Over 7,000 hutongs spread all over Beijing city, and hutong is the product of Beijing’s long history which reflects the development of the ancient capital. Most of the hutongs in Beijing are built in due directions, and this straight and vertical hutongs form the square city showing that the construction of this ancient city was carefully designed according to the chessboard model. As the courtyards are facing south and standing in a line to constitute the hutongs, there are more hutongs eastward than southward. This layout plan greatly absorbs the building experience of the former capital cities, and embodies the traditional features of the city constructions.

At first glance, you may find almost all hutongs are grey walls and grey tiles, no difference with each other. But in fact, once you spend times to stroll in some different hutongs and talk with the old residents, you would discover the story that each hutong owns. Legendary experiences and interesting stories are hiding in the hutongs revealing the past of Beijing.

Hutongs to Beijing are not purely the city arteries, but the residential area for common people living for an entire life and the important stage for the historical and cultural development of the capital. Numerous hutongs record the changes of the past and the style of times. With rich cultural flavor, hutongs are like dozens of folk custom museums leaving the imprints of social lives. Wandering in hutongs, you may find the historical places of interest everywhere, which make hutongs be the encyclopedia of Beijing. One brick or one tile in many hutongs is at least hundreds of years old.

Hutongs, coupled with the traditional courtyards in Beijing city, after experiencing hundreds of years wind and rain, become the ironic mark of Beijing cultural and even the civilization of human beings. Without hutongs or courtyards, Beijing culture would disappear or be only kept in the textbooks and museums. Beijing hutongs have witnessed dozens of historical events which happened in Beijing, and many historical people’s footprints are left in hutongs. There is no doubt that hutongs are considered to be the essence of old Beijing culture.

In recent year, Beijing hutong tours become popular for tourists from home and abroad. Beijing hutongs become important tourist attractions in Beijing http://www.chinatouronline.com/china-travel/beijing/beijing-attractions.