Hutong

The Hutong has a very special and important position in the rich history and culture of Beijing. The Hutongs are one of the "must see" items in Bejing. They are a wonderful glimpse into the world of yesterday in Beijing. While visit the Hutongs, you can feel the dramatic changes of Beijing and you can evident the History of Beijing experence its life style and traditional culture.

Hutong in History
The word "hutong" originates from the word "hutong" which means "well" in Mongolian. Villagers dig out a well and inhabited there. Hutong means a lane or alley, in fact the passage formed by lines of siheyuan (a compound with houses around a courtyard) where old Beijing residents live. Be careful not lost in it! It was recorded that in the Yuan a 36-meter-wide road was called a standard street, an 18-meter-wide one was a small street and a 9-meter-wide lane was named a hutong.

Names of Hutong
The names of Hutong record the history and the lifestyle of old Beijing. And there are different ways to name a hutong. Firstly, many names of alleys are based on an image of the obvious signs, which also showed the reality of Beijingers, frank and funny such as Tangzi Hutong, Shihu Hutong, etc. Secondly, use the place name for hutong is a common way, such as Dashilan Hutong, Jingshui Hutong, etc. Also some retain the names of some famous persons who once lived there, such as Yongkang Hou Hutong for Prince Yongkang. If no obvious sign around the hutongs, they could name after the main plants, such as Willow Hutong. Besides, there still some other ways to name a hutong. Generally speaking, Beijing Hutong mostly name after the official institutions, temples, warehouses workshops, bridge, fair trade, characters surname and scenery around, many of which are still in use.

Hutong means a period of history, a cordial lifestyle and even an "encyclopedia of Beijing". Since as the memory of the traditional life and culture in Beijing, the city has set aside designated parts of downtown Beijing as off-limits to urban renovation. Wandering along hutong is an ideal way to experience the life of old Beijing.