Hutongs (胡同) - 54

A hutong is an old city alley or lane, and the hutongs of Beijing are

one of its most distinctive features. The capital city is home to

thousands of hutongs, many of which were built in the area surrounding

the Forbidden City during the Yuan (1279 - 1368), Ming (1368 - 1644)

and Qing (1644 - 1911) dynasties.

During China’s dynastic heyday, the emperors planned the city and

arranged the residential areas according to the etiquette systems of

the Zhou Dynasty (1027 - 256 BC). At the center of the metropolis was

the Forbidden City, 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.

The aristocratic hutongs of those days were located just to the east

and west of the imperial palace. The lanes were orderly, lined by

spacious homes and walled gardens.

Further from the palace and to its north and south were the commoners’

hutongs, where merchants, artisans and laborers lived and worked.

The residences lining the hutongs, whether grand or humble, were

generally siheyuan, complexes formed by four buildings surrounding a

courtyard. The large siheyuan of high-ranking officials and wealthy

merchants often featured beautifully carved and painted roof beams and

pillars and carefully landscaped gardens. Commoners’ siheyuan were far

smaller in scale and simpler in design and decoration.

The hutongs are, in fact, passageways formed by many siheyuan of

varying sizes, all arranged closely together. Nearly all siheyuan had

their main buildings and gates facing south for better lighting; so

that the majority of hutongs run from east to west. Between the main

hutongs, many tiny lanes ran north and south for convenient passage.