THE ANCIENT HUTONG

Sadly Disappearing

Hutong is a Mongolian word meaning little street. Hutongs, old residential neighborhoods, contain acres of low, flat-roofed buildings that are crisscrossed by narrow lanes. They are also known as courtyard house. As a family grew a room would be added reducing the courtyard area. Houses face east to west to catch the breezes. These ancient neighborhoods are endangered as they are being torn down and replaced with high rise apartments. However, twenty hutongs have been designated as historical sites and will be preserved. I’m glad I was able to visit Beijing, China before the 700-year old neighborhoods are gone.

The streets are laid out in a symmetrical pattern from the center of the neighborhood. The doors are square compared to the drum doors in the Forbidden City. High thresholds keep out dragons and the higher the threshold the higher the rank of the person living in the house.

The wonderful aromas of food cooking  stimulated our gastric juices just as we entered the home of one of the residents. The pretty courtyard was a surprise and impressive. The residence we visited was 100 years old, had nine rooms, a western toilet and had been in the family for four generations. After a dumpling-making demonstration we had a chance to try our hand at that craft. We enjoyed a great meal while talking with our hosts.

After lunch we walked a short distance to visit a 90-year-old woman who had her feet bound at age five. The 1000-year-old custom of foot binding was outlawed in 1911, but was practiced in rural areas for some time afterward. Foot binding first started with concubines in the imperial court and spread to the city, then to rural areas. Tiny feet showed high class, and the thinking was that wealthy women would have servants to address their needs. Bound feet limited a woman’s mobility, therefore, keeping her under male control. Unable to walk long distances a woman was unlikely to get into trouble. The procedure of curling the toes under so they eventually grew into the foot was painful. The lady was charming and with some translating it was fun to talk to her.

The narrow streets cannot accommodate anything larger than bicycle trishaws which are run exclusively by hutong residents. The drivers rotate like taxi cabs do at airports.