Saturday, November 17, 2012

The Hutongs of Beijing: A Stroll Through the Past

Beijing Forbidden City
Beijing is a fascinating city with so many exciting things to do and see, such as the Forbidden City and Great Wall. The Chinese capital is also a city that is rapidly Westernizing. It is still possible, however, to find glimpses of the old Beijing that fulfills most people's preconceived notions of China.

Just head over to the hutongs around the Drum Tower in the Gulou area. Hutongs, or narrow alleyways around traditional gray brick homes, are giving way to high rise apartment buildings and wide streets throughout the city. The Gulou area, however, is one the municipal government is trying to leave intact for tourists to experience.

Spend a morning, or better yet, a day, just wandering through the hutongs, which are bounded by Second Ring Road on the north and Guloudongdajie (East Gulou Street) on the south. Don’t worry about getting lost as you walk through the narrow lanes. If you walk far enough in any direction, you’ll soon come across a major street with buses and taxis to take you to your next destination.

Almost every home in the hutongs is marked with a wooden door painted red; some have Chinese New Year’s posters glued to them. Several families may live in apartments behind one red door. If the door is open, feel free to look inside to see bicycles and plants lining the walkways, but don’t step over the stoop without an invitation. That’s considered an invasion of privacy.

As you wander through the hutongs, you’ll come across small shops selling necessities of daily life and restaurants with only a few tables. These probably won’t have any menus in English; non-Chinese speakers can order by pointing to dishes other diners are having. The dishes served at these small eateries will be prepared traditional style and not sanitized for Western palates as meals in major hotel restaurants are.

Snack food junkies will want to hit the hutongs early in the morning, preferably no later than 7 a.m. That’s because some foods, such as youtiao, are served only in the morning. Youtiao is made by doubling a narrow length of bread dough, braiding it into a stick and then deep-frying it in a huge cast iron wok. Greasy, but absolutely delicious fresh out of the wok.

Mornings are also a good time to eat congee (bean porridge) and steamed bread. Add a few jiaozi (dumplings/pot stickers) and you have a typical Chinese breakfast.

Morning is a good time to visit the hutongs, especially in the summer. Most hutong homes don’t have toilets, with residents using a communal toilet down the street. These can get pretty smelly in the summer. Since these are public toilets, tourists with a need can use them, but they’ll need to have their own toilet paper.

The Drum Tower is the main tourist attraction in the area; the Bell Tower is behind it. Walk straight west from there, through some renovated hutongs, to the Soong Ching Ling House, located along Houhai Lake. Visitors who have fought the crowds at the Forbidden City will appreciate the feeling of peace and serenity her compound provides. Soong Ching Ling was the widow of Sun Yat-Sen and is known as the “mother of China.”

End your day in the hutongs by strolling south along the lakes, stopping at sidewalk cafes and coffee bars for refreshments, as you prepare to re-enter a modern Beijing.


Kevin Caldwell wrote this article on behalf of BricktownOKCHotels.com who help travelers find hotels based on their location from Bricktown.

16 comments:

Chubskulit Rose said...

I have never been to any part of China but would love to if given an opportunity!

Jadey said...

Beijing is indeed an interesting place...I hope to visit it someday.

Hyanne said...

Been to Beijing twice and visited few old houses or hutongs around the city as well as the drum and bell tower it was a good experience but not the smog around the city that ruins your picture quality. When you are going to visit public places like Forbidden City, Summer Palace and others prepared to be lost because there are thousands of travelers looking and wandering around. :)

My Picnic Basket said...

I like to visit China, specially the Great Wall I only see it in telly, maybe one day we can visit it.

This is a great post, and very helpful to people who plan to go to China..

Anonymous said...

This is my Dad's hometown which I never been into. I wish someday, i could able to visit the place and bring my dad with me.

thanks for sharing some information about Beijing too. It's good to know more about it!

Gven-Rose said...

last night, the boyfriend share a website that offer 4D and 3 N accommodation and flights for a very affordable price...a good chance to travel outside of the country....

tess said...

Never been to China and hoping to visit there and see the Great Wall.

Bless said...

I heard so much of Beijing especially the Great Wall. I want to visit there one day.

jheylo said...

oh wow! it must be a nice place to visit in the future. Looks like there's so much history in this place.

Unknown said...

China is a very interesting place to visit because of its rich history and culture. Love to visit it someday.

Mary Anne Vinzon said...

I have never been to China but given a chance I would love to visit the place.

che said...

looks like a very interesting place to visit. Except for the toilet part, this can be a unique place to travel to.

ChadaCDO said...

China is one of those places I want to visit if God permits. Well at least you are giving us a glimpse of Beijing :). The only problem I see in visiting the hutongs is the comfort room :D

Unknown said...

one of the place I want to visit

peachkins said...

Beijing is in my bucket list of places I want to visit!

D said...

I haven't been to any place outside the country. China has rich culture like our country, Philippines. :)

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