Beijing: Exploring the Hutongs

When we returned to Beijing after our trip to the wall, Trezi took us on a pedicab tour through some of the historic hutongs. The hutongs are the traditional residential streets of Old Beijing and consist of narrow passageways lined with homes and shops off the main thoroughfares in the city. Although many of the hutong and their surrounding homes have been demolished to make way for modern buildings and skyscrapers, there are many well-preserved examples that are designated as protected areas.

Matt and I huddled under a thick blanket as our pedicab (bike with attached carriage) was peddled down the path into a world that seemed far removed from metropolitan Beijing. The hutong was bustling with activity – Chinese on bikes and foot, children playing, men sitting on a corner playing Chinese checkers. Paper lanterns and laundry were hung across the fronts of stores and homes and the smells of meat, spices and coal smoke permeated the crisp air. When we came around a corner, our driver had a brief confrontation with the owners of a cart that was blocking the road. Our driver prevailed (but not without strong words from an older woman in an apron and kerchief).

Near the end of the tour, we visited the home of a Chinese family that owned one of the traditional residences along the hutong. In these houses, called siheyuan, the rooms surround and open out onto a courtyard area that often features a large tree or Chinese garden. The woman we visited took us through her home, which her family has owned for many generations, and served us tea and roasted pumpkin seeds. We had a brief conversation with her that was translated by Trezi and our local guide and learned that she had owned a teahouse and her mother had been a kung-fu performer.

Bundled up and ready to ride. The pedicab was actually a much smoother ride than I thought it would be.

Trezi (left) and the lady who owned the siheyuan we visited. I can't remember her name, but she was very sweet and you could tell she was proud of the history of her home. 

Doorway of a home along the hutong. In Old Beijing, the status of the family was marked by the even number of pegs above the doorway. Four pegs meant a relatively wealthy family. The emperor's residence had the maximum number of twelve pegs.