A walk through the imperial capital’s three ‘cities’
by (09/10/09 23:59)
Gege Fu in Da Qudeng Hutong serves Qing-style banquets
A strange-looking two-door house in Huangmi Hutong draws visitors.
The stone carving on the wall is a symbol of wealth and prosperity
A Ruyi Door with two ornaments on top denotes the home of society’s lowest-ranking members.
An old courtyard has been restored by locals
Layout of imperial Beijing
Beijing as the imperial capital was constructed and flourished during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. The old city’s layout, which remains until today, was set up in Ming. Qing leaders kept the layout and main structures, merelyconducting restorations and making improvements.
It had an Outer City, Inner City and Imperial City. The Outer City, built during Ming Dynasty Emperor Jia Jing’s reign (1522-1566), largely encompassed what is today Chaoang and Xuanwu districts. The Inner City, where commoners lived, roughly covered what is now Dongcheng and Xicheng districts.
At the center of the capital was the Imperial City, the only residents of whom were the royal family, their servants and merchants catering to their needs. At the Imperial City’s core lay the Forbidden City.Imperial Beijing stretched from what is now Ping’an Avenue in the north to Chang’an Avenue in the southIt extended from Dongcheng’s Huangchenggen Relics Park in the east to Xicheng’s Xi Huangchenggen in the westIt took 600 years to build the imperial capital ?the world’s largest and best-preserved imperial city.Homes speak of hierarchy
90 Percent Travel’s city walk set off from Longfusi Pailou (Longfu Temple Archway) to Jiaozi Hutong, located on Dongsi North Avenue.The hutong is very narrow, only enough for people and sedan chairs in olden times to pass through the lane. It contains many siheyuan, or courtyard residences, designed depending on the social status of their owners.
