On our last day in Beijing, we discovered the history of hutongs, courtyard homes, and rickshaws.
The hutongs, and their associated courtyard houses (or siheyuan, meaning four sided courtyard or quadrangle) are still an essential part of the unique character of Beijing. The hutongs are the ancient alleyways or lanes formed between lines of courtyard houses. Up until around 60 years ago most of the residential areas of Beijing were composed of hutongs and quadrangles. What gives the hutongs their unique character are the courtyard houses, hiding behind their long attractive curtain walls, with just the doorways giving a clue as to what lies behind. The main buildings in the hutongs were almost always quadrangles. The courtyard house is one of the most interesting features of traditional Chinese architecture. Source: http://www.sacu.org/hutongs.html
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| Paige and Peggy with the gracious owner of a courtyard home |
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| Walnut tree in the courtyard |
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| Walnuts |
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| A trip through the hutongs on rickshaws gave us a glimpse of Chinese traditional life. |
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| Kim and Alice |
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| Naptime |
The hutongs, and their associated courtyard houses (or siheyuan, meaning four sided courtyard or quadrangle) are still an essential part of the unique character of Beijing. The hutongs are the ancient alleyways or lanes formed between lines of courtyard houses. Up until around 60 years ago most of the residential areas of Beijing were composed of hutongs and quadrangles. What gives the hutongs their unique character are the courtyard houses, hiding behind their long attractive curtain walls, with just the doorways giving a clue as to what lies behind. The main buildings in the hutongs were almost always quadrangles. The courtyard house is one of the most interesting features of traditional Chinese architecture. Source: http://www.sacu.org/hutongs.html
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