Hutongs, a kind of typical ancient city streets or alleys in Beijing, are formed by lines of siheyuan, traditional courtyard residences. They have a very special and important position in the rich history and culture of Beijing. Thanks to Beijing’s long history and status as capital for six dynasties, almost every hutong has its anecdotes, and some are even associated with historic events. In contrast to the court life and elite culture represented by the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and the Temple of Heaven, the hutongs reflect the culture of grassroots Beijingers. It is a "must see" part of Beijing for the tourists for they are a wonderful glimpse into the world of yesterday in Beijing. While visiting the Beijing Hutongs, you can feel the dramatic changes of Beijing and experience its life style and traditional culture.

Nowadays, as a result of the city’s development, the number of Beijing hutongs has dropped dramatically as they are demolished to make way for new roads and buildings. However, many of Beijing’s ancient hutongs still stand, and a number of them have been designated as the protected areas, such as the hutongs around the Bell Tower and Drum Tower and Shichahai Lake. They offer us a full view of the capital’s life. The hutongs are residential neighborhoods which still form the heart of Old Beijing.

Hutong’s History
According to the records, the term "hutong" appeared first during the Yuan Dynasty; and its original meaning in Mongolian language is “water well”. In the old time with the digging of new wells, came the new communities. Later it was referred to as narrow streets or lanes formed by quadrangles. The word " hutong" with the meaning of narrow lanes was formed during the Yuan Dynasty in the 13th century when the Mongols, led by Genghis Khan, occupied Beijing, then the capital of the Jin Dynasty.

Surrounding the Imperial Palace, hutongs were established throughout the Yuan (1206-1341), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties. In the Ming Dynasty, the hutongs were formed were orderly, lined by spacious homes and walled gardens. After the collapse of the Qing dynasty, the traditional arrangement of hutongs was also affected. Many new hutongs appeared on the outskirts of the old city disorderly. There were over 900 hutongs in Qing Dynasty. The records increased to 1,330 by 1949. Most of the hutongs we see today were built during the Ming and Qinq.

Hutong’s Name
In Beijing, each hutong has its own name. Some have had only one name since their establishments, while others have had a few names throughout their history. They are named after the name of food, temples, places, plants, light industry and people’s name, etc. For example:
Food names, such as Miancha Hutong ( noodle and tea )
Temples, Baoguosi Hutong ( Baoguo Temple )
Daily necessities, Caomao Hutong ( straw hat )
Place names, as Inner Xizhimen Hutong
Plants, such as Liushu Hutong (Liushu means willow)
Light industry, as Damuchang Hutong ( big wood factory )
People's names, as Songguniang Hutong ( Ms Liu )
Government organs, as Jingcha Hutong ( Police Bureau )