See Beijing’s Hutongs Before They’re Gone
Author: admin
Beijing used to be a city of narrow lanes. These alleys, called hutong in Mandarin, are rapidly vanishing to make way for more modern buildings. The hutongs come with their own rhythms and colors, and, for many visitors, are the most interesting part of a trip to Beijing. Will any of this be spared? Beijing expat and author Mike Meyer says that change is inevitable, but, perhaps, not always bad. In at least one case, an especially old hutong will be renovated but largely unchanged. There are even rumors of an old-time street car running down the middle of the street.
For the time being, Beijing's hutongs are still a major part of the city's flavor. There are a plethora of guided tours through China's oldest neighborhoods. Rickshaw tours and bicycle tours are two of the more popular, although it is also possible to go it alone as long as you have a route planned on a map. It is easy to suddenly lose you sense of direction as the lanes curve and turn. And this being mainly a residential area of the city, you're unlikely to find many non-Chinese speakers. Still, a few words of Mandarin, a quality phrasebook, and a smile will help you find some great street food as well as a feel for the unique way of life along the hutongs.
March 2nd, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Hi. I believe the area which may regain its street car is QianMen, south of TianAnMen Square. I have seen some renovated hutongs near the Lama Temple that are really nice. Apparently some 200 of the remaining hutongs now have protected status, so that’s good news !
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:37 am
I agree with you. It is better to visit hutongs in Beijing before they are gone. These alleys represent the traditional old-time street in Beijing and really worth a walk, so that you could imagine the Beijing in old time. Besides, the local food in Beijing are delicious like the Beijing or Peking roast duck and instant-boiled-mutton. Imagine that the roast duck are being sliced into thin crisp pieces and put it in your mouth. The skin is crispy yet the meat is tender, is quite hard to describe that kind of feel when you eat it. Their instant-boiled-mutton is also delicious as the mutton is very tender and it’s being sliced into thin pieces too, and being instantly-boiled in hot soup, yummy. Apart from that, I have bought a a4trip guidebook and I really relied mostly on it. I found the guidebook really helpful as it’s brief but clear enough to let me plan for my trip. I bought the guidebook from a4trip dot com. Hope that it will helps.