Many hutongs in Beijing retain their original appearance, which is ancient and elegant. They record a piece of history and culture of Beijing, and also have a strong old Beijing flavor. You can take a tour here on weekends. Here are a few hutong locations that we recommend. Let’s take a look!
1、Rainy Alley
Rainy Alley runs east-west, starting from Nanluogu Alley in the east and ending at Dongbuyapiao Alley in the west, with Suo Yi Alley to the south and Maoer Alley to the north. It is 343 meters long and 5 meters wide. During the Ming Dynasty, it belonged to Zhaohui Jinggong Fang and was called Yulong Alley. During the Qing Dynasty, it belonged to the Yellow Banner and was called Rainy Alley. The name was retained after the Republic of China and changed several times later. It was restored to its original name in 1979. It was built at the same time as Yuan Dadu and is one of the oldest districts in Beijing. It was once the city center of Yuan Dadu and was a gathering place for high-ranking officials and dignitaries during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Rainy Alley is a hidden gem. Many famous people once lived here. The famous painter Qi Baishi once lived at No. 13 Rainy Alley, which is now the Qi Baishi Former Residence Memorial Hall. Now, No. 15 Rainy Alley is the location of the China Artists Association, adding a lot of cultural atmosphere to this ancient alley.
Address: Rainy Alley, Dongcheng District, Beijing
2、Crow Alley
Crow Alley runs east-west, sloping from southeast to northwest. It starts from Xiaoshibei Alley in the east and ends at Gulou West Street in the west, with a total length of 820 meters. During the Ming Dynasty, it belonged to Rizhongfang and was called “Guang Huasi Street” because there was a Guang Huasi Temple in the alley. During the Qing Dynasty, it belonged to the Zheng Huangqi and was called “Yan’er Alley” because it was located at the north river bank of Houhai. Later, it was pronounced as “Ya’er Alley” or “Crow Alley”.
Historically, the surrounding area of Shichahai was full of famous temples. Located at No. 31 Crow Alley, Guang Huasi Temple is the largest and best-preserved temple in the Shichahai area. There is a red big shadow wall in front of the temple gate, which “covers” the sparkling Shichahai. There are five courtyards in the temple, and there are side courtyards to the east and west.
Address: Crow Alley, Xicheng District, Beijing
3、Hat Alley
Hat Alley is located in the Nanluogu Alley district. It runs east-west, connecting Nanluogu Alley in the east and Di’anmen Outer Street in the west. It is 585 meters long. During the Ming Dynasty, it was called Zitong Temple Wenchang Palace. During the Qing Dynasty, it was called Hat Alley and the name has been retained to this day. The Qing Qianlong Beijing Complete Map depicted Hat Alley in detail, which shows that Hat Alley was the longest among the 16 alleys in the Nanluogu Alley district. It was also the only alley that could directly connect Nanluogu Alley to Di’anmen Outer Street.
Address: Hat Alley, Dongcheng District, Beijing
4、Chrysanthemum Alley
Chrysanthemum Alley is located in the northwest of Dongcheng District. It runs east-west, starting from Jiaodaokou South Street in the east and ending at Nanluogu Alley in the west, with Houyuan’en Temple Alley to the south and Shoubi Alley to the north. It is under the jurisdiction of the Jiaodaokou Street Office. During the Ming Dynasty, Chrysanthemum Alley belonged to Zhaohui Jinggongfang and was called Ju’er Alley. During the Qing Dynasty, it belonged to the Yellow Banner. During the Qianlong era, it was called Ju’er Alley. Ju has two pronunciations. One is read as “jie”; the other is read as “ju”. Ju is a common way to write “ju”. Here, it should be the latter, and it was called Chrysanthemum Alley during the Xuantong era.
No. 3, No. 5, and No. 7 courtyards in Chrysanthemum Alley were the mansion of Ronglu, the governor of Zhili and Grand Secretary during the Qing Dynasty. No. 3 courtyard was the ancestral hall, No. 5 courtyard was the residence, and No. 7 courtyard was the garden. Ronglu later moved to Dongchang Alley. No. 7 courtyard was once the Afghan embassy. No. 41 courtyard was originally a temple.
Address: Chrysanthemum Alley, Dongcheng District, Beijing
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