HUTONG LIFE | A walk through old Beijing

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  • čas přidán 27. 08. 2018
  • I've lived in Beijing for 2 years now. It's easy to get caught up in the modern way of life and forget that Beijing is an ancient capital. For me, the best place to get a glimpse of old Beijing, are the 'hutongs' scattered throughout the city
    Weibo/Meipai/Bilibili: @Amy艾米饭
    Instagram: @amy_lyons

Komentáře • 170

  • @CBCWang
    @CBCWang Před 5 lety +33

    I remember my dad telling me stories about his childhood in Beijing and how these communities were everywhere in old Beijing. I remember going back a few years ago and visiting my old family home, a Hutong near Dongsi station, and a few living neighbors still remembering my dad from when he used to live there back in the 70s. It seems so much like a simpler time, a bittersweet melancholy of sorts as the city urbanizes so rapidly

  • @edwardw7965
    @edwardw7965 Před 4 lety +40

    Somehow, I feel these videos are so educated, even me as a Chinese find it interesting.

  • @xiaoguangsun7549
    @xiaoguangsun7549 Před 5 lety +11

    I was born and raised in hutong but I am in Melbourne now. Really miss hutong.

  • @christinarotter1024
    @christinarotter1024 Před 2 lety +6

    wow , that's really interesting to see how the hutongs have changed almost 15 years after I've been to Beijing. such a different vibe. but in a nice way. I remember that they were talking about demolishing all the hutongs because they needed so much space, as you said. I am glad that the majority is still there and they found a way to value these special places. I really liked walking around there, though I always was afraid to get lost. maybe nowadays it's easier, by follow the crowds 😋

  • @RespectOthers1
    @RespectOthers1 Před 5 lety +83

    Spending a few hours in the Hutongs looks fun.
    I think choosing between total demolition or leaving them dilapidated...what they are doing is a nice compromise. Like many things in China there is always a 'hybrid' solution.

    • @darkenergy9893
      @darkenergy9893 Před 5 lety +2

      Right. Anyway... the stupid history should be demolished once for all as the extinction of dinosaurs..

    • @luxi2701
      @luxi2701 Před 5 lety +1

      RespectOthers that’s very true.

    • @sharadowasdr
      @sharadowasdr Před 4 lety +4

      @@darkenergy9893 We should start by making you history and demolishing you.

    • @user-zi2lm4kt3h
      @user-zi2lm4kt3h Před 2 měsíci

      胡同是拆不掉的,因为一套房子,价值三四亿人民币,政府没有钱拆。

  • @jamarillo418
    @jamarillo418 Před 4 lety +5

    I’m from the one of the modernized and urbanized parts of Beijing (西四环). I left the city for Canada when I was really young and I miss it so much. I enjoy riding those shared bicycles all around the city whenever I go back during my summer brakes, just to look for some memory. Every time I’d spend weeks just going through the Hutongs, only to feel like a local kid again.

    • @user-nd6bz6ik7g
      @user-nd6bz6ik7g Před 3 lety

      我以前在海淀区(北京外国语大学)呆了两年,然后在北京第二外国语大学呆了一年,现在在长沙昌平区的外交学院读本科。

  • @lawrencejin4644
    @lawrencejin4644 Před 5 lety +35

    Hey!! I'm an American who's been living in Beijing for 4-5 years... I'm glad to see that you are exploring the old Chinese cultures!! :))

    • @BlondieinChina
      @BlondieinChina  Před 5 lety +2

      Hey Lawrence! Yeah gotta love all that Chinese history and culture - Beijing is such a great place to explore it!

    • @jeromeliu6219
      @jeromeliu6219 Před 5 lety

      Blondie in China thx for showing this , u know the funny thing is I’m Chinese and I never been to Beijing cuz I’m living in LA now for almost 13 years

  • @morninghope1
    @morninghope1 Před 5 lety +18

    Really enjoyed your videos. They are not only entertaining but also informative.

  • @melissaanzalone1603
    @melissaanzalone1603 Před 5 lety +32

    I've just discovered your channel and I'm binging on your videos! There are awesome and just make me want to come back to China! I hope you'll make more videos in the future! 加油

  • @passedport7245
    @passedport7245 Před 5 lety +16

    Amy, I've been looking for well made china vlogs for the longest time and I'm so glad to have come across yours. I'm not sure if that logo at the end of your videos indicates funding or representation of some sort, but you do them well! Thanks for being respectful and thorough in your explanations! I've breezed through a load of your videos this week and can easily say, your love for China is infectious! Thanks for sharing!

  • @Emily-vx6du
    @Emily-vx6du Před 2 lety +2

    i'm so glad gen z is finding ways to incorporate traditional culture into modern life-hutong cafes, hanfu streetwear, etc are so cool omg

  • @pauleh1000
    @pauleh1000 Před 5 lety +19

    I really like your positive and upbeat reporting about China. You seem to enjoy your life there. Different from others who only report negative. I never lived in China but always love to come back to visit. Please keep it up.

    • @g.t.4961
      @g.t.4961 Před 2 lety +1

      I lived 8 years in china. In Beijing and Shanghai. Wouldn't change it for anything. Safest country on earth. Everyday an adventure.

    • @Bulls3ye86
      @Bulls3ye86 Před rokem

      @@g.t.4961 Yeah. Unless your gay, or a Tibetan, or an Uyghur, or a girl, or...

    • @AazonLee
      @AazonLee Před 6 měsíci

      @@Bulls3ye86 Is there anything wrong with your mind? Typical happy education fool🤮

    • @AazonLee
      @AazonLee Před 6 měsíci

      @@Bulls3ye86 If you don’t like China, don’t fucking click on this video and make disgusting comments.

  • @Ytsejean88
    @Ytsejean88 Před 5 lety +15

    Really like your content! Informative, well done, short and sharp. Love it. Thank you!

  • @frankie2022
    @frankie2022 Před 2 lety

    The way Amy made her videos is always simple, straightforward and informative. It can reflect that she is a straightforward person. Like it!

  • @suginami123
    @suginami123 Před 2 měsíci

    An excellent presentation. Full of facts and history. I went in 2000 I loved the colour of the brickwork and the ambience.I dont mind the modern twist. Cannot wait to go back

  • @puiwun
    @puiwun Před 4 lety +1

    Love yr video, it's always short and precise! No nonsense talks.

  • @zachchai1000
    @zachchai1000 Před 5 lety

    the way your tell a story and present a video is so enchanting. You definitely sound knowledgeable and sophisticated. Good stuff! Hope your channel will blow up one day.

  • @VALObrand
    @VALObrand Před 4 lety +4

    I lived in the hutongs in Beijing for 5 years. Some of the streets you went down are in my old neighborhood. I recognized the Yonghegong area and guozijian. I also lived on Wudaoying for a while too. It's quite touristy and was always packed full of chinese tourists during the national holiday.
    The most beautiful hutongs I've even seen in that city are the ones just north of the temple of heaven. The ones along the north eastern side of the lake are nice too.

  • @Never4mind
    @Never4mind Před 5 lety +1

    Thank you for showing us China! I recently found your channel and I’m so inspired. I started learning Mandarin as well. All the best to you!

  • @darkenergy9893
    @darkenergy9893 Před 5 lety +18

    Very informative.

  • @allthingsasiapodcast1301

    Love the hutong life in Beijing. Always make a point of staying in or near them so we can explore. Great content!

  • @rileyking6097
    @rileyking6097 Před 4 lety +1

    Thank you for sharing this with us!

  • @syedmaricar9946
    @syedmaricar9946 Před 4 lety

    I love the old towns where ever Dubai Doha r Bahrain morroco Beijing .Lov to eat n socialise people are easy going in these areas..good to see them .

  • @lythsian
    @lythsian Před 5 lety

    Didn't know about this specifically. All the older cities have these nooks and crannies but didn't know about the detailed history thanks so much. Just another amazingly informative clip from you. Thanks again Aimz! Love everything you do.

  • @VektorHaus
    @VektorHaus Před 11 měsíci

    2012 - 2016 I lived in Beijing, WuDaoYing was still being built up, Nanlo only had foreigners. Good times!

  • @hong3170
    @hong3170 Před 4 lety +1

    When the time the hutong courtyard houses were for one or few families only, they were actually very comfortable houses.

  • @Youngcl77
    @Youngcl77 Před 5 lety +1

    I still remember going to my aunt’s Hutong room while she was in college, it was literally the size of my bathroom now.. besides the history I can’t find anything positive about the Hutong, but the good old days will always be the good old days.

  • @wuandy1
    @wuandy1 Před 4 lety +1

    well phrased and spoken!

  • @VincentFulco
    @VincentFulco Před 5 lety

    Beautifully presented!

  • @noirberries
    @noirberries Před 2 lety

    I'm going to beijing next week. I hope i will be able to get an airbnb in these hutongs! Excited!

  • @deborahzhang9022
    @deborahzhang9022 Před 5 lety

    love ur vids! entertaining and informative! binge watching ur channel rn lol! pls do more beijing videos :)

  • @normantang6924
    @normantang6924 Před 5 lety +47

    Please more 汉字 subtitles to all your videos, I learn to read mandarin by watching your vids.

    • @user-ui8rd1tf9v
      @user-ui8rd1tf9v Před 4 lety +1

      try afu阿福,another youtuber based at Shanghai.

    • @rosey.5250
      @rosey.5250 Před 4 lety +1

      I learn English by watching your videos

    • @chen4238
      @chen4238 Před 4 lety

      there are always tons of mistakes about Chinese subtitles in CZcams😂 usually the sentences don't make sense..pay attention when u read them....

  • @christians5694
    @christians5694 Před 3 lety

    Thank you for the video. My best Hutong is this one near Ho Hai Lake. When I go to Beijing I stay there.

  • @clem109
    @clem109 Před 4 lety

    I miss metal hands coffee so much! I used to go almost every day when I lived in 雍和宫.

  • @brianrowe236
    @brianrowe236 Před 4 lety

    We stayed in a Hutong in the Dongsi district last year and didn't find it too commercial. Loved wandering around but the electric scooters are a nightmare - you can't hear them coming! As for the public toilets, my wife went in one and walked straight out. Not only didn't it have any doors but it had no dividing walls either!! Enjoying your vlogs.

  • @lunawei6885
    @lunawei6885 Před 5 lety

    this is amazing! thanks for sharing!

  • @amandaskryweropinion
    @amandaskryweropinion Před 4 lety +1

    So beautiful

  • @kavkashyap9602
    @kavkashyap9602 Před 5 lety +8

    Your videos are superb. Please make more videos if possible.

  • @Joshuaxiong2
    @Joshuaxiong2 Před 4 lety

    I've been around there before, was like an alleyway, and at night people just walking there, so.. felt safe for them.

  • @WolframRaies
    @WolframRaies Před 5 lety +6

    Hey Amy! i really enjoyed your video. Ive been here in bj for 2 months now and I really wanna visit the hutongs so i might check the ones you mentioned in ur vid.

    • @BlondieinChina
      @BlondieinChina  Před 5 lety

      thanks so much Raies!! Yeah you've gotta go check out the hutongs!! The main hutongs I went to in this video were 1) wudaoying 五道营, and 2) nanluoguxiang 南锣鼓巷 and the hutong streets that run perpendicular and parallel to nanluoguxiang。 Happy exploring!! You could spend hours getting lost in those hutongs. Enjoy!

  • @sosososi2770
    @sosososi2770 Před 5 lety +1

    U don't know how much I love u and your videos oh my god 😘😘😘😘

  • @liongrose1173
    @liongrose1173 Před 3 lety

    Tq you do a great Job...

  • @g.t.4961
    @g.t.4961 Před 2 lety

    Wonderful video!!! I Am sure you know but here's a story on why some people specially in Shanghai wear a pijama in the streets. First is because people in hutongs didn't bother to change clothes to go to toilet (I wouldn't also) and second is because decades ago, most people only own 1 set of clothes. Those who had a pijama showed somehow a better economic position. So they liked to show around.

  • @ronlai4802
    @ronlai4802 Před 4 lety

    Fantastic video, keep it coming...thanks for sharing

  • @michaelle4560
    @michaelle4560 Před 5 lety

    Awesome. Thx

  • @11joe111100
    @11joe111100 Před 4 lety

    Going to be there next week. After seeing this video im definitely going to check out the hutongs 👍🏻

    • @BlondieinChina
      @BlondieinChina  Před 4 lety

      so glad to hear that! you won't regret it, the hutongs are so interesting

  • @KimchiAndBeansVideos
    @KimchiAndBeansVideos Před 5 lety +1

    Fantastic vlog! We're planning a trip to Beijing this year and you just made us so excited about our trip! So beautiful.

    • @BlondieinChina
      @BlondieinChina  Před 5 lety +1

      Thanks guys! You're gonna love Beijing!!!

    • @ashleymalone1445
      @ashleymalone1445 Před 5 lety

      Enjoy being hounded by scammers.

    • @shaynel8939
      @shaynel8939 Před 4 lety

      @@ashleymalone1445 you are so lame,hater🌚🌚🌚

    • @ashleymalone1445
      @ashleymalone1445 Před 4 lety

      Shayne L why, because I’m telling the truth, drop dead loser

    • @shaynel8939
      @shaynel8939 Před 4 lety

      @@ashleymalone1445 oh…so much hate from your twisted little brain, just NUKE us,lier

  • @wimprezax
    @wimprezax Před 4 lety

    I was born and raised in the Hutong of Beijing until I was 10, spend the next 20 years in California. Can't wait to live in China for a few years to see how is it like.

  • @user-pk8rv6pc7o
    @user-pk8rv6pc7o Před 4 lety

    thanks so much, a sunny girl.

  • @lowcc7602
    @lowcc7602 Před 4 lety

    Hutong must be preserved.

  • @zxywxy
    @zxywxy Před 5 lety

    I like your videos so much. 👍🏻👍🏻

  • @juliakrystal19
    @juliakrystal19 Před 3 lety +1

    I love Beijing so much ❤️ I don't know why but I feel so much more comfortable there than in Shanghai...

    • @g.t.4961
      @g.t.4961 Před 2 lety

      Very different. Cannot compare. I lived in both and personally I find Beijing easier. More suitable for me. I lived in the south gate of chaoyang park and spent many hours in both chaoyang and honglingjing park. In Shanghai not so many green areas, road narrower and less traditional places

  • @luhuang5256
    @luhuang5256 Před 3 lety

    Preserving and re-purposing some is a great idea but redevelopment for higher density is generally good. Many young people spend 3-5 hours a day commuting on public transit because they cannot afford to live closer to work. Hutong housing often also don't meet modern housing standards. They generally aren't connected to the underground sewage system. Inhabitants still have to go use the public toilets outside or use chamber pots inside.

  • @melodychou5209
    @melodychou5209 Před 4 lety

    Very informative!

  • @taowu8479
    @taowu8479 Před 5 lety +4

    Nice video keep going

  • @changsuo6765
    @changsuo6765 Před 3 lety

    I am a local Beijinger, but I feel you know more about Beijing than me!!!

  • @lowcc7602
    @lowcc7602 Před 4 lety

    Great

  • @cuihaojun8191
    @cuihaojun8191 Před 5 lety

    great job.

  • @yunxizhao6722
    @yunxizhao6722 Před 5 lety +4

    Hi 爱米饭🍚 我非常喜欢你的视频,特别是这个北京的视频,让我非常思念我的城市北京。我现在在悉尼留学2年半了。今后会支持你的视频。加油!

    • @BlondieinChina
      @BlondieinChina  Před 5 lety +1

      哇!谢谢你的支持!让我非常开心。have a great day!

    • @shaynel8939
      @shaynel8939 Před 4 lety

      ……😂google translate???

  • @shawgu9835
    @shawgu9835 Před 5 lety +1

    这背景音乐超强,我不自觉地跟着点头~~

  • @pavementpounder7502
    @pavementpounder7502 Před 5 lety

    Do they mind you taking photos in hutongs? They're so interesting, we stayed in a hotel in the hutongs back in 2006. I was afraid they were all being demolished, good to know there are at least some around.

    • @ruedelta
      @ruedelta Před 5 lety +1

      It really depends. Some of them are far more residential than others and generally speaking you don't want to be taking unwanted snapshots of people's houses. The more commercial ones are perfectly fine. if you are in a more residential one, depends on how comfortable you feel. Asking some of the residents nearby might help a ton and add a bit of local flavor to your experience.
      As for demolishing, the remainder won't. A lot of politically powerful people live in these areas (the notorious "2nd loop residents") and the growing resistance against the more outsider administration of Beijing has coincided nicely with Xi's direction of preserving the character of Beijing. They have largely been forced to retreat back to older regulation widths to allow for traffic - a lot of "growth" into the street was illegal but unmitigated back in the past. There is also a general call for removing businesses and changing it all back to residential, so you should see less businesses over time (especially chains).

  • @feiwang6584
    @feiwang6584 Před 4 lety +1

    真好!

  • @bobstone5889
    @bobstone5889 Před 4 lety +7

    You could decrease volume of music. Please!

  • @ShibaInu-xb4lx
    @ShibaInu-xb4lx Před 5 lety +4

    I was shocked to see a kfc in a hutong near lama tempel.

  • @JaniceWithTheTarlovCyst
    @JaniceWithTheTarlovCyst Před 9 měsíci

    How fascinating. I'm going to search through my Dad's old postcards he sent me from China. I forget where he went, but he was in the waterpower industry and some people, .y Dad being one, was invited by the government to look at a spot to build a hydroelectric power plant. He went somewhere very rural and he made a few women cry because he was a big man and looked very odd to the locals. There's a photograph of my Dad picking up a man and carrying him on his hip like you would a baby 😂
    The men he met really liked him and he made new friends.

  • @nickguo6704
    @nickguo6704 Před 5 lety

    I love you Amy!

  • @xxduizzh8948
    @xxduizzh8948 Před 5 lety

    Very nice vedio

  • @user-eo6uv8nr9l
    @user-eo6uv8nr9l Před 4 lety +1

    喜欢你的视频!

  • @mofanh6260
    @mofanh6260 Před rokem

    回顾amy以前的视频,好青涩哈哈哈哈,希望oneday能偶遇amy一起吃美食

  • @peterwu5091
    @peterwu5091 Před 5 lety

    Dat calligraphy outtro tho

  • @shipecleora7682
    @shipecleora7682 Před rokem

    Old Beijing hutongs, are ancient buildings in the Ming and Qing dynasties, are inhabited here, but belong to the ancient buildings protected by the state, here a single set of four-room hutongs, it costs 100 million US dollars, this is Chinese luxury

  • @gklpang
    @gklpang Před 5 lety

    Good, but need more pictures of the Hutong homes

  • @Jana-rb3ej
    @Jana-rb3ej Před 5 lety +6

    我从美拍追过来滴HHHH

  • @tea1255
    @tea1255 Před 5 lety +2

    Great video! 🙃Also...What VPN do you use?

    • @BlondieinChina
      @BlondieinChina  Před 5 lety

      Thank you!!! In china I usually use express VPN :)

  • @allysia4
    @allysia4 Před 7 měsíci

    Thank you dear, enjoy watching your blog. Are you able to
    recommend unbranded shopping for clothes , bags, shoes that are pretty decent quality in Beijing Thank you 🤗🌹

  • @huxiao7150
    @huxiao7150 Před 5 lety +1

    视频做的很好👍

  • @sohsimon1857
    @sohsimon1857 Před 5 lety

    Really love all your videos. It was very entertaining but you should connect and communicate with the local. Hope you have videos be better and better.

  • @littlebitmorecheese
    @littlebitmorecheese Před 4 lety

    I remember when I was staying in Beijing, one night I was taking a walk with my friend after dinner around the 大栅栏 area and suddenly wanted to go to the toilet. So we managed to find a very small toilet in the hutong and I rushed in just to find out that there is absolutely no privacy, no door, no fence between those three 蹲坑. And what’s worse is there was already a person squatting on the middle one. I had no other choice but to do it next to her, our legs were so close I could even feel her body temperature. This is the most embarrassing moment in my life for sure. 😂

    • @edwardw7965
      @edwardw7965 Před 4 lety

      Probably you should greeting and have a little conversation with her, to enjoy the moment. [palmface].

    • @WENJILIU
      @WENJILIU Před 2 lety

      太逗了哈哈😂

  • @luhuang5256
    @luhuang5256 Před 3 lety +2

    Foreigners: Wow. You can see everyone using the public toilets.
    Chinese: Why are you looking at other people using the toilet?

  • @NightingaleSong
    @NightingaleSong Před 4 lety +3

    "The Last Days of Old Beijing"

  • @lowcc7602
    @lowcc7602 Před 4 lety

    There should have to preserve the old houses

  • @user-uu5jf3jo3o
    @user-uu5jf3jo3o Před 3 lety

    Hello! Did you do a silent Walk film on BJ?

  • @TL-fe9si
    @TL-fe9si Před 5 lety

    I'm Chinese, and I've never been to a hutong before...XD. I wonder why only Beijing preserves a large amount of hutong compared to other cities in China.

    • @comradestrawberry1876
      @comradestrawberry1876 Před 5 lety

      T L 其它地方也有本地的特色居民区,比如天津的洋楼。北京之外没有胡同是因为只有北京叫它胡同,这个词应该是从满语演变来的。

  • @maxwilliams5941
    @maxwilliams5941 Před 5 lety +4

    Hutong means Converging with barbarians.It's the name source from Yuan Dynasty when Mongolian rules Han people.

    • @BlondieinChina
      @BlondieinChina  Před 5 lety +1

      wow - really?! thats super interesting - I'm gonna do some research on that!

  • @damaoriji
    @damaoriji Před 3 lety

    Wonderful. The background music a little bit too loud.

  • @LiLi-qh7wu
    @LiLi-qh7wu Před 5 lety +4

    i can tell this girl lives in and knows China!

  • @LSTY2024
    @LSTY2024 Před 3 lety

    😁😁😁😁😁💕❤️🌹🌹👏👏👏

  • @andiz3201
    @andiz3201 Před 5 lety +1

    目测开头在北二环安定门附近 ;)

  • @bishtseema
    @bishtseema Před 4 lety +4

    We cud hv understood u better without that loud irritating music

  • @robma9847
    @robma9847 Před 5 lety

    CHINA TOP....YOU TOP.

  • @xichen9459
    @xichen9459 Před 4 lety +1

    胡同的厕所,我的心里好痛啊。

  • @pavkRN
    @pavkRN Před 4 lety +2

    please don't add music to your videos. i cannot properly hear what you're saying because of the music.

  • @user-pk8rv6pc7o
    @user-pk8rv6pc7o Před 4 lety

    สวัสดีครับ

  • @leonxu9261
    @leonxu9261 Před 5 lety

    cute

  • @a.g.4843
    @a.g.4843 Před 4 lety

    I was there in dalishar police station near quianmen station. Those guys are tough. They are simply hardcore. But they helped me get my money back from those tea house scammers.

  • @Terminator-rv6sl
    @Terminator-rv6sl Před 4 lety

    学霸!

  • @user-ui8rd1tf9v
    @user-ui8rd1tf9v Před 4 lety

    竟然有些事儿我都不知道

  • @Joshuaxiong2
    @Joshuaxiong2 Před 4 lety

    2:45 Yeah, there are a lot of public toilets. Yeah, those are the worse toilets ever, floor toilets and even no privacy. I was like wtf when I saw it.

  • @xiaokunli3781
    @xiaokunli3781 Před 4 lety +1

    3:24 老大爷清华的

  • @coretantwit5023
    @coretantwit5023 Před 5 lety

    I dont see beijing, just her face there

    • @BlondieinChina
      @BlondieinChina  Před 5 lety +2

      yeah realised after making this video I needed to put more scenery shots in!! Changed my style a lot since then, check out some of my newer videos and see what you think!