Eight Great Hutongs

The former brothel has now become a modern residential area. Old ladies reading newspapers in front of the door and old men playing chess on the roadside are all leisurely and contented. Coffee shops with English signs and petite family hotels are all in harmony. Every step you take brings you new discoveries.

The Eight Great Hutongs are the streets and alleys concentrated in the Dashilan area, such as Shaanxi Alley, Zhujia Hutong, Yanjia Hutong, and Yanzhi Alley. Although people call this place the "Eight Great Hutongs", it actually refers to the hundreds of brothels of all sizes in the hutongs in the Dashilan area outside Qianmen. Of course, those top-notch prostitutes such as Sai Jinhua and Xiao Fengxian are concentrated in the famous Eight Great Hutongs. In fact, this place is just a code name and has little value for sightseeing. There are no cultural relics and not much history to promote. You will know when you walk in. Basically, the people living here are migrant workers, and the dialects from all over the world are chattering, which is very lively. The houses have lost their Beijing characteristics, and simple houses and iron sheds are everywhere. If you really want to see the hutongs in Beijing, you can go to Fengsheng Hutong, Zhuanta Hutong, Yangrou Hutong, Baozi Hutong, etc. in Xisi area, Shijia Hutong, Qianyuanensi Hutong and Houyuanensi Hutong in Dongcheng District, and several hutongs on both sides of Nanluoguxiang, where you can also see the appearance of the old courtyard houses.

MLGB. Never take a rickshaw that specifically scams people from other places and then asks you to get off after more than ten minutes. Those old guys who are just trying to scam people out of their money will regret it if you take one.

I don't recommend going to the Eight Great Hutongs. There are still many hutongs in Beijing that can be visited after being renovated in recent years, such as Yandaixie Street, Guozijian Street, Liulichang Street, etc. Cycling or walking is the best choice to visit these hutongs in Beijing, where you can enjoy them slowly and quietly.

The eight hutongs are now the residences of ordinary people. From the architecture of some old houses and buildings, you can still vaguely feel the style of the past.

The "Eight Great Hutongs" are not eight hutongs, but a general term for many hutongs in this area. The narrowest hutong was once a street for money houses.

Go deeper into the alley and see the place where Xiao Fengxian performed in the past... It has been rented out by a hotel now. Unfortunately, you can only see the door entrance and non-guests are not allowed to enter.

The Eight Great Hutongs were once synonymous with prostitution. Walking through this former place of entertainment and watching the life of old Beijingers, it feels like you are back in the late Qing Dynasty.

The tour guide of the Eight Great Hutongs in Beijing was very good and thorough. We also learned about the history and culture of the Hutongs.

Every household in the eight alleys of Dashilan (pronounced dashilan, not dazhalan) is inhabited, and the atmosphere of old Beijing life is still there. There are small courtyards in front of the doors, green vines and small melons, weeds on the eaves, couplets, miscellaneous shops, public toilets, and Beijing accents...

The quiet alleys are filled with the sound of children's voices;

The flowers and plants in the courtyard in front of the door each have their own flavor.

It works after personal testing. The Eight Great Hutongs are indeed quite interesting. By the way, I found a place to have an authentic SPA. It was really full of Beijing atmosphere. It was quite comfortable and full of memories. You can add QQ1010846472

These eight alleys are actually not the eight alleys of old Beijing.

It is located on Guanyin Temple Street in Dashilan Commercial Street. Behind it are all the places. The original appearance is definitely gone. It is full of residents. It is not recommended to walk or take a small yellow car. You can take a tricycle to tour the hutongs. It is fast and there are introductions. It is pretty good. The famous ones are Yanzhi Alley, Shaanxi Alley, and Baishun Alley (where people used to smoke opium).

The hutongs have the strongest flavor of old Beijing life. I remember when I was a child, I loved watching I Love My Family and the happy life of the talkative Zhang Damin. I have a close feeling for these hutongs. Although I have never lived there, I feel very relaxed walking through the wide and narrow hutongs. Listening to the bragging of the old grandfather sitting and chatting at the door of his house and tasting a bowl of old Beijing braised pork is the life I yearn for.

The Eight Great Hutongs were once synonymous with prostitution. The Eight Great Hutongs are located north of Xizhushikou Street and south of Tieshu Xiejie. From west to east, they are: Baishun Hutong, Yanzhi Hutong, Hanjiatan, Shaanxi Lane, Shitou Hutong, Wangguangfu Xiejie (now Zongshu Xiejie), Zhujia Hutong, and Lishamao Hutong (now Xiaoli Hutong). There are countless hutongs in Beijing, but the Eight Great Hutongs are famous both at home and abroad, especially during the Qing Dynasty, when many officials often visited here.

The Eight Great Hutongs refer to the eight alleys near Dashilan outside Qianmen in Beijing, where brothels and prostitutes gather. It is a general term. Since the term "Eight Great Hutongs" has been closely related to brothels since its birth, the Eight Great Hutongs have become synonymous with red-light districts and willow alleys. Hehe~ The brothel where the famous prostitute Xiao Fengxian once lived is here, and it has now been converted into a special youth hostel. The Eight Great Hutongs are very close to Qianmen Street. You can reach it by passing through several small alleys. I walked around in it for half an hour but couldn't find the youth hostel where Xiao Fengxian was, so I had to ask the children playing in the alley for help. Wow! They are really familiar with these winding alleys! ! I took a photo when I left (the child on the left in the first row, okay, tomorrow's supermodel is you!) During the period, I also met a group of elderly travel photography groups. I met a cat enjoying the afternoon sun in a corner of the alley. I finally found it...

The Eight Great Hutongs are very close to Qianmen. We randomly picked a few of them. In fact, they are now all residential areas with snack bars, dry cleaners, and everything else. However, some of the hutongs are so narrow that only the couriers can drive in.

My friend wanted to visit the hutongs, so he chose the Eight Great Hutongs as his first stop. The Eight Great Hutongs is the general name for the hutongs outside Beijing Dashilan. They used to be red-light districts, but now they are the gathering place of old Beijingers. Take the subway to Hufang Bridge and start visiting from Tieshu Xiejie. Walk and see. There are not too many people, but they are really the places where old Beijingers live. What you see with your eyes are bicycles, Beijing uncles playing chess, and what you hear is the manly Beijing dialect. On the road, I saw someone selling old Beijing yogurt, so I bought 2 bottles to try and take a break. I also saw rickshaws on the road. I wanted to sit and feel it and listen to the introduction of the hutongs, but I never saw an empty car, so I asked the aunt who sold yogurt. The aunt kindly said that it depends on fate, and also reminded us that the price is relatively high, and it may cost 300 yuan for 2 people. With a casual attitude, we continued walking after finishing our drink. However, it seemed that we really had no chance to see a rickshaw. Gradually, there were more people on the road. We realized that we had arrived at Dashilan. The commercial atmosphere became stronger, but we still didn't see an empty rickshaw. The weather was really good, so the photos we took were really beautiful. There were many old sites and old houses along the way. The buildings basically maintained the situation at that time, but inside, they were actually commercial shops. The enthusiasm of tourists was very high.

The "Eight Great Hutongs" are located north of Xizhushikou Street and south of Tieshu Xiejie. From west to east, they are: Baishun Hutong, Yanzhi Hutong, Hanjiatan, Shaanxi Lane, Shitou Hutong, Wangguangfu Xiejie, Zhujia Hutong, and Lishamao Hutong. They used to be synonymous with tobacco, flowers and willows. The "Eight Great Hutongs" mentioned by old Beijingers do not refer specifically to these eight streets and lanes, but to the area around Dashilan outside Qianmen, because there are nearly a hundred brothels of all sizes in the hutongs outside these eight streets and lanes. The Eight Great Hutongs have had touching anecdotes and emotions. The legendary story of the No. 1 Scholar's wife Sai Jinhua and the love story between the brothel girl Xiao Fengxian and the governor of Yunnan, General Cai E, both happened here.

I read Lonely Planet's "Beijing" at the beginning of the month and realized that I spend about two months every year wandering around, but I have never even had a good time in my hometown.

I went to Shaanxi Lane, Hanjia Hutong, and Baishun Heji. Now they are generally residential areas, and there are not many relics left. . .

On the last day of my trip to Beijing, I took advantage of the remaining time to visit the eight major hutongs, but I only walked three of them: Shaanxi Alley, Yanzhi Hutong and Baishun Hutong. I entered Yanzhi Hutong from Zhushikou Street, took Baishun Hutong, and finally returned to Shaanxi Alley. Yanzhi Hutong is very short. The Su Family Courtyard with roots in the Ming Dynasty has become the Baishun Community Committee, but the lingering fragrance of "Yutangchun" is still there, which is fascinating. Walking, I unknowingly entered Baishun Hutong, where the most worth seeing is the No. 49 teahouse. It is said that it was a first- and second-class brothel in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. Drinking tea and blowing water with the sisters is very innocent! On the walls decorated with Western reliefs, you can recall the architectural features of the early Republic of China. Turning into Shaanxi Alley, in addition to Shanglinxian Pavilion, the former site of Yunjiban is also sighing. It is now an ordinary family home of more than ten households. However, as long as you are willing, you can still see Xiao Fengxian's Peking Opera in your dreams.



What a pity! Time is too short to walk the other five.

Old Beijingers say that there are 360 ​​famous hutongs, but the number of unnamed hutongs is as numerous as the hairs on a cow. To experience the culture of old Beijing, snacks are one aspect, and another very important aspect is hutong culture. Unless you have a deep understanding of hutong culture, it is difficult to understand it without someone introducing it to you.

While taking a walk after dinner, we came across a few rickshaws touring the hutongs. Since we had some time, we decided to take a rickshaw to tour the eight hutongs and listen to the rickshaw drivers talk about the past and present of the old Beijing hutongs.

Since many of the photos were taken on a rickshaw, and my night photography skills are relatively poor, many of the photos are blurry. The few photos uploaded below are the only ones that remain.

Lin Yutang's Moment in Peking became a popular TV series and also gave rise to this quaint inn.

“People never leave the road, tigers never leave the mountains, and opera singers never leave Baishun and Hanjiatan.” The birthplace of Chinese Peking Opera, Baishun Hutong and Hanjiatan Hutong.

It was here that "Dingjun Mountain", starring the Peking Opera master Tan Xinpei, made its debut on the screen. It was also the first movie in Chinese history.

Dai Yuexuan's pen and Yidege's ink are the representatives of the four treasures of Chinese literature in Liulichang Ancient Culture Street.

Through this hutong tour, we also learned the origin of the concept of "doors matched". In the old days, the protruding beam above the door in front of a house was called "mendang", and the two stone pillars in front of the door were called "hudui". The hudui in front of the door of a scholar's house was square, while the hudui in front of the door of a military general's house was round.

It seems that traveling really helps you gain knowledge.

Before, when I mentioned Beijing roast duck, I only knew Quanjude. After coming to Dashilan, I realized that there are many places with similar quality to Quanjude and more affordable prices. Deyuan is one of them.

More information about the history of the Eight Great Hutongs and the origins of their names, why the Qianmen Arrow Tower and the city wall were demolished, the stories of Beixinqiao and Liu Bowen capturing the dragon, etc. have been passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth among the old Beijingers. The rickshaw driver also told me a lot of them, but I really can't remember them all because there are too many.

If you want to experience old Beijing, take a rickshaw to tour the hutongs. It is guaranteed to be worth the trip.

The Eight Great Hutongs outside Qianmen are the collective name for the eight hutongs in the south of Dashilan that were engaged in special industries. Before liberation, it was a synonym for red-light districts, and after liberation, it became an ordinary residential area. Some old sites of teahouses, opium dens, and brothels are still there. Now it is a tourist attraction, selling delicious food and fun things. In the early days of liberation, the government closed brothels and liberated prostitutes. A movie called "Sisters Stand Up" was even made there.

In fact, the "Eight Great Hutongs" mentioned by old Beijingers do not refer specifically to these eight streets and alleys, but to the area around Dashilan outside Qianmen, because there are nearly a hundred brothels of all sizes in the hutongs outside these eight streets and alleys.

The Eight Great Hutongs have now become a residential area, but some small buildings are still preserved.

After walking through these "Eight Great Hutongs", I found that the working environment at that time was quite difficult, haha.

The Eight Great Hutongs were once synonymous with tobacco, flowers and willows. The Eight Great Hutongs are located north of Xizhushikou Street and south of Tieshu Xiejie. From west to east, they are: Baishun Hutong, Yanzhi Hutong, Hanjiatan, Shaanxi Lane, Shitou Hutong, Wangguangfu Xiejie, Zhujia Hutong, and Lishamao Hutong. To put it bluntly, the Eight Great Hutongs are a bunch of old Beijing hutongs, and our purpose of coming here is nothing more than to see what the old hutongs look like and to kill the remaining time.

The Eight Great Hutongs have a completely different scenery, with narrow streets and low old houses, and it is hard to imagine how lively they once were.

The layout of the Eight Great Hutongs is similar to that of a centipede, with a main one in the middle and various small hutongs on both sides. The main one has many literary shops and many tourists, while the small hutongs on both sides have a strong atmosphere of life, are very quiet, very clean, and have a feeling of "good times".

It is suitable for walking, seeing Beijing Hutong and experiencing Hutong culture. It is not a long journey. This is one of the most authentic sides of Beijing.

The "Eight Great Hutongs" are located north of Xizhushikou Street, south of Tieshuxie Street, and west of the Guanyin Temple in Dashilan, Qianmenwai. The prosperous place of red-light districts in the past is no longer the same as it used to be.



"Eight Great Hutongs" is a figurative term. There are at least fifteen hutongs in the area. The eight recognized hutongs are: Baishun Hutong, Yanzhi Hutong, Hanjiatan (now Hanjia Hutong), Shaanxi Lane, Shitou Hutong, Wangguangfu Xiejie (now Zongshu Xiejie), Zhujia Hutong, Lishamao Hutong (now Dali Hutong, Xiaoli Hutong). The Eight Great Hutongs have never been a legal place name. In the past, when a man said he was going to the Eight Great Hutongs, he meant to tell you "what he was going to do" rather than "where he was going".



In the alleys outside these eight streets and lanes, there used to be nearly a hundred brothels of various sizes. However, in those days, most of the brothels in these eight alleys were first- and second-class, and the "grade" of the prostitutes was also relatively high, so they were so famous. Among the eight alleys in the past, Baishun Hutong, Yanzhi Hutong, Hanjiatan, and Shaanxi Alley were concentrated with first-class brothels; Shitou Hutong was home to many "tea houses" and second-class brothels; Wangguangfu Xiejie, Zhujia Hutong, and Lishamao Hutong were mostly dotted with third-class brothels.



For example, Yixiangyuan, where Sai Jinhua lived, is now Shaanxi Lane Hotel; Yunjiban, where Xiao Fengxian lived, is now a slum; the small building at No. 11 Yingtao Street, where Cai E and Xiao Fengxian lived together, is now the Changgong Hotel...