In the rich and historical culture of Beijing, hutong has a very special and important position. There are thousands of hutongs in Beijing City. Surrounding the Forbidden City, most of them were built in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties I1271-1911). Hutong is an unusual term used only in Beijing and a few northern cities in China. The word hutong came from the Mongolian language about 700 years ago. According to the research it originates from the word hottog in Mongolian meaning “water well”. Where there was a spring or well, there would be residents, The word hottog became hutong after it was introduced into Beijing.
Hutong means street, lane and alley, and in fact it is formed by siheyuan( 四合院 a compound with houses around a courtyard) where most Beijing residents live, standing side by side along a straight passage. Another definition of hutong was that a way lined by shops was called a street, one lined by residential houses was called a hutong.
A hutong is smaller than a street. In the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), the measurement unit was the pace. At that time, an avenue was 24 paces wide (about 37.2 meters), a street was 12 paces wide(about 18.6 meters） and a hutong was 6 paces wide(about 9.3 meters). This rule was gradually not so strictly followed in the following dynasties, some were wider and some were narrower.
Most of the hutongs in Beijing are in east-west or north-south directions. Of course there are also slant hutongs, half hutong or “blind hutongs”.So, to wake in a hutong is a great fun. Some are hutongs within hutongs and some are like a maze.
The Name of Hutongs
Beijing’s history is preserved in the names of its hutongs. Each hutongs has a name. Some have had only one name since their creation while others have had several throughout their histories. Names were given to hutongs for various reasons. They always have something to do with:
The Wall gates: Xi’anmen Beixiang(West Peace Gate North Alley);
People’s names: Mengduan Hutong( Mengduan Alley)
Directions: Xi Hongmen Hutong ( West Red Gate Alley)
Food Name: Miancha Hutong （Flour-tea Alley)
Government organs: Jingcha Hutong (Police Bureau Alley) etc
The names of the hutongs are still changing. Some sound the same but with different characters, some have been completely changed, some have been combined with others, and others were changed due to unpleasant meanings. From the name of a hutong, one can guess its origin, find its location or trace its historical, commercial or cultural backgrounds. However, the meaning of hutong has extended to have cultural aspects. Whenever people talk about Beijing, they will naturally think of hutongs. Hutongs are where Beijing people, especially the old Beijing people, live, so they are known as a window onto Beijing’s folk life. And some people even consider hutongs as the “encyclopedia of Beijing” or the ” museum of the history and culture of Beijing”.
Hutongs in Nanluoguxiang(南锣古巷）
Nanluoguxiang, an ancient alleyway(hutong) in downtown Beijing, is situated in Beijing’s Dongcheng District, near the Drum Tower with its northern end at Gulou Dongdajie and the southern end of Nanluoguxiang can be found at Di’anmen Dongdajie. With a history of more than 700 years, Nanluoguxiang has a 768-meter-long south-north central lane, with 16 hutongs meandering east and west of the central lane, with eight hutongs on each side. It was the typical hutong layout of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). It is the best preserved old hutong area in downtown Beijing. And it has been one of Beijing’s 25 cultural and historical protection area since 1990.
Siheyuan (四合院 Quadrangles)
Hutong, in fact , is formed by siheyuan where most Beijing residents live. Siheyuan(四合院 Dwelling compounds or quadrangles) in Beijing is one of the city’s important architectural heritage. Siheyuan is the home of many Beijing residents though quite a large proportion of them have now moved to high buildings in new residential areas.
Siheyuan, a compound with houses around a courtyard, is a typical ancient Chinese architecture. A standard siheyuan is usually surrounded by high walls with an open courtyard in the center consisting of houses on its four sides. The house which stands at the north end and faces the south is called the “main house” or “north house”, the ones on both sides are called “side houses”, and the one which stands at the south end and faces north is called ” opposite house” or “south house”. Its gate is usually at the southeastern corner according to the Taoist thinking. Normally there is a screen-wall inside the gate so that outsiders can not look directly into the courtyard and it is also believed to protect the houses fro m evil spirits. Outside the gate of some large siheyuan, there is a pair of stone lions on each side on two large blocks of stone. These were signs of high social status during feudal times. In addition, the two stone lions were brought to safeguard the whole family. The gate doors are usually painted vermilion and have large copper door rings. With no steel or concrete, the entire dwelling was built of bricks and wood.
Usually a whole family lives in a compound. The elder generation lives in the main house, the younger generation lives n the side houses, and the south house is usually their sitting room or study. All the houses have large windows at the front and small windows high up in the back walls. Some houses do not even have back windows. Some large compounds have two or more courtyards, inhabited by a big traditional extended family with several generations. The are still some nice siheyuan in Beijing, mainly former mansions of princes, some of which have been turned into museums, and others are used as government offices.
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Author: AmoyTrip.com--Hutong and Siheyuan
Free Inquiry: ryan@amoytrip.com
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