Providing information on hutongs including the definition of the word  hutong and the description of hutong What is Hutong The word Hutong came from the Mongolian language about 700 years ago.
According to research, it originates from the word hottog in Mongolian meaning water well. Where there was a spring or well, there were residents.
The word hottog became hutong after it was introduced into Beijing. Hutong means street, lane and alley, and is in fact the passage formed by lines of siheyuan (a compound with houses around a courtyard ) where most Beijing residents live. One hutong connects with another, and siheyuan connects with siheyuan, to form a block, and blocks join with blocks to form the whole city.
In old China, there was a clear definition for a street or a lane. A 36-meter-wide road was called a big street. An 18-meter-wide one was called a small street. And a 9-meter-wide lane was called a Hutong. Most of the hutongs in Beijing are in east-west or north-south directions.
That has resulted from the need for houses to face south so as to take in more sunshine and resist cold wind from the north. Of course there are also slant hutongs, half hutongs or a dead end.
Some are hutongs within hutongs, and some are like maze. So to walk in a hutong is a great fun as ling as you are not afraid of getting lost.
Why are Beijing's lanes called Hutong?
 According to historical records a small-scale city first appeared in the Beijing area about 3,000 years ago. It was not until the Jin dynasty in the 12th century that Beijing became the capital city for the first time.
At that time, there was no hutong in Beijing, just streets and roads. The word "hutong" is said to originate from the Mongolian language, which is one of Chinese minority languages.
It means passages between rows of siheyuan courtyard houses. Siheyuan is the traditional residence of Beijingers, each consisting of a rectangular courtyard surrounded by one-storied tile-roofed houses, usually one to six meters wide. Hutongs are where life was going on for the last 700 years since they first appeared in the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368). In the early 13 century, because of the war, the old city was destroyed. So they had to rebuild it. In the newly-built city, you can find streets and hutongs. Most of the hutongs, which remain today were formed in the Ming and Qing dynasties. But you can still find some from the Yuan dynasty. For instance, the Zhuanta Hutong in Xisi on the west side of the city is a typical example. In the Yuan dramas this hutong was often mentioned.
The area was also the home of famous playwright Guan Hanqing, Chinese Shakespeare of the Yuan dynasty. And over the last 7 centuries with the growth of the city, more and more hutongs appeared.
In the rich and historical culture of Beijing, the hutong has a very special and important position. Beijing hutongs are not only an appellation for the lane but also a kind of architecture. It reflects the vicissitude of society.

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