China - Hutong

Mengkai Batu - China - 28.12.2010

Life in Hutong

Taken in Dongchunshu Hutong, in July, 1991

Hutong are a type of narrow street or alley commonly associated with northern Chinese cities, especially Beijing.

In Beijing, hutongs are alleys formed by lines of siheyuan, traditional courtyard residences. Many neighbourhoods were formed by joining one siheyuan to another to form a hutong, and then joining one hutong to another. The word hutong is also used to refer to such neighbourhoods.