Eight Grand Hutongs
Homes to Hookers
in Old Beijing
Hutong refers to
long and narrow alleyways between
enclosed courtyard
residence in Beijing. And Beijing’s
hutongs are numerous as the hairs on a
cow, as the locals like to say. The sizes
and appearances of hutongs vary, so do
their notability. Usually a hutong
becomes famous for its association with
historical figures. But this isn’t
always the case. The most famous ones are
Eight Grand Hutongs (八大胡同), and they did
not house any historical VIP, but were
homes to hookers. If you stand at the
point between the northern end of West
Zhushikou Avenue and the southern tip of
Tieshuxie Street, and count the alleys
from west to east, you’ll find these
eight hutongs: Baishun Hutong (百顺胡同Hundreds Luck),
Yanzhi Hutong (胭脂胡同Rouge), Hanjia
Pond (韩家潭 Han Family
Pond), Shaanxi Alley (陕西巷), Shitou Hutong (石头胡同Stone),
Wangguangfu Slant Street (王广福斜街), Zhujia Hutong
(Zhu Family朱家胡同) and Lishamao
Hutong (李纱帽胡同Gauze Cap Li).
In the old days,
the area outside the Front Gate (前门) around the Dachila (大栅栏 Great Fence) were
scattered with a hundred of brothels,
with the hookers at the Eight Grand
Hutongs reputed as the best, meaning they
were not only pretty but able to sing and
play music instruments.
 Entrance to an
ancient brothal
|
One of the Eight
Grand Hutongs today
|
Since Beijing was made the
capital city of China, a profession
called Official Prostitutes emerged in
the inner city area. Most of the ladies
there were the daughters and wives of the
condemned court officials who refused to
switch their loyalty after Emperor Jianwen in Nanjing was
defeated by Emperor Yongle from Beijing.
The women were forced to play music for
the emperor and officials, and the hutong
where they lived is still called Yanyue
Hutong today (演乐胡同Concert Hutong).
But on the whole,
Beijing’s hookers were never been able
to compete with their counterparts in the
south, particularly those in the cities
of Yangzhou, Nanjing and Hangzhou.
During the Ming and Qing, the emperors
and officials frequently travelled down
along the Yangzte River to seek their
true pleasure.
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