Beijing Hutongs
Beijing’s Hutong neighborhoods are some of the liveliest and most interesting areas of the city to explore. Made up of one-story brick and wood houses connected by winding alleyways, the layout of these neighborhoods has changed little in the past thousand years.
The Hutongs are constantly buzzing with activity. Old men tend to their pet birds, circles of people play cards and all manner of goods are bought and sold. The intimate layout of these neighborhoods seems to inspire socialization and tight-knit communities are formed within them.
In Beijing’s race towards modernization many of these neighborhoods are being demolished. Critics claim that the houses are not fit for a modern city and it is true that many of buildings lack proper heating, plumbing and sanitation. While the Hutong’s residents may be better off in newly constructed suburban housing, it cannot be denied that some of the city’s character will be taken with them.
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diggin the pictures. that guy sitting on that pile of rubble, which i can only surmise used to be his house, does not look very happy.
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I really like the Beijing Hutongs series. You really captured something deeper than just what on the surface. I grew up in one of the Hutongs. These photos reminds me the PEOPLE I knew back then, I see them again by looking at the older guy sitting next to the bird cages and the lady coming home holding the flowers on both hands…
As I said before, I just feel something very special in your photos and I really love them.
good view of human side with these street photography work, nicely done.
[…] I have yet to do much research into my stay in Beijing; all I know is that everyone who has been to this historical city, tells me that I MUST take a look and explore the Hutongs of Beijing. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if much still exists after making room for the 2008 Summer Olympics. There are few places on the planet as inviting and abuzz as Beijing’s Hutong neighborhoods, where crowds of residents move through clustered, narrow alleyways against a backdrop of diminutive courtyard homes. But during the massive effort to modernize Beijing for the 2008 Olympic games, many of these neighborhoods were razed and replaced. “For some residents this provides a chance for a better standard of living,” writes the photographer Dan Eckstein. “For others it means the end of a way of life.” Eckstein’s Hutong Post […]