Shijia Hutong Museum

The first hutong museum in China.

Shijia Hutong Museum was established to preserve and document Hutong life in Beijing. As the idea of Globalization has spread to China the Beijing government has dismantled much of the Hutong neighborhoods, particularly in the run up to the 2008 Olympics. Many have been replaced with modern residential districts and apartment complexes. As a result, locals discarded the traditional Hutong life to embrace a more modern and convenient lifestyle; hence the reciprocal movement to preserve old conventions and tradition. In 2013, Shijia Hutong Museum was officially founded to keep the old Hutong lifestyle from fading away in people’s minds.
The courtyard was procured by Prince Charles’ ‘Princes Trust’ and reconstructed to its former glory using the original materials (some more than 400 years old) and methods. After restoration it was given back to Beijing on the proviso that it would be used as a Hutong museum, that’s what we see today.
The museum displays all aspects of traditional Hutong life, from the layout of the buildings and the reasoning behind it to experiencing the soundscape of daily life. Capturing a full sensory experience of life in the Hutongs through the years.

Take the subway Line 6 to Dengshikou station / Take the subway Line 2 to Chaoyangmen station