Beijing: Memory lanes

The architecture of Beijing’s proud old hutongs (back alleys) whispers a lot about the former residents. Paul Mooney gets a glimpse of a bygone way of life on a stroll through the neighbourhood. There is probably nothing more evocative of “old Peking” than its charming hutongs, or alleyways, lined by quaint courtyard houses, and there’s no better way to get a feel of the old city than to wander around these ancient passageways. But you’ll need to be quick – the proud old hutong is on the verge of extinction as high-rise apartments take over the capital. Fortunately, a few hutong districts around the city have been declared protected areas and efforts are being made to preserve them. Nan Luogu Xiang is one of Beijing’s oldest streets, with a history going back some 700 years, and provides an excellent starting-point for a tour of the neighbourhood. This long and busy hutong, lined with interesting Republican-era architecture, is fast becoming a new entertainment Mecca. The old buildings, with their thick wooden floors and arched wooden roofs punctuated with skylights and large windows, are being transformed into quaint coffee shops, restaurants, bars and boutiques. It’s difficult to say for certain how many hutongs there are in Beijing, but according to a popular old Chinese saying, “there are as many as the number of hairs on an ox”, or in other words, more than one can count. The hutong dates back to the Yuan dynasty, between 1271 and 1368, when Kublai Khan built his capital at Dadu, the location of modern-day Beijing. The word hutong is said to come from the Mongolian phrase hong tong, which means “water well”. The best part of a walk through a hutong is searching out quaint architectural details which can tell you a lot about the former residents – so it’s best to learn some of the background before plunging down memory lane. In imperial times, there was a strict hierarchy which determined the building style and designs one could use. There are either two or four lintels above the doorway of each house, which are sometimes adorned with auspicious Chinese characters. Common families would have two lintels, wealthy ones four. Wealthy homes also have decorative door clasps, cymbal-shaped door knockers, and protective brass wrappings, often in the shape of a pomegranate – a popular symbol because of its many seeds, which represent children. When walking through a hutong, note the beautiful carved mendun (door stones) which flank the entrance to each courtyard house. The purpose of the mendun is to provide a brace for the door axle. These stones tell us something about the status of the family who once lived here. There are basically two shapes – round and rectangular. And the bigger the door stone, the more important the person inside. Many houses were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, when many families crowded into single courtyards which were intended for just one family. As a result, it’s often difficult to get a feel of how magnificent these houses once were, although one way to explore the interiors is to keep an eye out along the way for one of the many restored homes of famous past residents which have been transformed into museums. Heading north along Nan Luogu Xiang, it’s worth turning off at various intersections to explore the hutongs on your left and right. Many of the passages are named for auspicious reasons, while others represent the trades and products which were once the life of these intriguing alleyways. Enter the main street from the south by walking under the brightly coloured pailou (archway) at Di’anmen Dong Dajie. Walk north a short distance and you’ll come to Fuxiang Hutong – which means prosperity – on your left. Turn left and walk to No 1, where you’ll find a run-down courtyard house. The once beautiful door is weathered and the Chinese characters can barely be made out. Notice the mendun with lions on top, and the two lintels. Retrace your steps and cross Nan Luogu Xiang and enter Chaodou (Fried Beans) Hutong on the other side of the street. No 77 has two large stone screen-holders in the doorway. A white marble plaque on the wall identifies this as the former home of Prince Seng of the Qing dynasty, who was given this title after crushing the Nian Rebellion. Like many of the neighbourhood’s grand courtyard houses, this one had a protective screen on the inside to keep misfortune from entering the complex. “It was moved decades ago to make room for a kitchen,” says an elderly woman. “It was really beautiful.” Continuing north again on Nan Luogu Xiang, you’ll come to a small shop on the right selling traditional papercuts for a bargain price of CNY1 (£0.07). “World most low price,” says a sign in a window. No 147 on the other side of the street sells carved Chinese seals, posters and knick-knacks. “We opened in 2001, before the street became famous,” says the owner of the building. He regrets the changes of recent years, despite the extra business they have brought to his small shop. “They shouldn’t have allowed so many bars and coffee shops to open here,” he says, arguing it should have been made a cultural street. The next alley on your right is Banqiang Hutong. Turn right here and walk down to the Lu Song Hotel, former home of a Mongolian bannerman, and later Mao Zedong’s dreaded security chief, Kang Sheng. This is now a pleasant Chinese-style hotel. Just past here is The Source, a popular Sichuan restaurant located within a traditional courtyard house. It’s said that these two houses were once part of Prince Seng’s mansion, an indication of just how big that was before being carved up in the Cultural Revolution. Return to Nan Luogu Xiang and turn right. On the corner is the Passby Bar, the first restaurant to open here in 1999, which launched the street’s “renaissance”. The Passby has a shop selling T-shirts with stylised Chinese motifs. Opposite is a small bookstore, offering books on Chinese culture (a few in English), postcards, posters, maps and cheap art. The next corner is Dong Mianhua (East Cotton) Hutong, which is the site of one of the most interesting cultural relics in the area. Walk down to No 15, where you’ll see a white plaque on a grey wall listing this as a protected site. Enter the gate and bear left towards the intricately carved brick archway. The grand structure, amidst unbefitting clutter, combines Chinese and Western architectural styles with carvings of flowers, animals and other auspicious symbols. This was the former residence of a Qing dynasty general. Retrace your steps and cross Nan Luogu Xiang to Maoer (Hat) Hutong. No 6 is a renovated courtyard house with a modernistic mendun sitting at the door, above which is a colourful painting of a Guilin scene of karsts formations. There is also a large crane, a symbol of longevity. At No 11, you’ll see a nice pair of marble drum mendun – unfortunately, the small lions that once topped the mendun are almost gone. The sides are decorated with a dragon, tiger, monkey and qilin, a mythological animal. The two large stones on both sides of the door were used for mounting the horses which once plied these streets. The former home of Wan Rong, who was the wife of Puyi, made famous by Bertolucci’s film classic The Last Emperor, is at No 15. Walk inside the yard and you’ll see an old wooden door with elaborate carvings on the top of flowers and leaves. Outside, the wall of this compound is covered with a rare, but fading, slogan from the Cultural Revolution: “Long live the triumphant ideas of Mao Zedong.” Head back to Nan Luogu Xiang and turn left. On the corner is Sandglass Coffee, one of the older houses on this street. Numerous plants give the small entrance a countrified look. The inside is rustic-looking, with simple wooden tables and old sofas. The owner, a photographer from Inner Mongolia, says the structure also belonged to the parents of the former Empress Wan Rong. Next door is Xiao Xin’s Café, another cosy venue. Note the mirror over the door, which is placed here to repel evil. Next door is Zha Zha’s Café, with the Chinese characters for “magpie” over the door, and beyond that is a store selling handmade notebooks, and bordered by a small teashop. No 65 is Plastered 8, which carries a wide variety of T-shirts with sassy Chinese designs. Turn right at Houyuan Ensi Hutong and check out No 13, the former mansion of writer Mao Dun, which is now a memorial museum. The house provides an opportunity to wander freely around a well-restored courtyard house. No 7 is the sprawling former home of a Qing prince, and was subsequently the field headquarters of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. A peek inside shows this complex once had quiet gardens. It’s now the site of the Youhao Guest House, which is unfortunately closed to visitors. The opposite hutong on the other side of Nan Luogu Xiang is Hei Zhima (Black Sesame) Hutong. A stroll down this alleyway will bring you to No 13, the former mansion of Kui Jun, a Qing dynasty minister of justice. Look out for the protective screen wall just inside the door, and the facing one on the opposite side of the street, and the two stones which were once used for mounting horses. Once you have finished your walk, take a break for a drink or something to eat in one of the many shops, and take a seat by the window and watch life going by in the street outside. You might like to stop by the nondescript Wenyu Nailao Shop (located at No 47), which specialises in a yoghurt-type snack that is smooth and appetising, made with milk and sugar – like yoghurt – but baked instead of fermented. Then, once you have regained your energy, continue on and explore the surrounding hutongs by yourself. OLD CITIES, NEW LIFE Several other historical sites have also been given a new lease of life in recent years. One of the nicest is Nanxincang, China’s oldest existing granary, which was constructed during the Yongle period (1403-1424). This historical site is now one of Beijing’s most popular entertainment venues, with art galleries, an audiobook shop, a teahouse and a number of bars and restaurants. The impressive buildings, just ten years younger than the Forbidden City, were once among the 300-odd granaries that operated in this neighbourhood during imperial days; the others have all disappeared. The Ming Dynasty City Wall Ruins Park, which parallels Chongwenmen Dong Dajie, is a section of Beijing’s old inner-city wall, rebuilt using the original bricks which had been snatched decades earlier when the wall was torn down. This nicely reconstructed section of the wall is a landscaped area with paths full of local residents walking their dogs, flying kites, practising martial arts and playing with their children. The Imperial Wall Ruins Park runs along the north-south path of the now defunct imperial city wall, along present-day Nan Heyan Dajie. The wall was first erected in 1272 during the Yuan dynasty. The three-kilometre park, dotted with gingko, weeping willows, bamboo, walnut trees, pomegranate trees, magnolias, scholar trees, plum and peach blossom, is a fine place for a stroll. The historical highlight is the partially excavated foundation of the old Dongan bridge and gate, also built during the reign of the Yongle emperor. There have been setbacks as well. The once serene and idyllic Rear Lakes, former lakeside romping grounds of Qing princes, eunuchs and court officials, have been occupied by a bevy of seedy neon-lit bars, touts and a deluge of traffic which could easily have been kept at a distance. BOOKING BLUES If you’ve been anxious about finding a hotel room for the upcoming 2008 Olympics in Beijing, stop worrying: there are no rooms left. Top hotels – even those still under construction – throughout the city say their rooms have long been spoken for, and they have waiting lists to boot. Cecilia Lui, director of public relations at the Peninsula Palace Beijing, says that as an official Olympic hotel it has given two-thirds of its bookings to BOCOG, the Olympics organiser, with the bulk of the remainder going to Olympics sponsors and a few to key clients. It’s the same story even at the hotels which opened last year and those waiting to open in the coming months, which came online too late to be designated Olympic hotels. Some say their rooms were booked as early as January this year by corporate clients, despite charging the higher than normal listed rates. Budget hotels which normally go for under US$40, are said to be raising their rates by three or four times, which means a very simple room in a nondescript hotel will now cost US$125 to US$250 a night. It’s even questionable if many of these rooms will be available for normal Olympics fans. A Western consultant, who’s been working with Olympic sponsors, says: “It’s going to be tough.” He claims the situation could be tighter than in Sydney or Athens, as Beijing will not have as many local apartments available for rent. “In Sydney and Athens, a lot of people left the city during the Olympics. This is not happening in Beijing.” Lin Xu of Variarts, a Beijing-based company which does specialised travel around China, says her company has booked serviced apartments and empty luxury flats around the city and plans to make them available to groups, although she’s also considering arranging rentals of courtyard houses for individuals. She suggests that anyone looking for a hotel room seek alternatives online, such as hotels with two or fewer stars, apartment rentals or homestays. The China Guide (thebeijingguide.com/accommodation), a small US company which arranges accommodation with local families in local apartments during the Olympics, charges room rates of US$150 to US$400 a night for up to four people, inclusive of laundry, daily cleaning and sometimes internet connection. Rooms tend to be in centrally located hutongs near public transportation which goes to the Olympics or near the Olympic sites, and guests can choose to stay with either a foreign or Chinese family.