Silly Zhu's Moving: The Old Neighbor's Nightmare

When discussing urban planning and residential organization in ancient China, the neighborhood system is undoubtedly a core topic.

This system was called "li", "lu" or "luli" in the pre-Qin period, but from the Northern Wei Dynasty onwards, it was called "fang".

In the urban planning of Yuan Dadu, the li-fang system was continued, and the whole city was divided into 50 fang, which were separated by wide and straight streets and alleys, forming a chessboard layout.

During the Ming Dynasty, Beijing was re-divided into 28 wards. Two wards were merged and named "Zhaohui Jinggong Ward". During the Qing Dynasty, it was under the jurisdiction of the Bordered Yellow Banner.

Despite nearly 800 years of dramatic changes, the original layout of the neighborhoods of Yuan Dadu (Beijing) is now difficult to discern.

However, the Nanluoguxiang area has miraculously preserved the historical traces of the Yuan Dynasty's urban neighborhoods, with a complete layout of hutongs and various mansions and courtyards scattered in an orderly and beautiful manner.

Sha Zhu walked through the rain to the southernmost end of Nanluoguxiang, where the first alley on the east side of the south entrance, Chaodou Hutong, came into view.

Not far from its western entrance, No. 77 Courtyard is the former site of Prince Senggelinqin's mansion.

This princely mansion is grand in scale, spanning Chaodou Hutong and Banchang Hutong, and is divided into three sections: central, east, and west, each with four courtyards.

In addition to the main courtyard, the east wing also has four courtyards, forming a large architectural complex.

However, with the arrival of the Republic of China era, the Prince's Mansion was gradually auctioned off and divided by his descendants. Today, Nos. 71 to 77 (odd numbers) Chaodou Hutong and Nos. 30 to 34 (even numbers) Banchang Hutong are all part of the original Prince's Mansion.

The mansion once had 117 rooms. Senggelinqin, a hero of the Khorchin Banner of Mongolia, defeated the Anglo-French allied forces in the Battle of Dagu, but ultimately died in battle against the Nian Rebellion.

The Prince's Mansion was later broken up and sold, with most of it becoming dormitories for the Ministry of Coal Industry.

At the western entrance of Chaodou Hutong, there is also the ancestral hall of Senggelinqin's family, which is also a grand building complex.

During the Qing Dynasty, it was rare for ancestral halls and princely residences to be built in the same alley.

In later generations, this place was transformed into the "Lusongyuan Hotel," a quiet, elegant, and antique-style courtyard hotel that is also a rare find in Beijing.

Coming out of Banchang Hutong, across the street is Suoyi Hutong.

No. 2 Suoyi Hutong is a traditional courtyard house with a long history and elegant atmosphere. It was the residence of Mr. Aisin-Gioro Puren, son of Prince Chun Aisin-Gioro Zaifeng and half-brother of Aisin-Gioro Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty. In 1947, he founded Beijing Jingye Primary School and retired in 1988. He served as a member of the 7th, 8th and 9th Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Continuing north, the third alley on the east side is Dongmianhua Hutong.

The most well-known institution here is the Central Academy of Drama.

In the hutong, the residence of Fengshan, a general from Jilin in the late Qing Dynasty, at No. 15 Dongmianhua Hutong is also worth seeing. Its gate tower is extremely exquisite, with the flowers and animals carved on the brick archway. The layout is rigorous and the carving is exquisite, making it a masterpiece.

Not long after entering the alley, the world-renowned Central Academy of Drama is located on the north side of the road.

As a top institution in China for training stage and film performance talents, its campus is not very large. Including the experimental theater, it occupies only a small part of the western part between Dongmianhua Hutong and Beibingmasi Hutong.

The Central Academy of Drama was originally the residence of Jin Yunpeng, the Minister of the Army and Acting Premier of the Duan Qirui government.

This place later nurtured generations of Chinese drama and film stars, such as Chen Baoguo, Chen Daoming, Jiang Wen, Gong Li, and Zhang Ziyi, all of whom will come here to study at some point in the future.

After purchasing the land, Jin Yunpeng demolished part of the traditional courtyard house and built several Western-style buildings.

After resigning at the end of 1921, Jin Yunpeng lived in Tianjin for a long time. Several old buildings still exist in the compound and are used as office buildings and dormitories for single teachers.

However, as time goes by, all these old buildings will be demolished, and all traces of the Jin residence will disappear.

Sha Zhu led Yu Shui slowly to Yu'er Alley. Along the way, Sha Zhu picked out some stories to tell Yu Shui. Yu Shui asked her brother to buy her a candied hawthorn.

In Yu Shui's eyes, the history her brother told her was less appealing than the candied hawthorns in her hand.

Sha Zhu walked through the long scroll of history, his eyes somewhat dazed, his rain-soaked body reflecting the passing of time. The scroll of Yu'er Hutong unfolded one by one.

Yu'er Hutong is 343 meters long, stretching from Nanluoguxiang in the east to Dongbuyaqiao Hutong in the west, and contains the former residences of many historical figures.

For example, No. 33 and No. 31 in the alley are the former residences of General Su Yu and Marshal Luo Ronghuan, respectively.

Qi Baishi's former residence is located at No. 13 Yu'er Hutong, which will become the location of the Beijing Artists Association in the future.

The courtyard at No. 13 Yu'er Hutong was originally part of the residence of Ye Bushu, the fourth son of Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty. In 1955, with the care of Premier Zhou Enlai, the Ministry of Culture purchased it and provided it to Qi Baishi for residence.

However, the old gentleman did not live here for long and later moved to Kuache Hutong in Xicheng District. Therefore, Qi Baishi's former residence usually refers to the latter.

It later became the office of the Beijing Academy of Painting. After restoration in 2012, it was officially renamed the Qi Baishi Former Residence Memorial Hall.

In later years, Qi Baishi's former residence was opened to the public, with an entrance fee of only 5 yuan.

The courtyard features a sculpture of Qi Baishi, and the main building recreates the living scenes of the old gentleman during his lifetime, including the painting table and quilt he used.

The other rooms display his life story and personal belongings, and visitors can also purchase souvenirs.

Sha Zhu didn't know where Old Master Qi was now, but he believed that if he searched for him, he should be able to run into him here. He could then exchange his cooking skills for a few paintings without any problem.

The courtyard complex located at No. 7 to No. 15 (odd numbers) Mao'er Hutong was originally a luxurious residence and garden complex of Wen Yu, a Grand Secretary in the late Qing Dynasty.

The complex comprises five interconnected courtyards, covering a vast area of ​​square meters.

After Wen Yu was promoted to Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall in the tenth year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign and accumulated enormous wealth, he meticulously planned and built this residence and garden.

The garden was first built in 1861, inspired by the Humble Administrator's Garden and the Lion Grove Garden in Suzhou, and was named "Keyuan". Although it covers an area of ​​only about 4 acres,

It is only a hundred meters long from north to south and thirty meters wide from east to west, but its layout is spacious and charming, and it is recognized as an artistic gem among the private gardens in Beijing during the late Qing Dynasty.

In later generations, this area was listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit and is not open to the public.

Having changed hands many times and witnessed the changes of the times, this mansion has a rich history.

During the Beiyang Government period, Feng Guozhang, who was acting president, purchased this place when he moved from Nanjing to Beijing.

During the Japanese invasion of China, the Feng family transferred it to Zhang Lanfeng, the commander of the puppet army.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it became the North Korean Embassy in China, and later transformed into a guesthouse and staff dormitory.

This residence originally belonged to the private residence of the Minister of the Imperial Household Department of the Qing Dynasty. Because it used materials from the imperial palace and exceeded the standards during construction, it was impeached and the residence was divided and sold. No. 13 Yu'er Hutong was one of the divisions.

In addition, the western section of Mao'er Hutong also houses the former residence of Wanrong, the last empress.

Numbers 35 and 37 Mao'er Hutong were the residences of Wanrong before her marriage, originally built by her great-grandfather, Guo Buluo Changshun.

It is worth mentioning that Mr. Zhu Jiajin, a leading figure in the field of cultural relics, lived in several courtyards in Mao'er Hutong and made detailed records of these residences.

Hidden within Qinlao Hutong is an exquisite garden called Qiyuan, which was originally the residence of the Suo family, the Grand Minister of the Imperial Household Department during the late Qing Dynasty.

The Suo family was related to the last empress, Wanrong, so the place was jokingly referred to as the emperor's maternal grandmother's house.

Qiyuan Garden boasts a complete array of artificial hills, ponds, bridges, pavilions, and towers, as well as a uniquely shaped boat-shaped open pavilion, adding to the charm of Jiangnan gardens.

In addition, the hutong also holds other historical stories, such as the establishment of Beibingmasi Hutong and the official residence of Zhao Erxun, the Governor-General of the Three Eastern Provinces, which have added rich cultural connotations to this hutong.