Hotel Hutong story
Breakfast at hotel. Hutong Inn Hotel “Hutong” tour visiting an old district of Beijing, ride a pedicab and have lunch at a family’s home.This many people"s dream.
Since the mid-20th century, the number of Beijing hutongs has dropped dramatically as they are demolished to make way for new roads and buildings. More recently, some hutongs have been designated as protected areas in an attempt to preserve this aspect of Chinese cultural history.
You can start your day with a scrumptious breakfast served at the hotel. The on-site restaurant serves delicious international cuisine for you to feast on. Overlooking the Kensington Gardens, the lounge is an ideal place to relax along with afternoon tea or light snacks. The Tiki Bar is a perfect place for an exotic drink after a busty day.
The hotel offers well-equipped meeting rooms for organising your important events. You can also avail the services of foot and body massage after an intense day of work or pleasure.
So you want an authentic Chinese experience while in Beijing. Sick of the usual hotels and tourist traps? Why not try a hotel.
Walking around central Beijing you can see a lot of old style houses, many of which are falling apart. They are the hutongs. What are the hutongs?
Beijing's hutongs are a sprawl of narrow alleys and courtyards, of small shops and restaurants, of homes and families. The city's residents regard them as one of Beijing's defining, essential characteristics, the heart and soul of the city for centuries. Some hutongs have been standing since their construction under the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1341).
Today they are at the heart of an increasingly controversial facet of "progress" and "modernity" in China: what balance should be struck between preserving Beijing's culturally and historically significant sites, and building a developed, global city in time for the 2008 Olympic Games?
Some people have decided to try and perserve the Sanctity of the Hutongs, by creating a hotel. Our guide and soon to be manager Chef Qi explained to us the logistics of the hotel.
Many of Beijing's surviving hutongs were constructed as residences for both nobility and commoners, arranged so as to emphasize social stratification and the Emperor's domination over all.
Some hutongs are comprised of narrow alleyways and siheyuan complexes, with four houses surrounding a square courtyard. The word "hutong" means "water well" in a Mongolian dialect.
This term indicates that long ago people built their homes surrounding wells, with alleys separating each residence. The hotel hutong experience comes complete with 5 star facilities. You even have the chance to experience an authentic
Chinese tea ceremony and a Zither concert.
This one hutong hotel called Ji House has already had an offer to be bought for 25 million RMB, thats over 3 times more than the total price it cost to complete the hotel.
Any desire to sell? At this point no. The company responsible for designing and building the hotel is already constructing another larger hutong hotel, with plans for it to be open by the start of the Olympics.
Sounds interesting? Like most "authentic" experiences, this one comes with a price tag. Right now the experience will set you back around $250 US dollars for one night.
Breakfast at hotel. “Hutong” tour – by pedicab around old Beijing district including visit and luch at a family’s home.
