Wudaoying Hutong is located on the North Second Ring Road. It stretches to Andingmen Inner Street in the west and the red wall of the Yonghe Temple in the east.

The Wudaoying belonged to Chongjiaofang in the Ming Dynasty and there were barracks guarding the city, called Wude Wei Camp. In the Qing Dynasty, the Manchu bannermen renamed it "Wudaoying" according to the pronunciation of "Wude". After Qianlong, the appearance of hutongs was basically formed here. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were 69 courtyards in this 600-meter-old hutong and when the place name was rectified in 1965, it was officially named "Wudaoying Hutong".

Beijing's most literary hutong

There were gray tiles, red gates, gate piers, bicycles, bird cages and pigeon whistles. Wudaoying Hutong retains the charm of old Beijing. At the same time, Wudaoying Hutong is also slowly evolving into a cultural literary hutong under development.

Today, Wudaoying Hutong has not only literary cafes, bookstores, bars, restaurants, dessert shops, clothing stores, and galleries, but also residents of old Beijing. You'll see young tourists and foreign tourists dressed in fashion as well as uncles and aunts gossiping in their pajamas.

When night falls, the small shop windows on both sides of the alley are lit up. With the disappearance of the hustle and bustle, the Hutong drops into a calm and warm atmosphere. The various pubs come into life and the young people who travel together here laugh and talk here, which has become a utopia for relaxation. 

All forms of life, such as tranquility, literature and art, slow life, etc. are condensed in this small alley. Wudaoying Hutong is telling the new story of the old hutong in another style.

Translator: BAO Minmin

Reviewer: ZHANG Ruochen