Other Famous Hutongs

Origin in Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Hutong is a kind of old alleyway in Beijing; it reflects the history and represents the social life. Now Beijing has more than 1000 Hutongs in existence. The Hutongs running through each others vertically and horizontally forms a unique sight of old Beijing. Hutongs are best preserved in East, west side city and Qianmen areas which are the best places for tourists to explore the culture of Hutongs.

Zhuanta Hutong (Brick Tower Hutong)

Located near South Xisi Street, Zhuanta Hutong is named after the Brick Tower which was built inside to commemorate the great Buddhism master - Wan Song in Jin Dynasty (1115 - 1234). The tower has seven layers and is made of blue-grey bricks.

The name of the hutong has been passed down to today, and has a history of more than 700 years. During Yuan (1271 - 1368), Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) Dynasties, this hutong was the center for dramatic performance. In 1900, when the allied forces of eight powers invaded Beijing, the theatrical troupes were scattered and Zhuanta Hutong became a residential living area. The hutong has been home to two famous figures of Chinese history. One is Lu Xun, a great writer, thinker and revolutionary. He worked on some of his meaningful novels here in this plain hutong such as "the Blessing", "Happy Family" and "the Soap". The other famous resident was Liu Shaoqi, who was a great proletarian revolutionary.

Today Zhuanta Hutong is under good protection and preserves its historical features.

Hutongs in Qianmen Area

Hutongs in the north of Qianmen are expanse and uniform but hutongs in its south are narrow and irregular. During Qing Dynasty (1636-1911), the government restricted the immigrants to enter the city, so those immigrants centralized in Qianmen and Chongwenmen area. After a long time, the shopping centers and leisure centers are formed in the area from which the unique Hutong culture gradually started.

Jiuwan Hutong, regarded as the Hutong with most turns, is located at the Qianmen Street. The Hutong has more than 13 turns; Qianshi Hutong is the narrowest Hutong in Qianmen area, the narrowest part has only 40cm; Sanmiao Hutong, the oldest Hutong, is also sit in the area.

Hutongs in East Side City

The famous and popular Hutong - Nanluoguxiang (South Luogu Lane) is situated in east side city. It is an 800-meter long North-South alleyway with cafes, bars, and shops all designed in classical Chinese ‘hutong’ style. With a history of over 800 years, Nanluoguxiang has become a hotspot of attraction reported by Fashion magazine. With a length of 6.5km (4.04 miles), the longest Hutong of Beijing – Dongjiaomin and Xijiaomin Hutong is also located here.

Hutongs in West Side City

Shichahai area is surrounded with exquisite Hutongs like Yandaixie Street (Tobacco Pipe Lane); Ethnic shops and various bars and cafes are opened here which attract lots of tourists from in and abroad. Besides it, other Hutongs such as Lingjing Hutong, Xiaoxiangfeng Hutong, Houjing Hutong, etc are worth to visit.

Different Types of Hutong
As there are numerous hutongs in Beijing, certainly they will appear differences from each other. In ancient China, there are strictly define to hutong to distinguish from street. A 9-metre-wide lane was called a Hutong. But today we may find that a lot of smaller hutongs have been formed inside bigger hutongs, which shows the development of our minds and society.
If as the traditional way, we could divide hutong into mainly two kinds:
One is regarded as a rigorous path obeyed the traditional rules. They were near the palace to the east and west and orderly arranged along the street, where lived the imperial relatives and aristocrats.
Another kind, opposite to the above one, is a type without regular shape. And mostly located far to the north and south of the royal palace, where ordinaries live.

Some Special Best of Hutong
Longest: Dongjiaominxiang and Xijiaominxiang, running parallel with the Chang'an Avenue
Shortest: Yichi (meaning "one foot") Hutong, only 75 feet long
Narrowest: Xiaolabakou Hutong, whose northern part is less than 0.4 meter. Jiudaowan (meaning "nine turnings") Hutong located in Dongcheng District has the most turnings--more than 20 in all.
Broadest:Lingjing hutong, the widest part is 32 plus 18 meters.
Oldest: Sanmiaojie, which located outside Xuanwu Gate, was called Tanzhou Street in the Liao Dynasty (916-1125).
Roundest: Jiuwan Hutong

Hutong Today
Today, as the Beijing city develops into an international metropolis, its lanes and alleyways, occupying one third of the city proper, still serve as dwellings for half the total urban population. If Beijing sightseeing at the Imperial Palace, Ming Tombs and the Summer Palace is helpful in learning about the lives of China's emperors, the Hutongs of Beijing reflect in turn the lives of ordinary Beijing people as a whole. So roaming through Beijing's old, narrow streets, hutongs, by old-fashioned pedicab has attracted more and more overseas visitors. Nowadays Beijing Hutong Tour appears to be a well travel item in Beijing, from which the tourists could feel the real old Beijing, especially the civilian life here. They could face to face with Chinese person and even communicate, to chat casually with people here.