Beijing Weather

Check Beijing Weather Forecast

Hutong History

The history of hutongs can be traced back to Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368). The term "hutong", originally meaning "water wells", appeared first during the Yuan Dynasty, and it is believed to be a term of Mongol language origin.

In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the center was the Forbidden City, surrounded in concentric circles by the Inner City and Outer City. Citizens of higher social status were permitted to live closer to the center of the circles. Aristocrats lived to the east and west of the imperial palace. The large siheyuan of these high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants often featured beautifully carved and painted roof beams and pillars and carefully landscaped gardens. The hutongs they formed were orderly, lined by spacious homes and walled gardens. Farther from the palace, and to its north and south, were the commoners, merchants, artisans, and laborers. Their siheyuan were far smaller in scale and simpler in design and decoration, and the hutongs were narrower

Hutong has seen the development of Chinese history.

Up to the year of 1949, Beijing had 6074 streets and alleys with names; 1330 of them were hutongs; 274 were streets and 111 were alleys. Customarily, those streets and alleys are all classified as hutongs by people.

In Beijing, you will see the hutongs intervene vertically and horizontally which form the unique and traditional sightseeing of Beijing. Hutongs are the home of the Beijing locals, and that's why the Beijingers have deep emotion to hutongs.

Top Beijing Attractions

Recommended China Tours with Beijing