The name of Hutong has been around for a long time. According to expert research, the word "hutong" comes from Mongolian, meaning "well". In those days, places with wells were gathering places for residents.
Therefore, the original intention of Hutong should be a gathering place for residents. There is another theory: after the Yuan Dynasty established the capital of Beijing, residential buildings were divided into blocks and were managed by Mongolians. Each block was separated by passages.
In addition to being used for people to walk, the passage also plays an important role as an isolation zone in the event of a fire. Although there are various theories, the emergence of hutongs began in the Yuan Dynasty and has become a common knowledge. At the beginning of the 13th century, the Mongolian leader Genghis Khan led his troops to occupy Jin Zhongdu and burned down the palaces of the Jin Dynasty in the city, turning Zhongdu into ruins. After that, the emerging Yuan Dynasty rebuilt the capital and called it Dadu. Dadu City is divided into 50 residential areas, called Fang, such as Futian Fang, Baoda Fang, Jincheng Fang, etc. Between the squares are straight streets and alleys of varying widths. There are more than 400 streets and alleys in the city. After the Ming Dynasty destroyed the Yuan Dynasty, the capital was rebuilt on the basis of the Yuan Dynasty and was called Beijing.
Beijing city is divided into 36 lanes, and the number of streets and alleys has increased to more than 1,100. After the Qing Dynasty established its capital, the old city of Beijing was used and renamed the capital. The number of streets and alleys in the inner city has increased to more than 1,400, plus more than 600 in the outer city, totaling more than 2,000. After the Revolution of 1911, the number of streets and alleys in Beijing continued to increase. By the eve of Beijing's liberation, there were more than 3,000 alleys. After the liberation of Beijing, urban construction developed rapidly, and many new residential areas were built. At most, there were more than 6,000 streets and alleys.
In recent years, with the deepening of urban modernization, there are more and more high-rise buildings in Beijing, while there are fewer and fewer streets and alleys. In order to continue "Hutongs", an ancient cultural phenomenon in Beijing, the Beijing Municipal Government has designated some characteristic Hutongs as historical and cultural reserves, which plays an important role in protecting the style of the ancient capital.
Others such as Zhangzizhong Road, Zhao Dengyu Road, Shifuma Street, Zhanghuangqin Hutong, Fangjia Hutong, Shijia Hutong, Caijia Hutong, Jiangjia Hutong, etc. all fall into this category.
The flower market area in Chongwen is named after its business place and business name. Since the mid-Qing Dynasty, some people have grown, produced and sold real and fake flowers as a business. Now there are West Flower Market Street, East Flower Market Street, Streets and alleys such as Flower Market Shangtoutiao and Flower Market Xiatoutiao are all related to the flower market.
Dengshikou Street south of Dongsi has been a famous lantern market since the Ming Dynasty, so the place name Dengshikou was left. Caishikou outside Xuanwumen was once a vegetable trading market. There is a Xiejie in Xicheng District called Yandai Xiejie. On this street, from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China and until the liberation, there were many shops selling cigarette pouches, and a large wooden cigarette pouch was hung in front of the shop as a guise. Naturally, it was named Yandai Xiejie. Others, such as Xiaoshi Courtyard, Niujie, Jewelry Market, Guozi Lane, Ganmian Hutong, Qianliang Hutong, Ciqikou, etc., all fall into this category.