Hutongs

Hutongs are the passages formed by lines of courtyards. The main buildings in the hutong were almost all quadrangles--a building complex formed by four houses around a quadrangular courtyard. One hutong connects with another, to form a block, and blocks join with blocks to form a neighborhood. Many of the Hutongs were once owned by one family becoming multi-generational forming the core of activities for families. Today there are very few Hutongs in the center of Beijing with quadrangles previously owned by one family now becoming a compound occupied by many households. As the city developed, many in the Hutong's occupants moved to high rise buildings.