At first I thought
“Hutong” was a village or a suburb of Beijing, but gradually
it dawned on me that it was a term for the old alleys and lanes that
still survive from old China. In a bookshop near my hotel in Beijing
I found a book entitled Huton99 by
the Beijing Publishing House.
I loved the photography and told my friend Meixin that I wanted to go
to this place and take photographs. She said it was in Beijing and that
she would take me there.
In 1276 bc, in the Yuan dynasty, the capital city (Dadu – now Beijing)
was built. Residences were set up for high-ranking officials (usually
a compound or siheyuan of single-storey houses around a courtyard).
Each courtyard house accommodated a single family. Small alleys that
ran between courtyard homes for ventilation and daylight were the earliest
hutongs. The word "hutong" originates from the word "hottog"
which means "well" in Mongolian. Originally there were 29
hutongs . Most of the hutongs remaining today were built in the Ming
and Qing dynasties.
During the period of the Republic of China (1911-1948) the city of Beijing
deteriorated, as did the conditions of hutongs . Quadrangles previously
owned by one family became a compound occupied by many households. Beijing
then had 3000 hutong. After 1949 remaining hutong were rejuvenated.
The film “Beijing Bicycle” offers a good post-Mao insight
into the contemporary hutong lifestyle. However, in the 21st century
hutongs are gradually being replaced by huge apartment blocks.
The hutong I visited and photographed with Meixin were close to Beihai
Park – beloved by tourists and Beijing residents alike. The people
we met there were clearly used to visitors and were happy to let us
wander past their homes, gardens and washing lines. No request to photograph
was refused.
Today 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. Beijing is an ancient yet modern city.
I had asked Meixin to dress as a Western concept of a traditional Chinese
woman - a comparatively timeless image in an ancient context. But it
didn’t work as I expected: she was too much full of life, vitality
and beauty to be anything other than a modern young woman independent
of her surroundings.
We ended a very pleasant day with a special treat: Meixin took me to
a restaurant which specialised in jiaozi (dumplings)
of which I am especially fond.
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