Beijing Hutong

The alleyways in Beijing are known is "hutong" or "hutung", the transliteration of a Mongolian word because most of the hutongs were a heritage of the Yuan Dynasty which established its capital city in Beijing in 1283 A.D. Thus the hutongs are 800 years old.

There are so many of them in Beijing, as the saying goes, 'There are 360 large hutongs and countless smaller ones.' Statistics indicate that there used to be 4,550 hutongs in urban Beijing that were laid out in a Ming-dynasty pattern, and they were as wide as four meters and as narrow a 62 cm. These alleyways are a magnum opus in their own right, recorded as they do numerous cultural artefacts, places of historical and cultural interests, fascinating tales of dignitaries and anecdotes about the city and its people.

The hutongs were named in a variety of ways. Some are named after government departments, such as Xingbu (Bureau of Punishment) Hutong, Cayuan (Investigation Bureau) Hutong, Silijian (Directorate of Ceremonial) Hutong, and Huoyaoju (Gunpowder Bureau) Hutong. The Lumicang, Nanxincang, Beixincang and Haiyuncang hutongs were named after the major imperial granaries in East District. Xishiku and Houku hutongs in West District got their names from warehouses in the service of the imperial family.

Naizifu (Department of Nursing Ladies) Hutong was so named because in old days it was inhabited by women whose job was to supply the imperial family with milk from their own breasts. Many are named after Famous people, such as Yongkang Hutong (the Iocation of the residence of Xu Zhong, who was Marquis Yongkang ), and Maojiawan Hutong (Where the mansion of Mao Wenjian of the Ming Dynasty was situated). There is no lack of hutongs named after craftsmen or peddlers; these include Liulansu (Sculptor Liu Lan) Hutong, Mudao'r (Knife Sharpening) Hutong, Fengfangliu (Bean Noodle Maker Liu) Hutong, and Doufuchen (Beancurd Mas­ter Chen) Hutong.

Some hutongs derived their names from their shapes, such as Chaoshou (Folded Arms) Hutong, Lesser Biandan (Carrying Pole) Hutong, Guaibang (Walking Stick) Hutong, Erduoyanr (External Auditory Canal) Hutong, and Gouweiba (Dog's Tail) Hutong. The hutongs in south Beijing are mostly re­lated to commodities, such as Xianyukou (Fresh Fish) Hutong, Luomashi (Horse Market), Zhubaoshi (Jewellery Market), Guozishi (Fruit Market), Shuazishi (Brush Market) and Roushi (Meat Market) Hutong. Some are named after trees, in­cluding Huaishu (Scholar Tree), Songshu (Pine Tree), Sigengbo (Four Cypresses), Shuangliu (Twin Willows), Zongshu (Palm Tree) and Yingtao (Cherry Tree) hutongs. Ten hutongs are named after chunshu, the Chinese toon tree. Some have names that do not sound good, such as Fenchang (Night Soil Field), Kudang (Crotch) and Kushuijing (Bitter Water Well) hutongs, and most of these names have been changed.

The hutongs are a truthful reflection of the fact that the east district of Beijing was rich, the west district noble, the south district poor, and the north district dilapidated. As a legacy of history, the hutongs are rich in historical and cultural connotations.

Today, the Beijing Hutongs are very popular with the tourists from home and abroad. The top China travel agency--China Fact Tours offers many classical Hutong tour programs in Beijing. Tourists can take rickshaws along the historical Hutongs to pay a 1-hour-to-4-hour visit. Apart from the Hutong themselves, tourists can visit the local families and make Jiaozi with the hosts who live in the Hutongs. In the school days, tourists even are arranged to visit the local kindergartens or the primary schools.

If you book a Beijing tour package, you will see the historical and cultural Beijing hutongs! Such as the 3-Day Great Wall and Beijing Hutong Tour.