Beijing Hutong Makeover
Imoved to Beijing in 2014, during my second visit to the city. I had traveled there in 2012 and promised myself never to return. It was winter, the city was gray and gloomy, and the language barrier complicated everything. But some promises are made to be broken, and when I got an opportunity to work in Beijing for six months, I decided to give the city a second chance and embrace the opportunity. The second attempt was much better than the first, and I fell in love with China, and Beijing specifically.
After six months of sharing an apartment, I landed another job and decided to look for my own place. After visiting numerous apartments, I finally chose a nice hutong (alley or lane) apartment near the Drum Tower, a landmark of old Beijing. I didn’t know much about hutongs at the time, but as a culture enthusiast, the best way to discover Beijing seemed to live in a narrow alley that remains at the heart of the capital city. My apartment was newly renovated and comfortable with a private bathroom and a kitchen, but it was quite cold in winter. My landlord lived right next to me. I rented from an adorable Beijing couple—the husband was an actual descendant of Confucius.
I took some time to redecorate my new home sweet home and then spent a week planning a housewarming party for all my friends to celebrate my new Beijing life with me. Only after some Chinese friends arrived did I realize how surprised they were that I chose to live in a hutong.
Many Chinese have some odd ideas about what life is like in a hutong. For some, it is synonymous with discomfort. To understand why, it is important to look at history. Beijing’s hutong areas have a history of more than 700 years. They were built during the Yuan Dynasty (12711368), a Mongol empire founded by Kubilai Khan following the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The word “hutong” comes from a Mongol word that means “water well.” Because water is essential to support life, the first hutongs were built around wells before gradually expanding. The main type of hutong housing at that time was the siheyuan, a square courtyard comprised of several one-floor, single-family abodes. Gradually siheyuan abodes were linked to each other until they shaped the entire city.
Over the centuries, the city’s urban planning evolved, and hutong architecture changed. During the first half of the 20th century, many siheyuan residences that once housed a single family were divided in several smaller houses. The living conditions worsened as the capacity of hutong homes was pushed.
Beijing, near the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, hutong neighborhoods are near everything. All my daily needs are just a few steps from my front door: supermarkets, convenience stores, and restaurants, just to name a few. I also particularly enjoy the smalltown atmosphere of single-story hutong buildings.
In recent years, hutongs have evolved dramatically. After many were demolished to make room for modern buildings, a protection plan was established in 2016. Destroying hutongs was banned, and some refurbishment plans were introduced to preserve them. Some hutongs have become major tourist draws rivaling the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. Some famous hutongs such as Nanluoguxiang and Wudaoying are now filled with cafés, shops, and small siheyuan-style hotels. Some hutongs around the Drum Tower are bustling at night thanks to numerous restaurants and bars. The Bada Hutong area that was once the red-light district and home to Peking Opera practitioners before the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 was a great discovery for me. It is now a charming neighborhood where young people enjoy going out on weekends. As a result of the makeover and central location, the price per square meter in old alleys is skyrocketing, reaching often twice or more that of apartment buildings.
Gradually, Beijing’s hutongs are transforming from old-fashioned to trendy places. More and more young Chinese artists and designers are setting up studios or starting businesses in hutong neighborhoods. This is injecting fresh vitality into the hutongs and helping preserve them after they almost vanished in recent decades—preserving the identity of Beijing.