Dating back to the Mongol Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), hútòng (胡同) are traditional Beijing lanes that served as passageways between various sìhéyuàn (四合院), or courtyard houses. Over time, the name "hutong" has come to refer more broadly to the style of housing and the neighborhoods in which the traditional gray-brick courtyard dwellings are found.

These extensive stone mazes hold hundreds of years of history deep within their cracks and crevices and are famous for their irregular design and layout. Today, however, they are increasingly rare as block after block of hutong have fallen to the wrecking ball in Beijing's relentless campaign to modernize.

The remaining hutong are now popular tourist attractions, and the Houhai Hutong (Hòuhǎi Hútòng, 后海胡同) is among the most visited. The lanes can be explored on foot or via rickshaw (for a small, negotiable fee of course) and provide an excellent glimpse both of what common life was like during the Qing era as well as a brand of of traditional Beijing streetlife that has endured to this day, though it is increasingly hard to find as high rises and freeways replace courtyards and lanes.

Do a little more hutong exploring at South Xisi Street (Zhuanta Hutong) and Nan Luo Gu Xiang (Ju'er Hutong).

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