Beijing, China
October 15, 2016

Hutongs are alleys formed by lines of siheyuan, known as courtyards. There are types of narrow streets or alleys where neighborhoods were formed by joining one siheyuan to another, thus creating a hutong.

The term hutong first appeared during the Yuan Dynasty, and is a term in Mongolia that means “Water Well”. At present, many hutongs are protected to preserve the Chinese cultural history.

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