Explore contemporary architecture in Beijing’s hutongs on our new Pinterest board
Our latest Pinterest board features innovative architecture in Beijing’s historic hutongs, including radical transformations of traditional courtyard houses such as this one by Chinese architect MAD. Follow Dezeen on Pinterest or visit our hutongs board to see more examples.
Once common in Beijing and other northern Chinese cities, hutongs are narrow streets or alleys formed by rows of single-storey houses arranged around courtyards. This distinctive urban form dates back hundreds of years but many were demolished in the twentieth century.
More recently there have been efforts to preserve the remaining hutongs, and many architects have renovated and redesigned the courtyard houses found in them.
Examples published on Dezeen include a former house transformed into a specialist fan shop and a traditional courtyard house with grey-brick paving that undulates between exterior to interior spaces.
Read more stories about hutong architecture in Dezeen’s tag or explore contemporary Chinese architecture on our Pinterest board.
Dezeen’s Pinterest account features thousands of images, organised into hundreds of boards. To explore them, open the Pinterest app on your phone, tap the camera icon and scan the Pincode below.

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