248:
165:
157:
741:Kane, David (2006).
386:China's urbanization
249:A residential hutong
280:, and is a term of
185:traditional Chinese
158:A hutong in Beijing
964:Streets in Beijing
687:History of Beijing
555:Hutongs in Beijing
533:Beixinqiao Station
382:
262:
251:
241:Historical hutongs
177:simplified Chinese
168:
160:
908:, August 14, 2008
866:Becker, Jasper.
754:978-0-8048-3853-5
442:Other information
422:'s hairdressers.
365:Republic of China
152:
151:
144:
143:
94:Standard Mandarin
16:(Redirected from
976:
945:
899:
875:
864:
858:
857:
850:
844:
843:
821:
815:
814:
802:
793:
792:
772:
766:
765:
763:
761:
738:
732:
731:
729:
728:
719:. Archived from
712:
681:
676:
675:
674:
667:
662:
661:
660:
642:
633:
624:
605:
596:
584:
572:
563:
233:(1368–1644) and
202:
193:
182:
140:
139:
138:
123:
122:
109:
108:
85:
67:
66:
53:
52:
32:
21:
984:
983:
979:
978:
977:
975:
974:
973:
949:
948:
943:
897:
891:Wayback Machine
883:
878:
872:The Independent
865:
861:
852:
851:
847:
840:
823:
822:
818:
804:
803:
796:
789:
774:
773:
769:
759:
757:
755:
740:
739:
735:
726:
724:
715:Michael Meyer.
714:
713:
709:
705:
677:
672:
670:
663:
658:
656:
653:
646:
643:
634:
625:
616:
606:
597:
588:
585:
576:
573:
564:
552:
444:
428:
374:
345:
266:dynastic period
264:During China's
243:
79:, "water well")
72:Literal meaning
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
982:
980:
972:
971:
966:
961:
951:
950:
947:
946:
934:
929:
924:
914:
909:
894:
882:
881:External links
879:
877:
876:
859:
845:
838:
816:
794:
787:
767:
753:
733:
706:
704:
701:
700:
699:
694:
689:
683:
682:
668:
652:
649:
648:
647:
644:
637:
635:
628:
626:
619:
617:
607:
600:
598:
591:
589:
586:
579:
577:
574:
567:
565:
558:
556:
551:
548:
540:Qianshi Hutong
492:
491:
484:
473:
462:
443:
440:
427:
424:
373:
370:
344:
341:
289:Forbidden City
242:
239:
150:
149:
146:
145:
142:
141:
131:
125:
124:
117:
111:
110:
103:
97:
96:
90:
89:
88:Transcriptions
81:
80:
73:
69:
68:
61:
55:
54:
47:
41:
40:
37:
36:
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
981:
970:
967:
965:
962:
960:
957:
956:
954:
942:
938:
935:
933:
930:
928:
925:
922:
918:
915:
913:
910:
907:
906:
901:
895:
892:
888:
885:
884:
880:
873:
869:
863:
860:
855:
849:
846:
841:
839:9780295751719
835:
831:
827:
820:
817:
812:
808:
801:
799:
795:
790:
788:9780691191973
784:
780:
779:
771:
768:
756:
750:
746:
745:
737:
734:
723:on 2015-09-10
722:
718:
711:
708:
702:
698:
695:
693:
690:
688:
685:
684:
680:
679:Taiwan portal
669:
666:
655:
650:
641:
636:
632:
627:
623:
618:
615:
611:
604:
599:
595:
590:
587:A noodle shop
583:
578:
571:
566:
562:
557:
554:
549:
547:
545:
541:
536:
534:
529:
527:
522:
518:
514:
513:means happy)
512:
507:
505:
501:
497:
489:
485:
482:
478:
474:
471:
467:
463:
460:
456:
455:
454:
452:
447:
441:
439:
437:
432:
425:
423:
421:
417:
413:
408:
406:
402:
398:
393:
391:
387:
378:
369:
366:
362:
357:
355:
350:
342:
340:
336:
334:
330:
326:
322:
318:
314:
310:
305:
302:
297:
294:
290:
285:
283:
279:
275:
271:
267:
260:
255:
247:
240:
238:
236:
232:
228:
222:
220:
216:
215:
209:
207:
203:
197:
191:
186:
178:
174:
173:
164:
156:
147:
137:
132:
130:
126:
118:
116:
112:
104:
102:
98:
95:
91:
86:
82:
78:
74:
70:
62:
60:
56:
48:
46:
42:
38:
33:
30:
19:
944:(in Chinese)
920:
903:
871:
862:
848:
825:
819:
811:The Guardian
810:
777:
770:
758:. Retrieved
743:
736:
725:. Retrieved
721:the original
710:
665:China portal
537:
530:
525:
520:
516:
515:
510:
508:
503:
500:Ming Dynasty
495:
493:
487:
476:
469:
465:
458:
450:
448:
445:
436:Hutong Races
435:
433:
429:
409:
394:
389:
383:
360:
358:
346:
337:
329:Ming Dynasty
324:
320:
312:
306:
298:
286:
278:Yuan Dynasty
274:Zhou dynasty
263:
227:Yuan dynasty
223:
218:
212:
210:
199:
171:
170:
169:
101:Hanyu Pinyin
76:
29:
921:China Daily
828:. Seattle:
760:October 10,
610:Zhao Ziyang
416:Zhao Ziyang
299:Nearly all
953:Categories
727:2008-12-05
703:References
614:Hu Yaobang
401:Drum Tower
397:Bell Tower
359:Many such
115:Wade–Giles
905:USA Today
813:. London.
477:Guanyinsi
282:Mongolian
697:Siheyuan
651:See also
481:Kuan-yin
405:pedicabs
356:system.
301:siheyuan
293:siheyuan
270:emperors
219:siheyuan
214:siheyuan
121:hu-t'ung
65:衚衕 or 胡同
941:YouTube
889:at the
550:Gallery
544:Qianmen
483:Temple)
479:is the
466:Yangshi
426:Culture
333:Beijing
309:paifang
259:pigeons
206:Beijing
18:Hutongs
969:Alleys
836:
785:
751:
526:hutong
521:hutong
517:Hutong
511:Xiqing
504:hutong
496:hutong
488:Liushu
459:hutong
451:hutong
390:hutong
361:hutong
354:feudal
201:hútòng
198::
196:pinyin
187::
179::
172:Hutong
107:hútòng
77:quddug
35:Hutong
542:near
494:Some
449:Many
321:plate
192:or 胡同
834:ISBN
783:ISBN
762:2012
749:ISBN
612:and
470:yizi
420:Cixi
399:and
349:Qing
317:ward
313:fang
235:Qing
231:Ming
870:.
506:).
384:As
325:pai
323:or
129:IPA
955::
902:,
832:.
809:.
797:^
414:,
407:.
331:,
268:,
208:.
194:;
190:衚衕
183:;
181:胡同
51:胡同
939:—
919:—
898:"
856:.
842:.
791:.
764:.
730:.
472:)
175:(
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
