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The Beijing Hutong
A hutong is an ancient city alley
or lane typical in Beijing, where hutongs run into the several
thousand. Surrounding the Forbidden City, many were built
during the Yuan (1206-1341), Ming(1368-1628) and Qing(1644-1908)
dynasties. In the prime of these dynasties the emperors,
in order to establish supreme power for themselves, planned
the city and arranged the residential areas according to
the etiquette systems of the Zhou Dynasty. The center of
the city of Beijing was the royal palace -- the Forbidden
City.
One kind of hutongs, usually referred
to as the regular hutong, was near the palace to the east
and west and arranged in orderly fashion along the streets.
Most of the residents of these hutongs were imperial kinsmen
and aristocrats. Another kind, the simple and crude hutong,
was mostly located far to the north and south of the palace.
The residents were merchants and other ordinary people.
The main buildings in the hutong were almost
all quadrangles--a building complex formed by four houses
around a quadrangular courtyard . The quadrangles varied
in size and design according to the social status of the
residents. The big quadrangles of high- ranking officials
and wealthy merchants were specially built with roof beams
and pillars all beautifully carved and painted, each with
a front yard and back yard. However, the ordinary people's
quadrangles were simply built with small gates and low houses.
hutongs, in fact, are passageways formed by many closely
arranged quadrangles of different sizes. The specially built
quadrangles all face the south for better lighting; as a
result, a lot of hutongs run from east to west. Between
the big hutongs many small ones went north and south for
convenient passage.
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At the end of the Qing Dynasty unified and
closed China came under influence from abroad, having experienced
change of dynasties and the vicissitudes of life. The stereotyped
arrangement of the hutong was also affected. Many newly
formed hutongs with irregular houses appeared outside the
city, while many old ones lost their former neat arrangement.
The social status of the residents also changed, reflecting
the collapse of the feudal system. During the period of
the Republic of China (1911-1948), Chinese society was unstable,
with frequent civil wars and repeated foreign invasions.
The city of Beijing deteriorated, and the conditions of
the hutong worsened. Quadrangles previously owned by one
family became a compound occupied by many households.
After the founding of the people's Republic
of China in 1949, hutong conditions improved. In recent
years, the houses in many hutongs have been pulled down
and replaced by modern buildings. Many hutong dwellers have
moved to new housing.
The hutong today is fading into the shade
for both tourists and inhabitants.
However, in the urban district of
Beijing houses along hutongs still occupy one third of the
total area, providing housing for half the population, so
many hutongs have survived. In this respect, we see the
old in the new in Beijing as an ancient yet modern city.
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