Beijing

Hutong

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5 years ago qingquang

Hutong is a type of narrow street or alley，most commonly seen in Beijing，China.In Beijing，hutongs are alleys formed by lines of Siheyuan，traditional courtyard residences.Since the mid-20th century，the number of Beijing hutongs has dropped sharply as they are demolished to make way for new roads and buildings.

However，at the present some hutongs have been designated as protected areas as an attempt by the government to preserve this aspect of Chinese cultural history.In the view of Beijingers，hutongs symbolize a period of history as well as a cordial lifestyle even an“encyclopedia of Beijing”.Beijing still preserves 400，000 residential quadrangles at the moment，which mainly distributed over the Dongcheng and Xicheng Districts.The term”hutong”appeared first during the Yuan Dynasty，and it is a term of Mongolian origin which means“town”.