胡同·老北京的故事

　　一、胡同的演变

　　胡同是北京特有的古老城市小巷。

　　北京的胡同大多形成于十三世纪的元朝，它们围绕在北京城市中心的紫禁城的周围，经历了元、明、清三个朝代的发展演变，到今日已有七百年多的历史。

　　胡同的走向多为正东正西，宽度一般不超过9米。胡同两边的建筑几乎都是四合院。四合院是一种由东西南北四座房屋以对称的形式围成一个院子的建筑物。大大小小的四合院一个紧挨一个排列起来，它们之间的通道就是胡同。

　　北京的胡同既是北京城市的交通脉络，更是北京大多数普通老百姓日常的生活场所。胡同一般距离闹市很近，但又没有车水马龙的喧嚣，可谓是闹中取静的城市居所。

　　北京人对胡同有着特殊感情，因为胡同是他们出入家门的共同通道，这对于邻里之间的交流和融洽，胡同发挥了特殊的作用。从外表上看胡同的模样都十分相似，但不同的胡同其内含却又各有特色。老北京的生活气息就存在于胡同的每个角落，存在于四合院的一砖一瓦之中，生　　活在胡同之中的居民有着独特的手足之情、邻里之情。也可以说胡同是一座老北京的民俗风情博物馆。

　　北京的胡同到底有多少呢？据文献记载，在元末熊梦祥撰写的《析津志辑佚》中，北京当时共有街巷胡同413条，其中29条直接称为胡同。明代张爵的《京师五城坊巷集》记载了1170条街巷，其中有459条胡同。清末朱一新的《京师坊巷志稿》中，共有2077条街巷，其中有978条胡同。1949年前后，北京街巷数量达到高峰，其时共有3216条街巷，其中有1039条胡同。1980年以后，随着经济和城市建设的发展，北京的城区有了很大的扩张，据1982年中国展望出版社出版《古今北京》一书说：“至今，北京城区的胡同约有4550多条。”但在改造建设城区之中又拆迁了一些老的街巷，昔日的许多街巷胡同变成了高楼林立的社区，一些老胡同也随之而消失了。伴随人口的增长，城区的扩大，截止到2003年的统计，北京的老城区尚存有1000多条胡同。

　　北京胡同历经了数百年的风雨苍桑，它既是老北京生活的象征，又是北京传统文化的生动体现。岁月如歌，古老的胡同虽然大都改变了模样，但还在生生不息，还在向人们讲述着一个老北京的故事。

　　二、胡同的由来

　　根据史料记载，胡同一词最早见于元朝杂曲，写作“”。

　　元朝杂曲名家关汉卿的取材于三国故事的《单刀会》中，有“杀出一条血来”的台词。富有神话色彩，表现男女爱情故事的李好的元杂剧剧本《沙门岛张生煮海》中也有如下对白：“张羽问梅香：‘你家住哪里？’梅香说：‘我家住砖塔儿。’”其中提到的砖塔儿胡同，就是今天西城区西四的砖塔胡同。

　　明朝万历年间顺天府宛平知县沈榜所著《宛署杂记》中记载：“本元人语，字中从胡、从同，盖取胡人大同之意。然二者皆从行，迨我朝龙兴，胡人北徙，同于荒服，亦基谶云。”也就是说 “胡同”一词本是元朝的语言，是“胡人大同”的意思。到了明朝，胡人被打败，所以又加上了“行”字。字形虽变了，读音却没有改。这里所说的元人，即建立元大都的蒙古人。

　　根据史料记载和民间传说，目前学术界对“胡同”一词含义和来源的解释主要有三种：

　　1、源于蒙古语，即“水井”之意：著名语言学家张清常教授认为，根据语言考证，胡同二字来自蒙古语“HOTTOG”的音转，即水井之意。在蒙古语、突厥语、满语中，水井一词的发音与胡同非常接近，在历史上，北京吃水主要依靠水井。乡有乡井，市有市井，除了河道、湖泊之外，井泉是居民生命之源，因此水井成为居民聚居区的代称，进而成为街道的代称，由此产生了胡同一词；

　　2、元朝时遗留的名称：蒙古语将城镇称为“浩特”，蒙古人建立元朝后，按照自己的习惯，将中原城镇街巷也称为“浩特”，后来“浩特”演化为“火弄”或“弄通”，进而演化成今日的“胡同”和“弄堂”；

　　3、胡人大同：认为胡同一词是元朝时政治口号“胡人大统”的简化版。

　　三、胡同的命名

　　北京胡同的名字从不同侧面反映了旧北京的地理、政治、军事、经济、文化、宗教和民俗，是研究北京历史文化的重要资料。

　　北京胡同的名称看上去包罗万象，名目繁多。这些胡同的名称不仅具有如同记号一样的实用指代功能，具体标出这条胡同在北京的地理位置，而且还有赋予意义和美学功能，能表达出给胡同起名的人们的思想和希望。

　　北京胡同的名称大约可以分为四大类：

　　1、以人名命名的胡同。

　　2、以建筑物命名的胡同。

　　3、以地形景物来命名的胡同。

　　4、以商业故地和商业名称的胡同。

　　在以人名命名的胡同中，直接以人的名字命名的就有上百条，这其中既有历史人物，英雄豪杰，达官贵人，也有平民百姓，小商贩，小手工业者名字来命名的。如以南宋丞相文天样之名命名的“文丞相胡同”，以元朝著名塑像家刘元命名的“刘兰塑胡同”。西城李阁老胡同，是因为明代文渊阁大学士李东阳曾住在这里。按清朝宫场称谓，部院的尚书、侍郎称之为大人，冠以姓，所以就有以乾隆年间兵部尚书班弟曾住过的胡同叫“班大人胡同”。另外，以经营豆腐生意的陈氏命名的“豆腐陈胡同”，以卖萝卜的苏氏命名的“苏萝卜胡同”，以经营丝棉生意的马氏命名的“马丝棉胡同”等等。其他如张自忠路、赵登禹路、石附马大街、张皇亲胡同，方家胡同，史家胡同、蔡家胡同、蒋家胡同等等，皆属此类。

　　以建筑或遗址命名的胡同如：东城区交道口的府学胡同，因明、清两代的顺天府学坐落在其中而得名。建国门内有贡院头条、二条胡同。是因明、清两代的贡院设在此地而得名。

　　其他如黄寺大街、东厂胡同、禄米仓胡同、西什库胡同、国子监街等都属于此类。

　　以地形特色、景物命名的胡同如：金鱼池、龙须沟、北河沿等，又如崇文区的三里河大街，是以明代开凿于此的三里河命名的。广安门外元代以前有莲花水域，因而留下了莲花池胡同、莲花池东路、莲花池西里等地名。

　　以商业故地和商业名称命名的胡同如：崇文区的花市地区，自清代中期便有人家以种植、制作并销售真假花为业，现在留下的西花市大街、东花市大街、花市上头条、花市下头条等街巷胡同，都与花市有关。东四以南的灯市口大街，从明朝起就是有名的灯市，因此留下了灯市口这个地名。 宣武门外的菜市口，曾是蔬菜交易市场。西城区有条斜街，名为烟袋斜街，这条街上，从清代至民国，直至解放以后，有许多商店卖烟袋，还在店门前悬挂一根大木制烟袋为幌子，这样就自然地定名为烟袋斜街。 其他，如晓市大院、牛街、珠宝市、果子巷、干面胡同、钱粮胡同、磁器口等，皆属此类。

　　四、最后的胡同

　　胡同的历史和老北京城一样久远，现在的北京旧城是以元大都为基础修建的，元大都旧城共有十一座城门，城门内的大街构成了全城主干道。主干道相交形成若干长方形居民居住区，居住区中又有等距离东西走向的若干小巷，这些小巷就被称为胡同，当时规定大街宽二十四步（约37.2米），小街宽十二步（约18.6米），胡同宽六步（约9.3米），胡同、大街和小街构成了完整的元大都城市街道体系。

　　明北京城是在元大都的基础上修建的，基本沿袭了元大都的格局，内城包括砖塔胡同在内的许多胡同都是元代的遗存。但自明代开始，对城市建筑的规范越来越宽松，出现了许多斜街和不规则的街道，明英宗时期开始修建的外城斜街和曲折的胡同就更多了。

　　但是随着历史的发展，越来越多的胡同和平房区成为危房改造的对象：一方面是居住在旧城区的市民日益感到老式房屋不堪使用，生活不便，另一面是市区政府和房地产开发商急于利用旧城大片的土地。在这种来自上下两层的重压之下，北京的胡同正在以每年数十条的速度加速消失，取代胡同的是现代化但没有北京建筑特色的高楼大厦和宽阔大道。因此，一些人士也发出警告：文化的北京正在因为胡同和四合院的消失而消亡，世界城市建筑史上的经典之作的明清北京城正濒临彻底消失的边缘。

　　2004年2月1日，建设部签发《城市紫线管理办法》，规定国家历史文化名城内的历史文化街区的保护范围，即紫线范围内，禁止进行违反保护规划的大面积拆除、开发；禁止对历史文化街区传统格局和风貌构成影响的大面积改建；禁止损坏或者拆毁保护规划确定保护的建筑物、构筑物和其它设施；禁止修建破坏历史文化街区传统风貌的建筑物、构筑物和其它设施；禁止占用或者破坏保护规划确定保留的园林绿地、河湖水系、道路和古树名木等；禁止其它对历史文化街区和历史建筑的保护构成破坏性影响的活动。这一管理办法为北京旧城胡同和四合院的保护提供了重要的法律依据。

　　在历史上和现实中，胡同都是城市普通市民生息的场所，胡同与北京文化的形成和存在起到了决定性的作用，相比于代表皇家文化的紫禁城、天坛、颐和园，胡同可以说是北京平民文化的代表，青砖灰瓦清水脊几乎已经成为老北京的象征。

　　但历史的脚步总是朝前迈进的，北京的一些著名的老胡同和街巷，虽然己被划为旧城保护区中得以保护，但它们也在不断的被修缮、改建，在悄然中改变了原来的模样。从2005～2008年我拍摄北京胡同期间，就看到不少这样的场景，这些延续了几百年的最后的胡同，未来将以何种方式得以留存下去，不得而知？

　　Hutong ? Story of Old Beijing

　　Feng Jianguo

　　I  Evolution of Hutong

　　Hutong are ancient city alleys typical of Beijing.

　　Most of hutong in Beijing came into being in the Yuan Dynasty in 13th century. Situated around the Forbidden City in the centre of Beijing, and having experienced the evolution through Yuan, Ming, Qing dynasties, Hutong of Beijing boast a history of more than seven hundred years till now.

　　Most of hutong go from east to west, with its width commonly no more than nine meters. Along its both sides are Siheyuan---quadrangles, units of buildings characteristic of Beijing, which is a inner open courtyard surrounded by 4 houses　respectively situated on  the east, west, south and north. Siheyuan of different size stands closely with each other and form a pathway in between. And the pathway becomes hutong.

Hutong not only function as part of the transportation system of Beijing, but also is the living place of most ordinary residents. Situated near downtown area but exempted from the noise and uproar of city, hutong can be seen as a precious place of tranquility in the midst of noisy city.  

　　Beijing residents cherish special sentiments for hutong, the common pathway for them to go in and out of home, which play a special role in the communication between neighbors and the harmony of neighborhood. Hutong have similar outlook but different hutong have different characteristics. The aroma of old Beijing exists in every single corner of hutong, in every single brick and tile of Siheyuan, and residents there not only look on each other as brothers and sisters, but also hold special feelings for each other. In other words, hutong can be called as a Museum of folk custom of Beijing.   

　　Then, how many hutong are there in Beijing?  We can find some clue from literature records. According to Analysing the 　　　History of Capital, written by Xiong Mengxiang in the Yuan Dynasty, there were 413 alleys, of which, 29 were directly called hutong then. Zhang Jue in the Ming Dynasty in his A Book of Alleys in the Capital recorded 1,170 alleys, of which, 459 are called as hutong. According to Capital Lanes Annals written by Zhu Yinxin in the Qing Dynasty, there were 2,077 alleys and lanes then, of which, 978 had the word hutong in their names. In about 1949, the number of streets and lanes in Beijing increased dramatically, with as many as 3,216 alleys then, of which, 1,039 are called hutong. After 1980, with the development of economy and urban construction, urban area of Beijing expanded greatly, with the book Ancient and Modern Beijing published by Chinese Expectation Publishing House saying: “Up to the present, there are over 4,550 hutong in urban area of Beijing.”  But in the process of modernization and reconstruction, the number of Beijing hutong has dropped dramatically as many of them are demolished to make way for new roads and buildings. With the increase of population and expansion of urban area, up till 2003, there are still over 1,000 hutong in Beijng.

　　Having experienced hundreds of years of development, Hutong is now a symbol of the life of old Beijng as well as a lively representation of the tradition and culture of Beijing. As time passed, though most of hutong have changed its outlook, they still show strong life and tell the story of old Beijing to all the people.

　　II  Origin of  Hutong

　　The earliest written record of the Chinese word “hutong” is found in the Yuan drama, written as “hutong”.

　　In a drama called Dandaohui written by Guan Hanqing, a famous writer in the Yuan Dynansty, there is an actor’s line “to strive and carve out a hutong to escape from danger.” It can also be found in the following dialogue in a drama written by Li Hao in the Yuan dynasty: “Zhang Yu asked Mei Xiang: ‘Where do you live?’ Mei Xiang answered: ‘I live in Zhuantaer Hutong.’ ” And the “Zhuantaer Hutong” mentioned above refers to the Zhuanta (Brick tower) Hutong in Xicheng district now.

Shen Bang, the head of Wanping County in the Ming dynasty, wrote in his Story of Wanping County, “The word Hutong gets its origin from the Yuan people, who are also called as Hu people. Hutong means the Hu people unify and govern the whole country. ” The Yuan People here refer to the Mongolians, who established the Yuan Dynasty.

　　As to the meaning and origin of the word “hutong”, there are following 3 editions of explanations based on historical records and folklore:

　　1. It originated from a Mongolian word, which means “water well”. According to Prof. Zhang Qingchang, a famous linguist, it originatied from a Mongolian word “ huttog”, which means a water well. The pronunciation of “water well” in Mongolian, Turkic as well as in  Manchu are quite similar to the pronunciation of hutong. And in history, resident of Beijing got water mainly from water wells. There were wells in both townships and cities. Except rivers and lakes, water wells were the most important source of water for city residents in old times. So water well became the address of  residential area,  and further became the address of street. The word “hutong” thus appeared.

　　2. It is a word left from the Yuan Dynasty. Township in Mongolian is called “haote”. After the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongolians called the townships as “haote” as well according to their own customs. And “haote” became “Huonong (fire alleys)” or “Nongtong (passageways)”, and further became “Hutong ” and “Nongtang” today.

　　3. It is an abbreviated version of “Hu Ren da tong”, a political slogan in the Yuan Dynasty, which means “the Hu people unify and govern the whole country.”

　　III  Domination of Hutong

　　The names of hutong in Beijing can reflect different respects of old Beijing, from its geography, politics, military strength, economy, culture, religion to its folklore, and can serve as important  references for the research of the history and culture of Beijing.

　　The very different names of hutong not only function as signals to tell people its exact geographical location in Beijing, but also show the thoughts and hopes of people who named it through its specific meaning.

　　The names can be divided into four categories:

　　1.　Hutong named after people;

　　2. Hutong named after buildings;

　　3.　Hutong named according to the geographical features around it;

　　4. Hutong named after famous goods sold at market.

　　Among the Hutong named after people, there are over 100, which use the names of people directly as its name. These people range from heroes in history, riches, high-level officials, to common people, pedants as well as handicraftsmen. Typical examples are Wenchengxiang Hutong [ a hutong named after Wen Tianxiang, Chengxiang( a rank of officials, compared  to Prime Minister today)of the Nan Song Dynasty) , Liu Lan su Hutong( a hutong named after Liu Yuan, a famous sculptor in the Yuan Dynasty) and Ligelao Hutong ( a hutong named after Li Dongyang, famous scholar in the Ming dynasty). Similar examples include Bandaren Hutong[a hutong named after Bandi, the defense minister of the Qing Dynasty( such high-level officials as ministers are called Daren then)],  Doufuchen Hutong(a Hutong named after a person with his surname as Chen, who was famous for the bean curd he made), Suluobo Hutong(a Hutong named after a person with surname as Su, who sold radish), and Masimian Hutong(a Hutong named after a person with surname as Su, who ran the silk business then), etc. Others, such as Zhang Zizhong Road, Zhao Dengyu Road, Shi Fuma Street, Zhang Huangqin Hutong, Fangjia Hutong (the Fangs), Shijia(the Shis) Hutong, Caijia (the Cais) Hutong and Jiangjia (the Jiangs) Hutong, etc, also fall into this category.

　　Hutong named after famous buildings or relics include Fuxue (state-run school)  Hutong, which gets its name because the famous Shuntian state-run school was situated there), Gongyuan(examination site)  Toutiao Hutong, Gongyuan Ertiao Hutong, both of which get its name because it is the location of  Gongyuan in both Ming and Qing Dynasties. Others, such as Huangsi Street, Dongchang Hutong, Lumicang Hutong, Xishiku Hutong, and Guo Zijian Street are all Hutong named after buildings.

 Hutong named according to the geographical features around it include Jinyuchi (Goldfish Pond), Longxugou (Longxu Dike), Beiheyan (north riverbank), etc. The Sanlihe (Sanli River) Street in the Congwen District gets its name from the Sanli River dug there in the Ming Dynasty. Because there were lotus ponds around Guang’an Gate, such names as Lianghuachi (Lotus Pond) Hutong, Lianhuachi East Road and Lianhuachi Xili are left.

　　Hutong named after famous goods sold at market include West Huashi(flower market)Street, East Huashi Street, Huashi Upper Toutiao Street, Huashi Lower Toutiao Street, all of which get its name because since the mid-Qing Dynasty, people in the Huashi area of Chongwen District have been making a living on the planting of flowers or on the production as well as sale of false blossoms. The Dengshikou (light market) Street south of Dongsi Area gets its name because it has been famous light market since the Ming Dynasty. Caishikou (food market) outside the Xuanwu Gate was once a market to trade vegetables. The Yandai (tobacco pouch) Xie(tilted) Street in the Xicheng District was named this way, because from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, till after the Liberation, there have been many shops on this street, which sell tobacco pouches, and many shop owners hang a big, wooden tobacco pouch on its gate as a signal for advertisement, so it was naturally named Yandai Xie Street. Others, such as Xiaoshi (Morning Market) Yard, Niu (Beef) Street, Jewelry Market, Guozi (fruit) Alley, Ganmian (dried flour) Hutong, Qianliang(money and food) Hutong, and Ciqikou(magnetic street), fall into this category.

　　IV  Final Destiny of Hutong

　　The history of hutong is as long as that of Beijing. Today’s old urban area of Beijing City is constructed on the basis of the capital of the Ming Dynasty. The Capital, then had altogether 11 city gates, and the roads in these city gates formed the main roads of the city, which crossed with each other to form some inhabitant areas. In these inhabitant areas, there were some east-to-west alleys, which were called as hutong. It was prescribed then that the width of a main avenue be 24 steps (about 37.2m), the width of a back street be 12 steps (18.6m), and the width of a hutong be 6 steps (9.3m). Hutong, street and avenue constituted the whole transportation system of the capital in the Yuan dynasty.

　　The layout of Beijing in the Ming dynasty followed the style of the Yuan dynasty. A lot of hutong in Inner city, including Zhuanta Hutong, were relics from the Yuan dynasty. But since the Ming Dynasty, the regulation on city construction became looser and looser, and many tilted streets and irregular streets appeared, especilly those constructed during the reign of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynsty.

　　With the development of history, more and more hutong and bungalows become the targets of the city reconstruction effort. On the one hand, it is because residents who live in the old urban area feel more and more strongly that the old houses are not only too old but also inconvenient. On the other hand, the government and the real estate developers are so eager to make use of the land of old urban area. For the above two reasons, the number of hutong in Beijing is decreasing so rapidly that almost tens of then disappear every single year. In its place are the modern skyscrapers and broad roads without the characteristics of Beijing architecture. So, some people demolish that cultural Beijing is vanishing as hutong and quadrangles disappear and that old Bejing city, the classic work in world architecture history –is on the brink of disappearing completely.

　　On Feb. 1st 2004, the Ministry of Construction enacted the Regulation of city purple-ray management. It stipulates that in the protection domain of cities with historical and cultural heritage, namely in the purple-ray domain, it is forbidden to carry out any large-scale block out and exploitation scheme, which may violate the protection layout; it is forbidden to carry out any large-scale reconstruction, which may affect the traditional pattern and scenery of the historical and cultural blocks; it is forbidden to shatter or demolish any constructions, buildings or other establishments confirmed to be the targets protected by the protection layout; it is forbidden to construct any buildings or other establishments which may destroy the traditional scenery of the historical and cultural blocks; it is forbidden to engross and destroy the gardens and greenbelts, the rivers and lakes, roads, the old and precious trees, and etc.; it is also forbidden to make any other actions which may have devastating effect on the protection of the historical and cultural blocks and historical constructions. This regulation provides important legislative authority for the protection of hutong and Siheyuan in Beijing.

　　In history and in reality, hutong is a place where ordinary residents live, and it plays a decisive role in the formation and existence of Beijing culture. In contrast to the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, which represent the imperial culture, hutong is the representative of the folk culture. The green brick and gray tile almost become the symbol of old Beijing.

　　But history is always treading forward. Although some famous old hutong and streets in Beijing have been protected, they have gone through continuous improvement and rebuilding. Some of them have their appearances changed. In the photos I have taken from 2005 to 2008, a lot of such scenes can be seen. What is the destiny waiting for these last hutong with a history of hundreds of years? And in what way these last hutong can be preserved in the future? Perhaps no one has the answer.