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As a journalist who grew up in Beijing, I spent my childhood at the Caochang Toutiao Guangdong Guild Hall, located inside Xianyukou, just outside Qianmen. Recently, I took some time out to visit the alleyway where I grew up. It's now completely unrecognizable. The narrow alleyway is in ruins, with few if any respectable old storefronts left. The Guangdong Guild Hall, where I once lived, is particularly deplorable... At the same time, fragmented memories of those days come flooding back to me.
Beijing's moat (file photo)
I vividly remember that our family had only one bicycle, which my father used to commute to get off work. Everyone else had to walk, and if we wanted to go far, we had to walk to the bus stop. The walk from home to the bus stop seemed incredibly long. Caochang Toutiao is located about a third of the way west of this several-kilometer-long east-west road, stretching from the Xianyukou entrance in the west to the Muchang Hutong exit in the east.
Beijing's City Wall (File Photo)
At that time, there were two routes to the station, one north and one west. The closer route was from Caochang Toutiao, exiting from the north and entering Shengou Hutong diagonally across the street. Heading north, you'd first cross the moat bridge, then cross the railway track to the foot of the city wall. There was a gate leading out of the city, but a small, sporadic gate seemed to be under the control of the railway department. If the gate was open, you'd find yourself on Zhengyi Road, which runs along the wall's edge, where Qiansanmen is today. The No. 6 trolleybus happened to pass through here, with a stop at Zhengyi Road. However, if the gate wasn't open, you'd have to turn back and head west to Qianmenwai Street. Zhengyangmen Railway Station (Photo by Feng Ganyong) At that time, the railway line between the moat and the city wall had not been demolished, but it was no longer in operation. Its terminus was Zhengyangmen Railway Station, east of the Qianmen Tower. I remember filming the movie "After the Armistice," starring Zhang Ping, here. My classmates and I made plans to visit the station location to watch the filming. I remember vividly the camera zooming in on the platform. It was only during the filming that I realized the dynamic effect of the train moving, a feeling that was captured on screen.
Still from "After the Armistice" (archive photo)
The other route, heading west from the north exit of Caochang Toutiao to Dazhalan Station, where I often took the No. 5 bus, felt quite far back then. I remember passing through numerous alleys, including Qingyun Hutong, Changxiang Sitiao, and Toutiao, then passing the Dazhong Theater, Lianyou Photo Studio, Tsinghua Garden Bathhouse, Tianxingju Fried Liver Shop, Bianyifang Roast Duck Shop, and the Black Monkey Store, before finally exiting Xianyukou and facing Dazhalan, which is Qianmenwai Street.
Street scene in Xianyukou (archive photo)
Looking at pictures of old Beijing now brings back these profound memories. But for some reason, revisiting these old haunts feels so much shorter, so much less arduous than the arduous, foot-to-foot trek of my childhood. The current, renovated scene stands in stark contrast to my memories of those days.
Former Site of Xinglong Street No. 1 Primary School (Photo by Feng Ganyong)
Walking east through Changxiang San Tiao, we arrived at Beijing Xinglong Street No. 1 Primary School, just a stone's throw from the north entrance of Caochang Toutiao. My six years there were unforgettable… Standing at the school gate, looking out at the gray building inside, it seemed much smaller…
Current Caochang Headlines (Photo by Feng Ganyong)
I remember that the Guangdong Guild Hall was a complex of courtyards, with a total of about ten courtyards, large and small, housing over 30 families. These families were primarily counted by the surnames of the leading families, not including the children of each household. At that time, Cantonese people made up over 90% of the community, while non-Guangdong residents accounted for less than 10%. Several families worked in the railway system. I can still remember the names of several of the Cantonese friends I grew up with, like Hengzi, Ah Menzi, Ah Man, Ah Lai, and so on.
Former Site of the Guangdong Guild Hall (Photo by Feng Ganyong)
The courtyards within the Guangdong Guild Hall were meticulously designed, essentially independent and self-contained. I recall about six courtyards with wing rooms and a front porch and a rear building, while the rest were more irregularly shaped. Perhaps because the Guangdong Guild Hall was oriented east-west, the main rooms within the courtyards generally faced west and east, while the wing rooms were mostly north-south oriented.
Caochang Toutiao No. 7 (Photo by Feng Ganyong)
Recently, I heard from my childhood friend Jia Xulu that the Guangdong Guild Hall was once the official residence of a fourth-rank official. The two round mounting stones at the main gate are evidence of this. It is said that during the Qing Dynasty, the shape of mounting stones for officials' residences was determined by the official's rank. There were theories about whether the stones could be round or square, and setting them incorrectly, if not in accordance with the official's rank, was punishable.
Old Houses in Caochang Toutiao (Photo by Feng Ganyong)
The Guangdong Guild Hall had two gates: one main entrance and the other a stable. I remember there was a large plaque in the center outside the main gate that read "Guangdong Guild Hall," and two smaller plaques inside the gate that read "Bangyan" and "Tanhua." The main entrance was only three rooms away from the stable. Caochang Ertiao Residential Building (Photo by Feng Ganyong) Originally, both entrances were accessible, but later, a sewage pond was built in the middle of the Mahao Gate. In the summer, the stench was unbearable, and in the winter, the sewage flowing around the pond froze, making it very slippery. As a result, few people used this gate anymore. Although it was called Mahao, I never saw a horse tied up there during my time there. Later, due to housing shortages, the Mahao Gate was converted into residential housing.
The intersection of Caochang Toutiao and Ertiao (Photo by Feng Ganyong)
Now thinking about it, there were two families in the courtyard who may have held some prominence. One was the Luo family, located at the southernmost end of the guild hall; the other was the Mai family, located at the northernmost end. My mother told me that the owners of the Luo family courtyard, the older one named Luo Fukan (transliteration) and the younger one named Luo Yinggong (transliteration), were both renowned calligraphers in Beijing at the time. Caochang Ertiao (Photo by Feng Ganyong) Luo Fukan had close ties with renowned Peking Opera master Cheng Yanqiu and others. When Luo passed away in 1955, Peking Opera masters Mei Lanfang, Cheng Yanqiu, and Li Jishen, former Vice Chairman of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China, all visited the Guangdong Guild Hall to pay their respects. I still vaguely remember several monks gathered around a long table in the Luo family courtyard, performing rituals for several days. It was a truly grand occasion.
Old Door and House Facade (Photo by Feng Ganyong)
The Mai family, living in the north courtyard, has three brothers: Mai Si, Mai Wu, and Mai Liu. Mai Si studied in Japan and later married a Japanese woman. While at the Guangdong Guild Hall, the couple was deeply in love. They had several children, but his Japanese wife tragically passed away. Afterward, Mai Si and his family left the Guangdong Guild Hall in Beijing and returned to their hometown in Guangdong. Caochang Ertiao (Photo by Feng Ganyong) In the main house of the courtyard closest to the main gate lived a large family surnamed Huang from Guangdong. My friend, a few years older than me, was named Huang Yu. His mother worked at a film distribution company in Xijiaominxiang. Every week, she would take them to the movies there, a sight I envied immensely. Later, they moved to Shuiduizi in the eastern suburbs, and their interactions became much less frequent.
Current North Entrance of Changxiang Santiao (Photo by Feng Ganyong)
Many childhood memories still resonate with me. I remember every weekend, the enchanting melodies of the Cantonese music "Bu Bu Gao" and "Cai Yun Zhui Yue" emanating from Changxiang Sitiao Primary School, just across the alley, signaled the start of another open-air movie. So, that evening, the children, accompanied by their parents, would carry small stools and head to the school's playground to watch a movie. I remember tickets were only two cents each. Films screened at Changxiang Sitiao Primary School included "Sea Soul," "Song Jingshi," "Dong Cunrui," "Underground Vanguard," "Plain Guerrillas," and "Red Child."
Landscape of Caochang Hutong (Photo by Feng Ganyong)
The backyard of the Guangdong Guild Hall was a public restroom. I remember that during the May Day and National Day fireworks displays, I would sneak up on the restroom roof with the children from the guild hall to watch the fireworks. With the crack of thunder from the blue sky, I would look up and see a dazzling display of colorful fireworks. Sometimes, when the north wind blew, the fireworks would burst into white parachutes, drifting slowly through the night sky and landing on the surrounding rooftops. Because the restroom was adjacent to Qingyun Alley, my friends and I would inevitably mistakenly climb onto people's rooftops. If we were discovered, we would be reprimanded by the people living in the Qingyun Alley.
Xinglong Street Today (Photo by Feng Ganyong)
In the nearly two decades I've lived in the Guangdong Guild Hall, I've witnessed its transformation: from a relatively orderly collection of courtyards to a chaotic, sprawling compound, each filled with small kitchens squeezed into every available space. The residents have also changed hands repeatedly. The number of people with genuine Guangdong roots has also dwindled. Some of my childhood friends, whose families worked for the railway, also left Beijing for Tianjin, Lanzhou, Baoding, and other places as their parents moved on.
Current Qianmen Street (Photo by Feng Ganyong)
By the time I moved out of here in 1970, the Guangdong Guild Hall had completely changed. It's a coincidence that in the early 1970s, I moved from Caochang Toutiao, then part of Chongwen District, to Xianyu Lane, diagonally across from Beijing Railway Station in Dongcheng District. Xianyu Lane and Xianyukou are just one character apart. Especially since a few years later, Chongwen District was merged into Dongcheng District, and I spent another 20 years of wonderful time there.
Sunset on Qianmen East Road (Photo by Feng Ganyong)
After moving, I heard that in 1989, the Guangdong Guild Hall in Caochang Toutiao underwent a major renovation. The original building was completely demolished and replaced with several buildings that were slightly more functional than simple residential buildings. I visited once, and there weren't many old neighbors left. Old neighbors said that living in buildings meant fewer opportunities for interaction. I heard that Caochang Toutiao might be undergoing a large-scale overall renovation along with the Qianmenwai area, and the history of some of Beijing's old courtyards, such as the Guangdong Guild Hall, will become a permanent memory for people...
Number of days: 2 days, Average cost: 2000 yuan,
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Number of days：4 days, Average cost: 1500 yuan,
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Number of days: 20 days, Average cost: 12,000 yuan, Updated: 2020.07.20
Number of days: 1 day, Average cost: 360 yuan,
