Hutongs
The origin of Hutongs
Hutongs are a major feature of Beijing. As Beijing becomes increasingly modernized, people are worried: Will hutongs disappear? Probably because of this, someone picked up a seemingly old topic: How did Hutong become the name of the street? How was this word coined?
Looking at its origin, the original word "Hutong" was surrounded by the word "行", indicating that the sound was "Hutong", which means a place to walk. So where does the sound of "hutong" come from? There is no explanation of the sounds of these two characters in Chinese! Checking the classics, we found that the term "Hutong" was first seen in Yuan operas, such as "Zhang Sheng Cooks the Sea". The girl Mei Xiang has the line "I live in Zhuanta Hutong", which shows that the word "Hutong" came into being. In the Yuan Dynasty. Therefore, the "Wanshu Miscellanies" textual research says: "'Hutong' is originally a Yuan language, and the word "Hutong" comes from "Hu" and "Tong", which means the Hu people are unified." This statement is not necessarily correct, because the Yuan people are Mongolians , if you don’t call yourself a “Hu people”, how can you take the meaning of “Hu people’s great unity”? Another theory that has some truth is that today the Inner Mongolian word "hot" is changed into the Chinese word "hutong". The Mongolian word "Hot" means town. The capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region today is called "Hohhot" (meaning blue city). So, it is not surprising that the Yuan Dynasty, ruled by the Mongols, introduced the Mongolian language.
1. "Hutong" was not originally Chinese
The word "Hutong" was first seen in Yuan Zaqu. In Guan Hanqing's "Single Sword Club", there is a saying of "killing a bloody alley". In the Yuan opera "Zhang Sheng Cooks the Sea on Shamen Island", Zhang Yu asked Mei Xiang: "Where do you live?" Mei Xiang said: "My family lives in Zhuantaer Hutong." Zhuanta Hutong is on Xisi South Street, and the place name has not changed to this day. Xiong Mengxiang, a native of the Yuan Dynasty, said it clearly in "Analysis of Jin Zhi": "The two-character Hu Tong is the original dialect." Which dialect is it, it is from Dadu in the Yuan Dynasty. Shen Bang, a Ming Dynasty scholar, further said in "Wanshu Miscellaneous Notes": Hutongs are native to human language. Since it is Yuanren language, it cannot be Chinese. In the Yuan Dynasty, people were divided into four classes: Mongols, Semu people, Han people, and Southerners. The so-called Han people refer to the Han people, Jurchens, Khitans, and Koreans in the north. These four kinds of people are not of the same ethnic group, nor do they speak the same language. Then "Yuanren language" is definitely not "Southern language". As for the Semu people, it includes more ethnic groups. Therefore, "Yuanren language" can only be Mongolian.
2. Hutongs are closely related to wells
Some scholars believe that hutongs were transformed from the "Hutong grid" - wells. The author agrees with this view. Because from the actual point of view in most cities, the relationship between hutongs and wells is closer.
Let’s start with the formation of hutongs. The Yuan Dynasty was built from a wilderness. Its central axis is drawn along the water, and most of the imperial palaces were built along the "sea". Then when designing and planning other streets, squares and residential areas, the location of the well must be taken into consideration. Either dig the well first and then build the house, or reserve the location of the well in advance and then plan the layout of the courtyard. No matter what the situation is, it is "a well makes an alley". Until the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there was no doubt that there was a well in every alley.
Look at the name of the alley. There are only a few reasons for the names of Beijing's hutongs: those named after temples, those named after government offices and government agencies, those named after construction sites and factories, those named after mansions and people, those named after markets, and so on. However, the largest number are named after wells. There were once ten in "Jing'er Hutong" alone; plus large wells, small wells, east-west, north-south, front and back wells, dry wells, wet wells, sweet water wells, bitter water wells... no less than four Fifty. This shows that alleys and wells are closely related.
3. Strange names are originally transliterated
Some alleys in Beijing have strange names because they cannot be explained in Chinese. However, it would be easier to explain if the names of these alleys were changed into Mongolian. To give a few examples: Dung Beetle Alley, what an unpleasant and ugly name! Why did the residents of this place give it such a name? In fact, the name translated into Mongolian is "Sweet Water Well"! There is "Mohe Hutong" in the inner court, which means "smelly well" in Mongolian. It must have been polluted. In addition, such as Gushao Hutong (or Kushao Hutong), Kushuijing; Juer Hutong or Juer Hutong, Shuangjing; Nianer Hutong or Nianer Hutong, Xijing; Baer Hutong, Xiaojing; Maliang Hutong or Maliang Hutong Mantis Hutong, a well designed for drinking water for livestock...
Beijing also has many "Hao Hutongs". "Mao Hutong" means broken well or broken well in Mongolian. Adding a surname in front of it indicates that the broken well is privately owned by a certain family.
This is not far-fetched. Next to Bai Mao Hutong, there was once a "Bai Hui Hui Hutong", indicating that this was once the residence of Muslims with the surname Bai. There was once a "Zhujia Hutong" near "Zhumao Hutong", which shows that a family surnamed Zhu did live here. Near Yangmao Hutong is Yangmeizhu Street.
As time goes by, some pronunciations have been distorted. This is not surprising: are there so few Chinese place names that are pronounced incorrectly? However, some Mongolian place names are difficult to verify to be true.
There should be no doubt that Hutong is the transliteration of Well. But there are a few points that must be emphasized. Hutong and well both had the meaning of "city" in the Yuan Dynasty. Shaluo City can also be called Shaluo Hutong, which means Coral City. In ancient Chinese, there was the word "market", which means "a market is formed by a well". In the Dadu era of the Yuan Dynasty, alleys and wells also had the meaning of "street". The bell tower in "Analysis of Jinzhi": "The tower has the names of eight corners and four wells, and it covers the widest streets in the east, west, north and south." The meaning is very clear, "well" equals street.
Jingwozi in old Beijing. In the era before running water, Beijing residents mainly relied on wells for drinking water. If ordinary residents do not have private wells, they must draw water from public wells. The wheelbarrow in the picture is designed to deliver water to people.
4. Hutongs and alleys
"Alleys, alleys - xiangqusheng, crimson rhyme, ancient pronunciation of Hugongfan, originally derived from ***, pronounced like ' "Nong'" was pronounced in the later Han Dynasty, and the word "Chu Cixiang" was written as "street". "The Book of Songs·Zheng Feng·Feng" says: "I regret not seeing you when I come to the alley!" Hedieyeyun, pronounced as Nong, comes from the Songs of Chu, which is the place of Chu in the Spring and Autumn Period, which is today's Lianghu, Jiangsu, Anhui and other places. Therefore, in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it is recorded in "The Book of Southern Qi": "Xiao Luan killed his king in Xinong." 'Note: 'Nong' means lane. 'Xinong' refers to Xixiang, which means "Nong" when pronounced urgently and "Hutong" when pronounced slowly. Today, the streets in Beijing are called "Hutongs", and the people in Shanghai call "alleys" "Nong". For this reason, the recent scholar Cheng Shude said that Hutong was a dialect of the northern Mongolian people in the Yuan Dynasty and was introduced to China from the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty (see Volume 2 of Guogu Tan Yuan). This is actually a misunderstanding (quoted from "A Preliminary Study on the Interpretation of Ancient Books - Huang Xianfan"). Selected Academic Papers" page 472, Guangxi Normal University Press, July 2004)
Introduction to Hutong Attractions
Shichahai
In the early years of the Yuan Dynasty, this body of water Called Jishuitan, it is the end point of most water transportation, and countless fleets from the south dock here. Mr. Sa Zhaowei said in "Looking for Traces of Pure Industry" that at that time, "cake shops and restaurants gathered together on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and wine flags stretched for miles." The wine flag with red characters on the bottom stretches for several miles." It can be seen that it was already a prosperous scene at that time.
In the Ming Dynasty, because there was a Shicha Temple beside the lake, this body of water was called Shichahai. The Caohe River in the Yuan Dynasty was gradually abandoned, and the pools of water gradually shrank inward, slowly forming three small lakes connected to each other. The land and water docks where ships and cargo gathered in the past have turned into a tranquil water town with sparkling waves. The poet Li Dongyang at that time lingered by the lake and was so excited that he praised it as "the best water in the city". Three policemen and Yuan also came hand in hand, formed a society by the lake, drank wine, admired the moon, and recited poems, leaving behind a good story.
In the Qing Dynasty, the three small lakes were colloquially called Qianhai, Houhai and Xihai as we know them today. Three seas are connected, the North Sea, the Zhonghai and the South China Sea are connected to the south. On the east side of the Zhonghai and the South China Sea is the Forbidden City. Whether it is pride or sorrow, the last two emperors in the Forbidden City came from Prince Chun's Mansion on the east bank of Houhai Lake. The last tragic dramas of the Qing Empire actually started on the shores of Shichahai.
Prince Gong’s Mansion Prince Gong’s Mansion is open from 8:30-17:00. Prince Gong’s Mansion is located at No. 17 Qianhai West Street. It is the largest palace in the Qing Dynasty. It is said that the total area of ??Prince Gong’s Mansion is more than 100 acres. . Equivalent to Zhongshan Park, this is the best-preserved palace to date and was once the residence of He Shen.
Prince Gong’s Mansion is divided into east and west roads, each consisting of more than one courtyard, followed by a 160-meter-long two-story back building.
Prince Gong’s Mansion Rockery. This rockery is made of glutinous rice paste and is very strong. There are two vats on the mountain. There are pipes at the bottom of the vats leading to the rockery. Water is poured into the vats to increase the area in the courtyard. The humidity was so high that the entire rockery used to be covered with moss.
In the middle of the rockery, there is a stele with the word "福" written by Emperor Kangxi to wish his mother a birthday. This is one of the "three unique features" of Prince Gong's Mansion. The stele is 7.9 meters long and runs through the renovated rockery.
On the third day of the first lunar month of the fourth year of Jiaqing (February 7, 1799), the Supreme Emperor Hongli passed away. The next day, Jiaqing deprived Heshen of the positions of Minister of Military Affairs and Admiral of the Nine Gates, and ransacked his home and estimated all his wealth. It was worth approximately 800 million taels of silver, equivalent to the total revenue of the national treasury for more than ten years. Therefore, there is a saying that "Heshen fell and Jiaqing was full." On February 22, Heshen was "ordered to commit suicide."
Hutong (Yandai Xiejie)
Yandaixie Street starts from Di'anmenwai Street in the east and connects to Xiaoshibei Hutong and Ya'er Hutong in the west. It runs from northeast to southwest. 232 meters long. According to the book "Rixia Jiuwen Kao" published during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, this street was originally named "Drum Tower Xiejie" and was renamed "Yantai Xiejie" in the late Qing Dynasty.
It is said that most of the bannermen living in Beicheng at that time were fond of smoking dry tobacco or water pipes, and the tobacco leaves were packed in tobacco bags. As the demand for cigarette pouches increased day by day, cigarette pouch shops were opened one after another on Xiejie Street. Most of the tobacco pouch shops on this street have high steps, and a large wooden tobacco pouch is erected in front of the door as a cover. The black cigarette pole and the golden cigarette pot are such a vivid symbol. There is a "Shuang Shengtai" tobacco pouch shop on the north side of Dongkou Road on Yandai Xiejie. In front of the door stands a large wood-carved tobacco pouch, which is as tall as a person and as thick as a rice bowl. The golden tobacco pouch pot is tied with a strip of red silk. The ears are very eye-catching. This "Shuang Shengtai" tobacco bag can truly be regarded as the number one tobacco bag in the same industry in Beijing.
In addition, Yandai Xiejie itself is like a cigarette pouch. The long and slender street looks like a cigarette pipe pole, the east entrance looks like a cigarette pipe spout, and the west entrance turns south and leads to Yinding Bridge, which looks like a cigarette pipe pot. It is precisely for these two reasons that Xiejie is named after "cigarette bag", which is truly worthy of its name.
The name of Yandai Xiejie became more and more famous and has been passed down to this day.
Yinding Bridge
Yinding Bridge is located on the waterway between Qianhai and Houhai in Shichahai, Xicheng District. It is a single-hole stone arch bridge running from north to south. It is called Silver Ingot Bridge because it looks like a silver ingot. It is one of the scenery of Shichahai and one of the eight small scenic spots in Yanjing. In the past, standing on the Yinding Bridge, one could look at the Western Mountains in the distance. The scenery was called "Yinding Mountain Viewing". In 1984, the original bridge was demolished and rebuilt, still named after Silver Ingot.
Drum Tower
The Drum Tower is located on the central axis of Beijing, at the intersection of Gulou East Street and Di'anmenwai Street. Together with the bell tower, it served as the time telling center for the entire city of Beijing during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. "Drums in the evening and bells in the morning" keep the whole city in order.
It stopped after 1924, and since 1990, the ringing of bells and drumming has resumed every New Year’s Eve.
The Drum Tower is a single ancient building with a wooden structure. The gray tube tiles are trimmed with green edges, and the double eaves rest on the mountain top. It is 46.7 meters high, 34 meters wide, and 22.4 meters deep. Under the eaves, there are five single-raised and single-warped five-step buckets, swirling in colorful paintings. There are eight arched coupon doors on the ground floor; three in the north and south, and one in the east and west. There is a side door on the east side of the north wall, with stone stairs inside that are inclined 45° from north to south. , ***Level 60, then turn west and tilt 45 from east to west. , there are also 9 levels, that is, you have to climb 69 stone steps to reach the second floor.
There are six square doors and windows on all sides of the second floor. There are corridors around it, about 1.3 meters wide, with wooden guardrails. The viewing post is 1.55 meters high, and the building area is 1925 square meters. The third layer is the dark layer. The entire building is located on a masonry platform about 4 meters high, with a width of 56 meters and a depth of 33 meters. There are brick steps to the north and south, and Yuanpo Road to the east and west. The total area of ??the Drum Tower is approximately 7,000 square meters. There are a pair of stone lions in front of the south door, about 1.25 meters high.
The Genggu, a time-telling instrument, is placed on the second floor of the Drum Tower. It originally had 25 sides, including 1 large drum and 24 small drums (to represent the 24 solar terms in a year). Now only one side of the drum remains. The diameter of this large drum is about 1.5 meters. It is made of a whole cowhide, but the drum surface is already covered with knife marks. This was done by the Japanese army when the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing in the 26th year of Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1900).
There are certain rules for beating drums in the Drum Tower to tell time. At 7 o'clock every night, during the "fixed watch", two drums are beaten, with a total of 108 sounds. From then on, the drums are beaten twice and 108 times at each watch until the final "bright watch" drum is played at 5 o'clock in the morning. . Drumming also has a certain rhythm. To this day, there is still a saying in Beijing that "18 is tight, 18 is slow, and 18 is not slow".
There was originally a copper kettle dripper on the Drum Tower, but it has been lost for a long time. Contains: "The copper clepsydra on the Drum Tower is extremely exquisite. According to old legends, it is believed to be a relic of the Song Dynasty. It is made of four copper clepsydras: the upper one is called 'Tianchi', the second one is called 'Pingshui', the third one is called 'Wanfen', and the lower one is called 'Tianchi'. Said 'collect water.
When the time comes, there will be eight cymbals struck at the mouth, and the pot will be filled with water. If it dries up, it will be added, and in winter, it will be warmed with fire. "At that time, drums and bells on the second floor of the bell and drum were all measured by this. After the Qing Dynasty switched to time incense, the clepsydra method was abolished.
Qilin Monument, originally located in Qilin Monument Hutong It is said that it was named after the relief sculpture of Qilin on the stone shadow wall in front of Qiu Luan's mansion in the Ming Dynasty. Later, due to Qiu Luan's defeat, the monument was buried underground and moved to the Drum Tower after it was unearthed in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. >After 1949, it became the site of the "Dongcheng District Cultural Center". In 1984, the Drum Tower underwent large-scale renovations.
An interesting talk about the names of Beijing Hutongs:
1. In terms of image. Named after a symbol
Because many hutongs are named after a more obvious image symbol, which also shows the honesty, straightforwardness and fun of Beijing people. For example, if the hutongs are wider, people will just call them "" The narrow ones are called "Jiadao", the slant ones are called "Xiejie", the zigzag ones are called "Badaowan", the rectangular ones are called "boxes", the short ones are called "Yichi Street", and the low-lying ones are called "Xiawazi", the slender ones are called "bamboo poles", the long and flat ones are called "poles", the ones with one end thin and one end thick are called "small trumpets", etc.
There are also some named after special signs. Hutongs, such as Tangzi Hutong, Shihu Hutong, Baishu Hutong (today's Baishun Hutong), Tieshi Hutong, etc. In addition, there are also Hutongs named after local characteristics or shapes, such as Er'er Eye Hutong, Luoquan Hutong, Shizhiquan Hutong, etc. /p>
2. Named after places
In the early years, the most conspicuous and prominent symbols were city gates, temples, archways, fences, wells, rivers, bridges and factories, so there were Named after this, the inner and outer streets of Xizhimen, the front and back Yuanensi Hutong, Dongsi (archway), Xidan (archway), Dashilan (old Beijingers pronounce it: Dashi La), Shuijing Hutong, Sanli River, The names of alleys such as Yindingqiao Hutong
3. Trees and plants
Some small alleys do not have these particularly conspicuous signs. There are many trees planted in the alleys, so there are willow alleys. Zaolin Hutong, Chunshu Hutong and other alleys are named after trees.
4. Direction
In order to make it easier to find, many hutongs also add "东" and "东" before their names. West, south, north, front, back, and middle locative words, such as Dongtangen Hutong, Xihongmen Hutong, Nanyueyaer Hutong, Beibanbi Hutong, Qianbaihu Hutong, Houniwa Hutong, Zhongmao Hutong, etc. < /p>
5. Beijing’s dialect
Because the name of the hutong was initiated by Beijingers living in the hutong, there are many Beijing dialects in it, such as backing the shady alley, taking out the lamp There are also many alleys with children's sounds, such as Luo'er Hutong, Ya'er Hutong, Yu'er Hutong, Shang Hutong, etc.
6. Lucky words
Some alley names can also express people's good wishes, and people are always willing to use them. Some auspicious words are used to name alleys, such as "Xi", "Fu", "Shou", etc., such as Xiqing Hutong, Xique Hutong, Fushun Hutong, Fusheng Hutong, and Shouchang Hutong. , Longevity Hutong and so on. There are also Ping'an Hutong, Anfu Hutong, Jishikou Hutong, Yongxiang Hutong, etc. with the words "ping", "an", "ji", and "xiang".
There are also romantic alley names, such as Baihua Depeng, Xinghuatian, etc., as well as ridiculous dog tail (old Beijingers pronounce it as "Gou Yiba"), sheep tail Yang Yiba ) alley, etc.
7. Alleys named after official government agencies
Such as Lumicang, Xixinsi, Xishiku, Jianyuan Hutong, Fuxue Hutong, Gongyuan Hutong, Bingma Hutong Si, etc., the alleys named after the official titles of relatives of the emperor and nobles, such as Yongkanghou Hutong, Wudinghou Hutong, Sanbao Dadi Hutong (the former residence of Sanbao eunuch Zheng He is now named Sanbulao Hutong), Master Wu Liang Hutong, etc.
8. Alleys named after market trade
For example, Xianyukou, Mule and Horse Market, Gangwa City, Sheep Market, Pig Market, Rice Market, Coal Market, Jewelry Market...
9. Those named after temples include Longfu Temple Street, Dafo Temple Street, Baochan Temple Street, Huguo Temple Street, Zhengjue Temple Alley, Guanyin Temple Alley, Fangju Temple Alley, etc.
10. Hutongs named after handicraft workers and ordinary residents include Casserole Liu Hutong (today’s Dashaguo Hutong), Wangzhima Hutong (today’s Wangzhima Hutong), and Gelma Zhang Hutong (today’s Shuanma Hutong) ), Mengduan Hutong, Liuhan Hutong (now Liuhai Hutong), Anchengjia Hutong (now Ancheng Hutong).
11. Hutongs and names
Beijing’s hutongs have very particular names and are a reference for us to study the society of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. After Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, made Beijing his capital, most of his heroes lived in Beijing, and many alleys were named after them.
For example, the hutong where the residence of Yongkang Hou Xuzhong is located is called Yongkang Hou Hutong, which is today's Yongkang Hutong in North City. The hutong where the residence of Wu'an Hou Zhengheng was located was called Wu'anhou Hutong, and later it was mistakenly called Wuwanghou Hutong, which is today's Xisibeibatiao.
In the early Ming Dynasty, General Xu Da lived in Beijing for a long time. His eldest daughter married Zhu Di, the then King of Yan. When Zhu Di attacked Nanjing, Xu Da's fourth son Zengshou informed Zhu Di and was killed by Emperor Jianwen. After Zhu Di entered Nanjing, he caressed the corpse and cried bitterly. After he came to the throne, he posthumously named Xu Zengshou the Marquis of Wuyang, and soon after he was granted the title Duke of Ding. The street where Duke Ding Xu lived was called Dingfu Street, which is today's Dingfu Street in North City. .
As for today’s Sanbulao Hutong, it is the former residence of Zheng He, the Sanbao eunuch. Zheng He was known as Sanbao Dad, and the alley where he lived was called Sanbao Dad Hutong, which was later mistakenly called Sanbu Lao Hutong. Wuliang Lord Hutong in Dongcheng, today's Hongxing Hutong, is a misname of Wu Liang Lord Hutong. Wu Liang was a general under Ming Taizu.
The commercial economy developed after the middle of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, some individual workers also left names for the hutongs where they lived with their outstanding labor. For example, in the Ming Dynasty, there were workers named Tang who washed cloth in Nancheng. The alley where they lived was called Tang Xibai Street, which is today's Tang Xibo Street in Chongwen District.
There is a Fenfang Liuli Street in Xuanwu District, which is a misname of Fenfang Liujia Street. There was a handicraft worker surnamed Yao in Dongcheng who was good at casting pots. The hutong where his home was located was called Yao Zhuguo Hutong. Later it was mistakenly called Yao Zhiguo Hutong, which is today’s Zhiguo Hutong near Beijing Station West Street.
There is a Tofuchen Hutong in Beicheng, which was later called Doufuchi Hutong. Another characteristic of the Ming Dynasty was that there were many paper horse shops used for making sacrifices, which reflected the prevalence of religious activities in the Ming Dynasty. Among the names of the hutongs are Wangzhima Hutong and Hezhima Hutong. Today they are also called Wangzhima Hutong and Heizhima Hutong.
The names of hutongs in Beijing are actually people-centered, and some hutongs are named directly after people. There are also many alleys not named after people, but there are former residences of celebrities, such as Kang Youwei's former residence in Mishi Hutong, Tan Sitong's former residence in the northern half of the alley, Zhongshan Guild Hall where Dr. Sun Yat-sen visited, and Xiao Yang's Alley on Zhuchao Street. It is the birthplace of Mr. Lao She. There is Mei Lanfang’s former residence on Huguosi Street, Mao Dun’s former residence in Houyuanensi Alley, Cheng Yanqiu’s former residence in Xisibeishiao, etc. Although the names of other types of alleys are not directly named after people, they are also directly related to people's daily lives.
The names of Hutongs such as Xiangwen Prime Minister Hutong, Zhangzizhong Road, and Zhao Dengyu Road were all named by people to commemorate the national heroes, thus clearly expressing people's admiration for the national heroes. This shows that the name of the hutong is not only a practical reference, but also has an aesthetic function and humanistic tendency.