Beijing Hutong

Beijing Hutong Introduction

Hutong is a kind of typical ancient city alley in Beijing. Many of them were built during the Yuan (1206-1341), Ming (1368-1628) and Qing (1644-1908) dynasties surrounding the Forbidden City. During these dynasties, the emperors planned the city and arranged the residential areas according to the etiquette systems of the Zhou Dynasty to establish supreme power.

History of Hutong
Before Jin dynasty (in the 12 century), there were no Hutongs in Beijing, just streets, roads and district. In the early 13 century, a Mongolian tribe from the north became very strong. Led by Genghis Khan, the Mongolians occupied Beijing. In 1260, Kubla Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan established Yuan Dynasty. Kubla Khan set Beijing as the capital city. Unfortunately, the old city was destroyed during the war. So they had to rebuild it. In old China, all the structures and roads were required to be symmetrical. First, they had to find a center, and then built a regular square city. After construction was completed, they asked all the residents who lived in the old city to move to the new one. Thus the Hutong was formed.

Photo of Beijing Hutong