Dear Clio,
This is just a mail to say thank you for your help. We were very pleased with your service as well as our fantastic guide, Grace, in Xian.
We had a great time, saw a lot of things and enjoyed the friendliness of all people we met.
We will certainly recommend other friends to contact you for assistance.
Thanks again!
Louise
How many hutongs(narrow alleys) are there in Beijing? Old Beijing local residents have a saying: "There are 360 large hutongs and as many small hutongs as there are hairs on an ox." According to linguistic experts, "hutong" originally meant "well" in the Mongolian, Uygur and Manchu languages. Due most likely to the absorption of these peoples into the Chinese nation, the word became incorporated into the Han vocabulary. Currently only 1/3 of Hutong (alleys) in Beijing are well preserved, which raises a great challenge to the protection of the old Beijing.
1. Hutong's Origin:
Hutong appeared in Beijing during Yuan dynasty, and further formed the transportation network of the Beijing city during Ming and Qing dynasty. According check some sources, they indicated that the first appearance of this word "Hu Tong" were in Yuan Dynasty's Opera Play. There was no hutong before, but just roads and city districts. At the beginning of the 13th century, a Mongolian tribe from the west led by Genghis khan occupied Beijng, and after several years warfare, Beijing city had been destroyed and Genghis khan’s grandson in 1260 decided to rebuild it. It is well known that the feudal emperors obey the principle of symmetrical structures in architecture all along. So they had to fix a central axis and lay all the buildings and houses in a well balance strictly. And the construction process had formed the hutong spontaneously.
2. Hutong's names:
Like streets, hutongs have their names. Some have only one name since their establishment and the others have had a few names throughout their history. A lot of hutongs’ names are linked to the names of food. Some are connected to the names of the places, the temples, daily necessities, trades, light industry, plants, people's names and even government's organs. For example:
Food names: Miancha Hutong ( noodle and tea )
Temples: Baoguosi Hutong( Baoguo Temple )
Daily necessities: Caomao Hutong ( straw hat )
Place names: Inner Xizhimen Hutong
Plants: Liushu Hutong (Liushu means willow)
Light industry: Damuchang Hutong ( big wood factory )
People's names: Songguniang Hutong ( Ms Song )
Government organs: Jingcha Hutong ( Police Bureau )
3. Hutong Development and Today:
When the new city of Yuan Dynasty was established, it is recorded that there were about 390 roads formed by the rows of quadrangles. Some of were called street and lane, and some of them also called "hutong". There were over 900 hutongs were listed in Qing Dynasty and the records increased to 1,330 until 1949. 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. But many of the old hutongs have been turned down and replaced by the high buildings and wide roads of today’s Beijing. Many citizens have to leave the narrow lanes where their families have lived there for generations, and residing in apartment buildings with modern facilities. Many Hutongs have been listed as protected areas. So these ancient neighborhoods today provide a glimpse of the real life in the capital city as it has been for generations. There are mainly two hutong areas in Beijing well preserved - Shichahai area in Dongcheng District and Qianmen area in Xuanwu District. The hutongs in the area of the Bell Tower and Shichahai Lake are especially well preserved which attract many tourists who visit the hutongs by pedicabs.
4.Siheyuan ( courtyard houses ):
Beijing's traditional courtyards houses(siheyuan) still house many of the city's residents within the second ring road, which marks the limits of old Beijing. The siheyuan is a typical form of ancient Chinese architecture, especially in the north of China, most common in Beijing. Their design also reflects the traditions of China, following the rules of feng shui and the patriarchal.
The name literally means a courtyard house, the house enclosed by four walls, called a quadrangle. In Chinese history, the Siheyuan building was the basic system of the building for housing, palaces, temples, and government offices. According the size, there are three kinds of Siheyuan - small, medium and big. For small and simple courtyard house, the main gate is open to the south, the main rooms in the north for grandparents are facing south, the corner rooms for grandchildren, the west rooms and east rooms for sons and daughters, the rooms by the main gate facing north are used as the living room or studio.
For medium and big courtyard houses, there are not only one yard, two, three or even more courtyards with lots of rooms for some high ranking officials and rich merchants. The layout of a typical courtyard is actually a vivid showcase of traditional Chinese morality. Normally, there is a screen-wall inside the gate so that outsiders cannot see directly into the courtyard and to protect the house from evil spirits.
Why such a layout? Well, the four buildings in a single courtyard get different amount of sunlight. The northern room receives the most, so using as the living room and bedroom for the eldest, usually the courtyard’s owner. The eastern and western rooms get sunlight less than the north room, used as the rooms for the young and the guests. The southern room, just face the owner's room, get the least sunlight, usually served as the rooms for service staff or studios. The northern, eastern and western rooms are linked by pretty decorated passages. The passage is used to be a shelter from the sunshine during the daytime offer a cool shade and have a good view of the courtyard at night. Behind the northern room, there would be often an independent building for unmarried daughters. In old China, unmarried girls were not allowed directly to be seen in the public, so living in the most secret building of the courtyard house. What's more, a Siheyuan has a scientific and human-oriented feature. The wall in the north-western building is normally higher than the other walls to stop the inner building from the cold winds, blowing from the north-west side in the winter. The curved eaves helps the the accumulated rainwater flow along the curved rather than dropping direcctly down. The ridge-type rooftop gives much shade to have the rooms escape from the heat in the summer.
Attractions: Drum Tower, Tea break at an ordinary family courtyard home, Da Jinsi Hutong Tao hutongs by pedicab, Prince Gong's Mansion
private tour guide & driver + private car / van + entrance tickets, from US$45 p/p
Attractions: Drum Tower, Da Jinsi hutongs by pedicab, Prince Gong's Mansion, Lunch with an ordinary family courtyard home, Lama Temple and more.
private tour guide & driver + private car / van + entrance tickets & lunch, from US$55 p/p
Attractions: Chengxian Street, Rongbu Tang, Drum Tower, YandaiXiejie, Silver Ingot Bridge, Hutongs by pedicab, Shichahai Bar Street, Lunch with an ordinary family courtyard home, former residence of Soong Ching Ling, boating on the Shichahai Lake, former residence of Mei Lanfang and more.
Attractions: Shichahai bar street, boating on the lake, hutongs by pedicab, Zongren Bai, Lunch with an ordinary family courtyard, experience with Beijing Opera make-up and performance learning, visiting a local nursery, Drum tower and more.
Attractions: Drum Tower, hutongs by pedicab, Prince Gong's Mansion, Lunch with an ordinary family courtyard home, Lama Temple, former residence of Guo moruo, former residence of Mei Lanfang, former residence of Soon Ching Ling, one night stay at Mr. kang's courtyard house and more...
Top 10 attractions on Pre-arranged Beijing Hutong Tours 1. Rongbu Tang - a century old boutique with a famous craftsman
Stroll along the shady Chengxian Street, starting about 700 years ago with the structures built in line with ancient Chinese style, used to be one of the Chinainese most important humanist centers. On this street, you will visit "Rongbu Tang" that a century old boutique store. The signboard of Rongbu Tang is given to a famous craftman - Tang Qiliang, a well-known elder craftsman in making toys with downy materials including wool and cotton (rongbu) that listed as the intangible cultural heritage in China. Tang began his apprenticeship at age 8. Years later, he had mastered all the 20-plus procedures and even the sales skills of making toys with rongbu. When he turned 19, he formally inherited the title of Rongbu Tang.
2. Drum Tower- a bird eye view of the Hutongs and Siheyuan
Ascending the top of the Drum Tower, you can have a bird's eye view of the surrounding Hutongs and Siheyuan. The most intriguing part of the hutong travel is wandering through "Pipe Tobacco Alley" close to the Bell Tower. In the "Pipe Tobacco Alley", you will feel you are back to the years of old Beijing.
3. Tobacco Pipe Lean Street- a 800-year-old Hutong
Walk along the Tobacco Pipe Lean Street (Yandaixiejie), a 800-year-old traditional hutong at shichahai of Beijing, located directly north of Yinding Bridge between Qianhai and Houhai, and situated south of the Drum Tower, used to be well-known for sellers of long-stemmed pipes, hence the name. Standing on the Silver Ingot Bridge ( Yinding Bridge) , a narrow channel joining Qianhai Lake and Houhai Lake, the hub of Shichhai area with surrounding quiet hutongs.
4. Prince Gong’s Mansion- the most intact mansion preserved in Beijing
Visiting the Prince Gong' Mansion. Prince Gong’s Mansion, also named Gongwang Mansion, is the Qing Dynasty’s mansion with the largest scope, and also till now the most well-kept one. Originally it was the mansion of He Shen. In the middle of its rockery there is a stele with “Happiness” on it that was written by Emperor Kangxi for congratulating on his mother’s birthday. This is one of the “three best things” in Gongwang Mansion. This stele is 7.9 meters and goes through the whole rockery. In Qing Dynasty emperor’s approval. Gongwang Mansion was one of the few mansions having this honor.
5. Da Jinsi Hutong- a typical hutong in Shichahai
Experiencing some typical classical hutongs in the Shichahai area, like Da Jinsi Hutong, the most famous hutongs with keeping the original layout of Hutong area. Then we will visit a local nursery, experiencing Chinese kindergarten in the old Hutongs.
6. Cruise on the Shichahai Lake- surroun ding by the former princes’ houses
Taking a boating trip on the Shichahai Lake in the center of old Beijing. Shichahai Lake is consist of three lakes - Qianhai Lake, Houhai Lake and Xihai Lake. All the three lakes are connected together and lined with a lot of bars and restaurants. A boat house with boats you can rent to paddle along the lakes.
7. Zongren Bai- the only craftsman with “Zongren” skill in China
Visit Mr.Dacheng Bai, a local folk craftsman, famous for making "Zongren", a traditional handicraft, a kind the figurines of drama characters made by the hair of a pig or a horse, cloth and silk, listed a city-level intangible cultural heritage in Beijing. He could make the figurines living by knocking the plate which take the figurines.
8. Learn Beijing Opera- an uncommon experience
Immersing with the Mr.Kang's courtyard in Ya Er Hutong, having lunch there and experiencing the real local life in Beijing. In addition, you can have an experience with Beijing Opera make up and performance learning yourself!
9. Former residence of Mei Lanfang- a famous Beijing Opera Super Star
Visiting the former residence of Mr.Mei Lanfang (1894 - 1961), the best known Beijing Opera master, used to be the greatest artist in the world. He found one of the three greatest acting methods created by Shakespeare Stanislavski and Meilanfang.
10. Former residence of soong Ching Ling
Visiting the former residence of Soong Ching Ling ( 1890-1981 ), once the garden of one of the Qing Dynasty prince’s mansions. Soong Ching Ling was late Honorary Chairman of the People's Republic of China, be known as "the Mother of China". The residence was once a garden of one of the Qing Dynasty princes"mansions. The area along the banks of Rear Lake is quiet and beautiful, with shady willow trees lining the streets. Water from Rear Lake has been diverted through an underground channel into a stream that winds its way through the garden.
