Old Beijing

We returned to Beijing by train this morning and this afternoon we visited Old Beijing. Howard was our tour guide for this section of the city which seems to have some of its own rules. Howard explained the meaning of some of the items around the door. One is the relevance of the number of pillars--which are actually round, wooden objects over the door. No pillars means very poor, 8 pillars means royalty. This home has 4 so the owner is what we would call middle-class.

He also tells us that the profession of the owner can be ascertained by the statues—the round barrel of the lion statue is an indication that there is a military man in the home. Before even entering the home, much can be learned about those who live there. 

We entered this section of Beijing in a rickshaw and were invited into someone’s private residence. It is easy to see what the elderly value in these homes—they have access to their own property, a private yard and a somewhat quiet neighborhood. Compare this to the majority of the residents who live in large apartment complexes with literally thousands of people and their noises. On the other hand, water continues to be a problem. The residents share public restrooms; no home has a private bathroom. Also the streets are very narrow and filled with much debris.

Howard told us that in Old Beijing a hutong originally meant water well; now hutongs are a type of narrow streets or alleys with traditional courtyard residences often referred to as quadrangles because there are structures on four sides with a courtyard in the center. The word hutong can also mean neighborhood.



When the authorities wanted to enlarge the size of the city, many such neighborhoods were torn down. This continues to be a politically and economically heated issue. Many want to preserve the Chinese cultural history while others believe the land could be put to better use. Consequently, the land has become very valuable and some of these properties are valued at the equivalent of one million American dollars.

This is the courtyard of the private residence that we visited.

Look at all the trees.

 This 92 year old man is the owner of this quad.

He is here with Howard, our tour guide and Ada, our Bryant intern.

This is the entrance to the home that we visited; notice the 2 pillars.

Men often played games in the courtyards.

The alternative to the privately owned quadrangles in the hutongs.