One kind of hutongs, usually referred to as the regular hutong, was near the palace to the east and west and arranged in orderly fashion along the streets. Most of the residents of these hutongs were imperial kinsmen and aristocrats. Another kind, the simple and crude hutong, was mostly located far to the north and south of the palace. The residents were merchants and other ordinary people.
The hutong are being leveled so rapidly the term "fast-disappearing" is now a permanent part of their description. With the 2008 Olympics looming, destruction carries the imprimatur of both modernization and house cleaning before the guests arrive. Never mind that visitors prefer quiet lanes to endless blocks of identical flats. China Daily carries regular sanctimonious articles about the importance of "preserving" hutong that are long on statistics but usually silent on which areas will be spared. But even if it cares, the central government has little control over events. Property developers and local governments are a law unto themselves; the Dog Cheng government has a well-deserved reputation for ordering brutal evictions and arranging unfavorable resettlement schemes.
Intriguing swathes of hutong still stand south of Heping Men and Qian Men, as well as northwest of Xisi, surrounding Bai Ta Si. Here you may hear strange humming sounds, produced by pigeons wheeling overhead with small whistles attached to their feathers. For now, the destitution of these areas makes them unattractive to property developers, but their long-term survival is improbable. See them now. The hutong most likely to survive because of their popularity with tourists are in the Back Lakes (Shicha Hai) area and in nearby Di’an Men.
Name:Beijing Hutong
City:Beijing
Address:Shichahai, Dongcheng District
Admission:CNY60
Hours: 08:00 am-05:00 pm
Tel: 0086-10-6615909
CNY 60:For touring Hutong by pedicab for 40 minutes