Siheyuans + Hutongs Beijing

Earth Angel

Walking along hutongs is one of the great cultural experiences of Beijing. They are narrow lanes or alleys winding between grouped single storey courtyard houses called siheyuans that allow tantalising glimpses into the residential quarters of locals. The paraphernalia of daily living lines hutongs: laundry, lanterns, flowerpots, chairs, bicycles and the ubiquitous mopeds. A blurring of public, private and shared space adds to their unique charm. Some hutongs include cafés, shops and public conveniences abutting the houses.

The history of hutongs dates from the Yuan dynasty (1271 to 1368) and they remained popular throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368 to 1911). In 1949 records suggest there were around 3,250 hutongs in Beijing, many of them concentrated around the Forbidden City in the Dongcheng and Xicheng Districts. In 2003 only circa 1,500 and that has reduced to about 1,000 such is the demand for development land for multistorey apartment and office blocks. Finally, the Chinese Government has realised their architectural, cultural and tourism significance and hutongs are now protected.

There never were hutongs beyond the Second Ring Road, a highway which traces the line of the city walls demolished by Chairman Mao Zadong in the 1950s. Beijing was a low rise walled city for centuries, the single storey network of siheyuans along hutongs. The flat skyline was only interrupted by landmark barbicans, pagodas and temples.

The courtyard layout of siheyuans, many with cloistered loggias, provides shelter from sweltering summers and icy winter. Grey walls and grey tiled roofs give these inward looking houses an enigmatic appearance. The charcoal colour of the walls comes from the firing technique of spraying water on bricks in a closed kiln. The angularity of the ground floor massing contrasts with the distinctive sloping roofs. Flying corner eaves are not just visually attractive: they are effective for drainage as well.

Plain grey walls are relieved by colourful ornate entrances to grander siheyuans. Chinese architecture is as much about symbolism as beauty and functionality, and entrances are no exception. Shi shi (a pair of stone lions) often guard front doors. The male lion on the right will have his right paw resting on a ball which is for protection and wisdom. The female lion on the left will have her left paw resting on a cub which is for guardianship and compassion. A screen wall just inside the entrance is to block the direct flow of negative energy and provide privacy.

Air conditioners clinging to elevations, some in decorative metal boxes, are the most visible concession to modern comfort. These days siheyuans on hutongs are hot property with a cool cache. On a cold winter’s morning, a group of men are sitting on the pavement outside a siheyuan seemingly oblivious to the minus degrees temperature.

On 27 May 2002, President Xi Jinping addressed the 39th group session of the 19th Chinese Communist Party Central Committee: “China’s long, extensive and profound civilisation is one of the distinctive qualities of the Chinese nation. It underpins contemporary culture and creates a spiritual bond among all people of Chinese descent across the globe. It provides valuable resources and inspiration for China’s cultural innovation.” Beijing’s hutongs vividly illustrate that distinctiveness while their continued use and, in places reinvention, is a marker of cultural innovation.