Archives For Hutong & Heritage

Your Ideal Escape from Beijing: Cuandixia

john —  July 1, 2012

Living in Beijing can get a bit much at times. Maybe it’s the traffic jams that get to you, maybe it’s the crowds; but no matter the cause, the cure is the same; head for the mountains!

If you need a break from fast-paced city life, no place is better than Cuandixia for really winding down and regaining your energy. Cuandixia is a very small village in the mountains of Mentougou District about 90 km northwest of central Beijing. The village’s main claim to fame is its very well preserved collection of courtyard homes dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties which has even earned it the status of “National level historical and cultural village.”

A Fortified Village on the Road to Mongolia
The village itself is situated in a narrow valley where ancient village houses cling to the mountainside, making the village resemble a fan when seen from above. At the highest point in the village you’ll find a spacious courtyard home that once belonged to the local landlord, from where one can enjoy a magnificent view over all of Cuandixia as well as the surrounding mountains. The upper part of the village looks very much like a fortified stronghold. It better look so! In the old days this was one of the major routes from Mongolia into Beijing!

While this land route linking the Chinese capital with Mongolia and surrounding provinces could bring marauding Mongolian nomads, it also brought great wealth, evident in the beautiful, large courtyard homes making up the village. The village was actually a flourishing trading town during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and it is recorded that during the reign of the Qianlong emperor there were eight trading posts and four inns.

It is isn’t all dynastic history in Cuandixia, however; Cultural Revolution buffs will have a field day in spotting well preserved graffiti and murals from those heady days in the 60’s.

Good Treks in the Vicinity
Since the village lies at the bottom of a valley surrounded on all sides by mountains, it is an ideal starting or ending point for trekking excursions in the surrounding countryside. For beginners, there is the option of taking a stroll up the terraced fields on the opposite side of the valley to enjoy a splendid view of the village. Another easy walk of around 20 min. will take you to the other big sight in the area: Yi Xian Tian Gorge (一线天). The name literally means one strip of heaven, and that is also exactly what you will see while walking through this gorge where cliff walls tower up on both sides and leave virtually nothing but a strip of heaven visible above your head. Taking a walk here is absolutely one of the most Indiana-Jones-like moments to be had in the Beijing area!

For Chinese movies connoisseurs it might be interesting to know that Cuandixia and the Yi Xian Tian Gorge played a major role in the 2007 Jet Li movie Warlords.

More serious trekkers can also use Cuandixia as a starting point for treks to Huangcaoliang Mountain（黄草梁）or even to Lingshan Mountain (灵山) further away. However, if you want to try trekking in these mountains it is important to keep in mind that this is NOT Europe, and there are no marked trails, so a good map and proper equipment is a must.

Stay in a Farmhouse

If you decide to go to Cuandixia you will probably need to stay overnight since the trip there from the city centre of Beijing is likely to take around 4 hours. Staying in Cuandixia is also an interesting experience in itself, offering you the chance to try something totally different from normal tourist hotels. Nongjiayuan (农家院) or farm house B&B in English is the name of the game in Cuandixia. Virtually every house in Cuandixia is open for tourists to stay overnight. The prices are reasonable at 15-20 RMB per person or around 50 RMB for a full room.

Most of the B&B also serve up breakfast and dinner at prices slightly higher than in Beijing for similar fare. Since most of the B&B are located in old courtyards, you will normally be offered akang to sleep on. The kang is a large elevated bed made of bricks, normally big enough to accommodate 4-5 people. The trick here is that the kang is actually hollow so that in the winter months it is possible to light up a fire underneath, keeping the people sleeping on it warm and comfortable.

Getting there: Take metro line 1 to Pinguoyuan station (苹果园站). From Pingguoyuan station walk west 150 metres to the bus stop. There are two buses a day from here to Cuandixia, one at 07.30 and one at 12.40. There are return buses from Cuandixia to Pingguoyuan at 10.30 and 15.30.

(Blog posted by eChinacities on Aug 5, 2011. You can see the original article by following this link to eChinacities.com)

In Cuandixia Village
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Changyucheng- Long Valley City

john —  June 4, 2012

In the 1520s, this village was an important military base. The village was encircled by stone walls, some leading up the steep hills of the valley, and some of the arched entries and exits still remain. The thickness of the remaining walls give some indication of the level of fortification, and the importance of securing this pass, a sort-of shortcut around the heavily fortified Badaling mountain pass.

As well as the old city walls, the village has several other sights to see: an old shrine which is alleged to cause difficulties for cameras; a restored-but-closed temple with a large bell inside, and a giant old tree just outside the temple entrance.

For more photos please see its website: changyucheng.com

In Changyucheng Village, Changyucheng Wall ,
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Reasonable and Comfortable Accommodations in Hutong

john —  May 30, 2012

Finding a good Hotel in Beijing can be tricky, but here is a list of good Hutong guest-house suggestions:

The Hutong Area

[Beijing's earliest hutongs date back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and when the New China was founded in 1949, there were some 6,000 of them. But because of the city's rapid development, thousands of them have been demolished to make way for new apartment buildings.]

Probably the most special and original local guest house in Beijing, The guest house is so fantastic. It hides behind the street, deeply and quietly in a Hutong (historical narrow alley) and Si He Yuan (a kind of old style Chinese house), full of Beijng’s local taste. It impresses with its beautiful garden courtyard, super clean western style bathrooms, brand new bedding and facilities, individually controlled air-conditioning, city center location and super convenient public transportations, considerable service and travelling arrangements, etc. Of course, warm English speaking staff is more essential.

Living in Hutong area hotel can help you get a better understanding of Beijing’s local life. You could never get the same feeling and traveling experience from any other places. Wandering in the long and puzzling hutong, smiling to lovely local neighbors, seeing the blue sky in the no-roof courtyard, hearing the whistle from swiftly flying-by doves, watering the garden, walking the dog, they may give you ‘a glimpse of what life in the city is really like’.

In one word, once you are here, you will be here again.

In Hutong
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The Fate of Old Beijing: The Vanishing Hutongs

john —  April 8, 2012

Chapter I – A Disappearing World

In the face of China’s rapid modernization, the world’s most populous country is struggling to preserve its cultural heritage, and nowhere is this more visible than in the ancient alleyways and courtyards of Beijing.

Once a ubiquitous feature of Beijing, the hutongs are more than simply housing; they are actually a way of life. Entire families live in single, crowded courtyards, often with no bathrooms. Yet despite the lack of modern amenities, the communal aspect to life within the hutongs means that few want to leave – even as their neighbourhoods are being demolished and redeveloped. UNESCO estimates that more than 88 percent of the city’s old residential quarters are already gone, most torn down in the last three decades.

In a three-part series, filmmakers Jonah Kessel and Kit Gillet explore the vanishing world of Beijing’s hutongs, the realities of life within the narrow streets, and the future for these culturally-irreplaceable areas of China’s capital.

CHAPTER ONE: For many residents, hutong life is all they have ever known, and their memories and lives are intertwined strongly with the old streets and alleyways. Yet as time has gone by, many of the courtyards have become overcrowded and the buildings themselves have deteriorated. Despite the cultural heritage of the hutongs thousands of them have been razed in the past decades to make way for urban development destroying centuries of history and contributing to the shrinking of the remaining hutong space.

The Fate of Old Beijing: CH. 1 – A Disappearing World from Jonah Kessel on Vimeo.

Chapter II – David vs. Goliath

In the face of China’s rapid modernization, the world’s most populous country is struggling to preserve its cultural heritage, and nowhere is this more visible than in the ancient alleyways and courtyards of Beijing.

Once a ubiquitous feature of Beijing, the hutongs are more than simply housing; they are actually a way of life. Entire families live in single, crowded courtyards, often with no bathrooms. Yet despite the lack of modern amenities, the communal aspect to life within the hutongs means that few want to leave – even as their neighbourhoods are being demolished and redeveloped. UNESCO estimates that more than 88 percent of the city’s old residential quarters are already gone, most torn down in the last three decades.

In a three-part series, filmmakers Jonah Kessel and Kit Gillet explore the vanishing world of Beijing’s hutongs, the realities of life within the narrow streets, and the future for these culturally-irreplaceable areas of China’s capital.

CHAPTER TWO: While hutong residents may not have the easiest lives, few want to leave the streets and alleyways they have long called home. However, with China’s current legal system offering few avenues of discourse it is hard for residents to save their homes after they have been slated for demolition. Some are torn down to make way for new subway lines but, increasingly, a large number are simply torn down to be replaced by large high rise buildings that primarily benefit the land developers and local officials.

The Fate of Old Beijing: CH. 2 – David vs. Goliath from Jonah Kessel on Vimeo.

Chapter III – Beyond the Alleys

In the face of China’s rapid modernization, the world’s most populous country is struggling to preserve its cultural heritage, and nowhere is this more visible than in the ancient alleyways and courtyards of Beijing.

Once a ubiquitous feature of Beijing, the hutongs are more than simply housing; they are actually a way of life. Entire families live in single, crowded courtyards, often with no bathrooms. Yet despite the lack of modern amenities, the communal aspect to life within the hutongs means that few want to leave – even as their neighbourhoods are being demolished and redeveloped. UNESCO estimates that more than 88 percent of the city’s old residential quarters are already gone, most torn down in the last three decades.

In a three-part series, filmmakers Jonah Kessel and Kit Gillet explore the vanishing world of Beijing’s hutongs, the realities of life within the narrow streets, and the future for these culturally-irreplaceable areas of China’s capital.

CHAPTER THREE: If Beijing’s hutong areas are to be retained in one form or another, decisions need to be made about whether to invest money in keeping the original structures or replacing them with replicas built in the same style but offering modern amenities – a move that many suggest destroys the soul of the buildings. While for former hutong residents forced or happily leaving their old homes, a new way of life beckons.

The Fate of Old Beijing: CH. 3 – Beyond the Alleys from Jonah Kessel on Vimeo.

(Blog posted by Jonah Kessel on Jan 24, 2011. You can see the original article by following this link to Vimeo)

In Hutong
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Cuandixia Village

john —  February 21, 2012

On the ancient land of Beijing lies an ancient mountain village with peaceful tranquilities and distinctive characters. It is “the cultural pearl of ancient villages”—”Cuandixia Village”, which hides itself quietly in the deep valleys in the west of Beijing.

Cuandixia village lies on a ancient post road,90km far form Beijing. It was first built in the Ming Dynasty, where the Han’s Family has inhabited. After its development for several generations, it became a flourishing inn on the post road populated by many people. Its economics is dominated by farming, combining farming with trading, ploughing with reading. Cuandixia village, having a long history of several hundreds of years, has retained the beauty of traditional culture relics and vernacular environments. Mountains surround Cuandixia village and streams flow through them.The village layout merging with the slopes is quite orderly and harmonic. About 70 various and flexible courtyards were built one by one following the terrain of the slopes. The houses were built with natural stones and wood, the steep stairs and streets paved by the rocks are all simple,natural and colorful. The poetic landscape,the ancient architecture, the emotional carvings and antithetical couplets all express the villager’s love of beauty and the desiring for culture. The environments, where the villagers have inhabited, ploughed and enjoyed themselves for generations are full of serenity, just like “a Land of Peach Blossoms”. In this village, the beauty of nature,artifacts and society have been combined to a unity, producing and idyllic drawing full of vitality. It reflects the traditional concepts of harmony between”human and nature”, “human and human”, “human and society”.

Cuandixia village has the rare value as the “live fossil”. It records the historical development, the intelligence and practicing of the ancestor during the construction of the village.Historical relics from different periods have been reserved. Cuandixia village has experienced many things and changed much over the time. Although not brilliant any more, it’s still very attractive for its cordial, natural and vivid environment. The well-preserved village and the hilly courtyards,the intense depositions of vernacular culture and the captivating idyllic scenery are all astonishing and splendid!

In Cuandixia Village ,
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