Yonghegong Hutong Wanderings

Some of Beijing’s original ancient city streets still exist today. They make up the winding maze of traditional cobbled ally ways and courtyard homes called Hutongs. These ancient streets with their one-story tile roofed domiciles are a window into Beijing’s past and a sharp contrast to the endless glass high-rise buildings and skyscrapers that define Beijing’s modern landscape.

These downtown hutongs are some of my favorite places in Beijing- they have such character and give you a glimpse into people’s daily lives. The hutongs’ small streets and neighborhoods also host some of the city’s smaller quirky boutiques and feature many small trendy bars and cafes.

Despite their long history, many inhabitants and undeniable charm, hutongs have been disappearing in recent years to make room for Beijing’s rampant commercial modernization. The government considers many hutong areas to be better utilized as high-rise property development, and thus countless historic neighborhoods have been destroyed. Therefore the hutongs that survive today feel precious.

These photos show my wanderings through the hutongs of the Yonghegong (Lama Temple) neighborhood. I love getting lost in their twists and turns, stumbling upon daily life happenings of neighborhood residents, and finding little treasures as I amble through the hutongs’ small pedestrian streets. On the afternoon of this particular adventure I enjoyed watching Grandmothers do their washing and grandfathers grip their birdcages as they gazed enraptured at a street side game of Chinese chess.

Produce markets spilled onto the street selling large toads and fragrant persimmons, and construction workers barreled past me with carts of debris as neighborhood children gleefully climbed the mounds of construction materials.

A sharp turn brought me to a progressive and innovative neighborhood lending library. This courtyard home had been converted into a small center for literacy and education, spreading its mission through free book lending to neighborhood residents. The library is an example of the intimate respect and community that still exists in the small residential hutong areas.

Further down the road I saw a ramshackle fairy tale house- the slab roof featured a precariously balanced little shed as well as a bizarre and charming couch and tea table overlooking the street. A gnarled tree half hid this intimate outdoor living room from passersby and a calico cat gazed out the first floor window.

On another especially quiet hutong I stumbled upon a small gourmet cheese shop (cheese is rare in china and a serious luxury). Next door was an empty storefront undergoing construction- yet after closer inspection I realized the space had been turned into a temporary public art space for the construction interim. Four tv screens faced the street shining through the grubby windows and bright illustrations bordered the façade.

A few streets down I explored some very quaint and trendy expat haunts. The Touchwoman café had every British aesthetic detail and delicacy you could desire and Pure Lotus Vegetarian restaurant embodied the epitome of luxury chic with its misted bamboo garden dining. I also glanced into a fearsome vampire bar and wholesome brewery bistro.

As you wander hutongs they can look dusty and basic, but are full of every day life with clotheslines strung on the street and bike carts scooting through picking up trash.  Then you glance into an inner courtyard and see an old man reading a paper, a child scribbling in chalk on the neighborhood walls, and an international beer shop as big as a closet peeking out behind a street side restaurant. Each one of these things make you feel the energy, life and charm that fill these tiny, winding, ancient city streets.