About Hutongs and Courtyard

A. Hutongs (Alleys)
Hutongs are the badge, the symbol and the pride of Beijing.In Beijing, clusters of neighboring siheyuan (quadrangles), low and gray, make small Hutongs (alleys), which are orderly laid out like a chessboard and run all either from south to north or east to west. Alleys of this sort, termed Hutong in Peking dialect, enjoy a history of more than 800 years. Along them one can spot uniquely-designed buildings, extremely beautiful courtyards, old trees planted by past generations, lovely flowers and plants, and the special layout representing the great harmony between heaven and man. You will get a feel of the harmonious link between man and nature by sensing and observing the uniquely designed spaces. All these have made touring the Hutong alleys in Beijing an extraordinary wonder viewed in no other metropolis of the world.

The city of Beijing is comprised two parts: one being the imperial palaces and gardens, the other blocks of residential alleys and quadrangles. The former are mainly scenic places of historic interests, while the latter are both bundles of construction for civil use and components of culture. The two parts, combined together, formed the integrated city of Beijing. Inhabited by ordinary people, alleys are secular and embrace everything, thus symbolizing a larger, broader and more profound existence. The alleys in Beijing are the carrier of history in that almost every part involves some stories, implications and humanistic contents, so they are the cradle and the treasure house of historical materials, folk customs and folktales.

In the process of urban modernization, the fate of alleys in Beijing has met with deadly attacks and threats. If not properly dealt with, most of them will disappear in a short period and even the main layout can hardly be maintained. At this crucial time, the existence of Emperor's Guards Station Courtyard Hotel is quite a blessing for the protection of alleys. It enables people to acquire a better understanding of alleys through more contact with them and thus develop a deeper affection for them, which may, in turn, bring more protection and care to them.

In recent years, with the city's further advancement into modernization, more and more tall buildings have appeared in Beijing while the number of alleys has been decreasing. In order to make alleys remain as an ancient cultural phenomenon of Beijing, some distinctive-featured alleys in Beijing have been designated as a historical and cultural heritage under preservation by the government, which is undoubtedly an important measure to preserve the style and features of this ancient capital.

B. Quadrangles in Old-time Beijing (Courtyards)
Siheyuan or Quadrangles (courtyards) are buildings with unique architectural features in Beijing's alleys. Standard quadrangles were built facing south, consisting of rooms on the east and west sides. And that is how siheyuan got its name (In Chinese, siheyuan means a quadrangle compound with rooms on its four sides). The rooms facing south are called the principal rooms, while the ones facing north are called Daozuo or reversely-set rooms. The gate of a quadrangle is opened at the southeastern corner of the courtyard, and the rooms are connected with walls to form an enclosed compound.

The rooms in quadrangles were laid out in accordance with the requirements of the feudal patriarchal and ethical codes. There were usually several generations as well as men and women servants living together in a feudal family, resulting in the differences between seniors and juniors, men and women, masters and servants. It certainly wouldn't do if all the people lived in rooms of the same standards, and it would cause trouble to family management if they lived scattered in different places, so the enclosed quadrangles proved to be the best choice. This kind of architectural form could show the clear distinction of people's positions in a household and provide easy communication as well as necessary separation among the

people and so it became the traditional layout of common dwellings, imperial palaces and princes' mansions. Moreover, the architectural styles, scales and decorations of quadrangles were strictly confined by the social classes of the quadrangle owners, including members of the imperial family, officials of different ranks, common people, etc. Those who exceeded the according standards would be punished or even executed. Therefore, quadrangle scale can be divided into large, medium, and small.

Small-scale quadrangles have only one courtyard, with rooms built on their three or four sides. It is small and simple, yet exquisite. For medium and large scale quadrangles, between the principal rooms and the Daozuo rooms, there is a Chuihuamen or Dropping Flowers Gate, and behind the principal rooms there are still posterior shielding rooms. Large-scale quadrangles are those developed in depth with a few layers of courtyards as well as gardens and on both sides with side-courtyards Gardens, artificial hills and fishponds can be found in the courtyards, showing the good taste of the master. There was slang going around in Beijing in the past, “Canopy, fishbowl, pomegranate tree, master, big dog and fatty maid”, which vividly presented a picture of the leisurely and idle life of wealthy families in old-time quadrangles. Generally, in front of the gate of a quadrangle stand locust trees, while in the courtyard are trees like pomegranates, Chinese flowering crabapples, walnuts and jujube trees, offering fragrant flowers, a cool pleasant shade in summer and rich fruits in autumn. The planting of these trees reflected people's hopes for a greater number of offspring and ever-thriving family. Whatever its scale is, a quadrangle is enclosed with rooms and low walls, the rooms are both linked and separated. The construction may prevent wind and blown sand and resist noises as well. The rooms are usually hard gabled, with combined tiles placed on the ridges of the roofs. Rooms with such thick and solid walls and roofs can both insulate against or preserve heat, thus giving warmness in winter and coolness in summer.