While the rest of the city is crowded and noisy, several old men are sitting in their ancient hutong, drinking tea and playing chess. .
Beijing hutongs have a very special place in the rich history of Beijing. .
According to experts, the word hutong comes from the Mongolian language, meaning "well( 井 )". In ancient times, people preferred to gather and live around wells. There are other explanations, too. No matter what hutong exactly means, it is commonly agreed that hutongs first appeared in Beijing during the Yuan Dynasty.
. Nobody knows exactly how many hutongs there are in Beijing today. .
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A. While visiting them, you can get a feel of its traditional lifestyle and culture. B. Beijing hutong is so famous that people from all over the world go to visit it. C. This is a typical day in a Beijing hutong. D. So the original meaning of hutong should be "a place where people gather and live." E. But one thing is for sure, if we connected all the hutongs together, it would even be longer than the Great Wall! F. In the Yuan Dynasty, there were about 29 hutongs. |
