Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HÚTÒNG TODAY
Hútòng
land is now a hotchpotch of the old and the new, where Qing-dynasty courtyards
come complete with recently added brick outhouses and stand beneath grim apartment
blocks. Adding to the lack of uniformity is the fact that many
sìhéyuàn
were subdivided in
the 1960s so that they could house more people. The shortage of space, as well as the
paucity of modern facilities such as heating, proper plumbing and sometimes private bath-
rooms and toilets, is the main reason many
hútòng
dwellers have been happy to leave the
alleyways for newly built high-rise flats.
Older residents are more reluctant to abandon the
hútòng,
preferring the sense of living
in a community, as opposed to a more isolated existence in the suburbs. And there are now
increasing signs that many will be able to see out their days in their
hútòng
because the city
authorities seem finally to have cottoned on to the worth of the
hútòng
as a principal attrac-
tion of Běijīng (although the controversial plans to relocate more than 100 households as
part of a redevelopment of the historic Drum Tower area seem to buck this recent trend).
Some alleyways are now protected by law, while others have become nightlife hot spots
and tourist hubs. The successful remodelling of Nanluogu Xiang has been replicated else-
where: some of the
hútòng
behind the Drum Tower and off Gulou Dongdajie and Anding-
mennei Dajie have also sprouted bars, cafes and restaurants and have become almost as
popular among young Beijingers as they are with visitors. The adaptation of the
hútòng
for
commercial use has perhaps done more than any efforts by the central government to en-
sure their survival. With many
hútòng
now generating significant tax revenue for the local
authority, officials have a tangible reason to shield them from redevelopment.
