Beijing Hutong

Beijing's hutong have a history of more than 700 years. The word "Hutong" derives from the word "Hottog" in Mongolian, it means a type of alley. In fact, it is the passage formed by the lines of siheyuan (a complex of houses around a courtyard) where the old residents of Beijing live. Around 3,600 hutongs are said to have official names, but there are more unnamed hutongs in the capital. Hutong is the product of a long history, reflecting the historical appearance of Beijing and the daily life of locals.

Highlights of Beijing Hutongs

At first glance, the alleys of Beijing have gray walls and tiles, very similar. In fact, as long as you walk through a few hutongs and talk to local residents, you will realize that each hutong has its own interesting stories and legends.

Among the many hutongs, these are the most characteristic. DongJiaominxiang Hutong is the longest, from inner Chongwenmen Street in the east to Beixinhua Street in the west, about three kilometers long. The Qianshi Hutong in Dashilan is the narrowest, with a length of 55 meters, an average width of 0.7 meters and the narrowest point only 0.4 meters. Conversely, Lingjing Hutong is the widest, with a length of 664 meters and a width of 32.18 meters at the widest point.

Nowadays, the megacity Beijing is so busy and crowded that whether to preserve the ancient hutongs has become a thorny and complicated problem. In order to develop modern transportation, hutongs must be transformed. However, for the Chinese, the alleys of Beijing are not only ancient buildings, but also witnesses of the great country's splendid history and accumulation of exuberant culture, so they must be properly preserved.

In recent years, Beijing hutongs have become an attraction with high reputation for passenger cars from all over the world, so when you want to travel to Beijing, don't miss to take a tour through the famous hutongs (alleys), you will get to know a more attractive Beijing city.