Beijing: Hutong

When many of my friends travel to Beijing, they often ask me: “ Is the Hutong worth visiting?” To be honest, I don’t know know how to answer the question. Indeed, hutong is the soul of ancient Beijing, and it is the best place to touch Beijing city. It should be worthy visiting. When I first met hutong in my 5 days Beijing Xian tour, I feel complicated.

The hutongs around Fayuan Temple are filled with the criss-cross wires.

I first knew Fayuan Temple from the novel Fayuan Temple of Beijing written by the writer Li’ao in Taiwan. The book depicts the stories of the reformers in late Qing Dynasty. Located in south of Xuanwumen Gate, Fayuan Temple was once a gathering place for those reformers. It has been said after the death of the six heroes of the 1898 Reform Movement, Tan Sitong’s (one of the six heroes) etc corpses were placed in Fayuan Temple.

History always passes too quick. Time flows in the depth of Hutong, making the hundred years like an instant. When the prosperity and turbulence are gone with wind, there only left the houses and the trivial images of the ancient city. The images became vague in the darkening sky.

Many hutongs are being rebuilt, and numerous Siheyuan (Siheyuan is the traditional Chinese courtyard house which is noted for its clear hierarchic order. The typical siheyuan composition with four buildings around a courtyard traces back to the Han dynasty (B.C.206~A.D.220) ) are changed and even replaced by tall buildings and large mansions one by one. Facing the evanescent ancient building which symbolize the culture and history of the city, what can we tourists do? However, in the time of urban construction, the original hutong has been submerged in the tide of demolition. Fortunately, I saw a well-preserved city wall in my Xian travel.