As the capital of China and as an international metropolis, the urbanisation process of Beijing is further accelerating, but at the same time, Hutong (胡同) is a unique feature of Beijing, with a long history and profound cultural heritage. Hutong is becoming less and less common in the current urban construction of Beijing.
The concept of Hutong was gradually eliminated in the process of urbanisation and modernisation in Beijing. However, the shape, colour, smell, and sound of Hutong accompany the daily life of old Beijingers. This unique urban ecology is also an indispensable symbol of Beijing.
Wangpi Hutong, 10 June 2021
Although fewer Hutongs have been preserved during the process of urbanisation, a significant portion of them are still remains in the heart of Beijing today, within the present Second Ring Road. The Hutongs surround the Forbidden City and Tian 'anmen Square, with a square and clear structure, that retains the traditional cultural identity of Beijing.
In addition, there are restrictions on the height of buildings around the Forbidden City, because the construction of tall buildings here is also a damage to the urban landscape, and the lower height Hutong is more suitable for the Forbidden City in terms of height and coordination of the buildings.
Jingshan Park, 10 June 2021
Beijing Hutong originated in the Yuan Dynasty and there are more than 6000 at most. The layout of the Hutongs is quite neat, and the distance between the Hutongs is roughly the same. In old Beijing, the street running north and south is generally wide. The east and west direction is generally called Hutong, relatively narrow, mainly to walk.
Most of the buildings on both sides of the Hutong are courtyards. Siheyuan (四合院) is a building surrounded by four houses from east, west, south and north in a square symmetrical form. Siheyuans of different sizes are arranged next to each other, and the passageways between them is the Hutong.
Yangmeizhu Xiejie, 10 June 2021
Rickshaws are also tricycles, and they are originally a means of transportation for Beijingers. With the improvement of traffic, people gradually stopped travelling by tricycle. But the rickshaws have become a bright spot in the Hutong.
During the interview, the rickshaw driver in the picture said, " The roads in the Hutong are complicated and outsiders can easily get lost. Taking our rickshaw can not only quickly and accurately take you to your destination, but also listen to us old Beijing locals introduce the history, culture and customs of Beijing."
But the price of a ride with Hutong natives is a bit high, at 180 yuan. After all, a taxi in Beijing costs about just 100 yuan for an hour.
Fangzhuanchang Hutong, 10 June 2021
In the past most of this Hutong houses is actually housed by one family, so usually one household one house, but present day, a lot of those Hutong houses is no longer lived by just one family, usually they have like 10 or 20 families stay in one house. How do we know how many families actually lived in there, we can look at the number of electricity meter, for example, in the picture, there are 9 electricity meters, it represent they have 9 families in the house.
Although that would be quite small area for a family, this kind of Hutong houses are now be quite expensive. The price of houses depending on the size, which is between 70,000 to 250,000 RMB per square meter.
Fangzhuanchang Hutong, 10 June 2021
Traditional Hutongs and Siheyuan can make a diversified society, and form a close urban ecology, provide a very convenient space for urban residents to communicate, and give residents a sense of security and belonging, which is the unique cultural personality of Beijing.
Relying on Hutongs, the old Beijingers formed a kind of precious neighbourhood relationship and human feelings. This unique urban ecology and neighbourhood relations have nurtured the warm, polite, kind and humorous temperament of the old Beijingers.
When I was shooting, I felt far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and everywhere in Hutongs was a vivid breath of life.
Shajing Hutong, 10 June 2021
There is an old Chinese saying, 'A good neighbour is better than a brother far off (远亲不如近邻)’. For me, it is difficult to realise the true meaning of this sentence when I am living in a modern city with a strong sense of private space. But when I am in the Hutong, I finally understand.
The Hutong residents seemed to know all their neighbours in the Hutong, and they can naturally chatted with each other as soon as they saw each other.
The Hutong residents seemed to know all their neighbours in the Hutong, and they can naturally chatted with each other as soon as they saw each other.
In the picture, a child is asking his grandparents if they can go out to play with their classmates. This made me interested in the basic facilities in the Hutong, so I interviewed them, and the grandfather said, " Although Hutong look narrow and small, but it has everything, the school is no exception, my grandson's school is not far in front of the Black Sesame Hutong Primary School. His classmates are all in this area, and all know each other.”
Jingyang Hutong, 10 June 2021
With the rapid urbanisation, some of the commercialisation can also be found in these Hutongs. The picture shows a shop sold Beijing specialty - Lord rabbit (兔儿爷) which is a toy that Beijing local children love during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Although I really like those traditional handicrafts store, the souvenir store more and more is also represents a more and more people are travel in a Hutong, and this trend makes me began to worry that the Hutongs and culture of old Beijing will one day become a museum specimens.
Yangmeizhu Xiejie, 10 June 2021
Urbanisation inevitably leads to the commercialisation of Hutongs. The picture shows the street which is connecting a lot of Hutongs, and in order to make it easier for tourists to walk, the road has been rebuilt, because all the shops on the roadside are for tourist souvenirs, Beijing specialties or traditional Beijing snacks.
But it's worth noting that many store owners accent is not Beijing local accent, and the accents of people who come to buy things come from other places. The Hutongs that lost the aborigines also lost their original ecology.
Meishi Street, 10 June 2021
Nowadays, many Hutongs have not only lost their original features, but also built many antique-style buildings, leaving nothing of their historical and cultural features. How to effectively protect the features of the ancient capital has become a severe challenge for the future development of Beijing. Years of development experience has proved that speeding up urbanisation in disregard of traditional history and culture will only cause irreparable losses.
On the other hand, as long as the original flavour of Hutong is well preserved and the development of Hutong and urban architecture is properly balanced, the new and the old, technology and history can also collided with different sides.
Xiaopaifang Hutong, 10 June 2021
