Hutongs – a unique features in Beijing

Surrounding the Forbidden City, a hutong, which is an old-style city alley or typical lanewhere old Beijing residents lived, is one of the most distinctive features and must-see attractions in Beijing.The Beijing Hutongs (old lanes), have become representatives of Beijing's rich history and culture. They give a fantastic glimpse into yesterday’s world but also the old way of life and traditional Beijing culture, and highlight the profound changes the rest of Beijing has undergone.Therefore, it is the first choice for people who would like to learn about the local history, to get a better experience of the unique culture of ancient Beijing. They attract a lot of tourists from home and abroad.

There are thousands of hutongs in the city,they were built during the Yuan (1206-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. However, Hutong originated during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368). “Hutong”is a Mongolian word meaning water well. In the Yuan Dynasty, Mongolians focus on the importance of water, so almost every community in the city dug a well and then lived around it, which provided the daily water for the locals. Until now, people can still find dry wells in Hutongs.

Hutongs was near the palace to the east and west were for imperial kinsmen and aristocrats. And another kind is the simple and crude hutong where merchants and other ordinary people live, was mostly located far to the north and south of the palace.

Dongxijiaominxiang is the longest hutong in Beijing with 6.5 kilometers in length. It is to the east side of the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, Tiananmen Square and downtown Beijing. In the contrast, Yichidajie, also called One Foot Street, is the shortest hutong. It is only about 10 meters long and is located in the south-east, on the eastern side of Glass Street. LingjingHutong is an east-west oriented hutong in Beijing Xidan District. With 32.18 meters in width, it is the broadest hutong. QianshiHutong, which has long been the narrowest hutong in Beijing, is to the west side of Beijing Zhubaoshi Street, near the famous commercial area of Dashanlan. The Oldest One must be refer to SanmiaojieHutong. It can be dated back to 900 years ago, to the Liao Dynasty (907 AD-1125 AD).

There are a lot of things to do in Beijing’s Hutongs. You can experience the culture and learn some basic skills in Chinese cooking, especially dumpling and enjoy the meal when you visit a local family in traditional house. You can learn how to make a Chinese Paper Cutting, which is a traditional Chinese handicraft in the Hutong area, with profound cultural connotations. Another traditional handicraft is Chinese knot. Each knot is woven out of one single silk thread. Besides that, you can have chance to experience how to play Mahjong, about Chinese Calligraphy, Chinese Yoyo, Cricket Culture and Yangko dance, which is a folk dance with a history of 1000 years in China.