There were once thousands of hutongs in the city of Beijing.

Those hutongs, once calm and tranquil, were documented by many writers including Lao She:

“The hutong is long and narrow, with walls built of little stones. The inside if more spacious, but the walls aren’t as well built. Part of the northern wall has been destroyed by rains and you can see into the yard…”

Each spring for hundreds of years, the same light blue flowers have come and gone, but German photographer Hedda Morrison, focuses her lens on the huge, landmark buildings of Beijing.

But what if, suddenly, the Beijing we know, the old walls, and hutongs are suddenly gone? The oldest city walls have been preserved through photographs, but what about the hutongs?

Let’s join together to document the hutongs of Beijing through words and images.

Photo albums:

The Last Hutongs

http://www.douban.com/photos/album/43101478/

The Last Gate Stones

http://www.douban.com/photos/album/42279077/

Hu Cheng (photographer, writer)

Traveler Magazine