Stroll through the alleys to meet famous people

Author: Tian Yingwu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: The hutongs of Beijing are magical because their existence embodies the symbol of the nation; the hutongs of Beijing are mysterious, and their mystery lies in the profound cultural connotations they hold. In the first half of the 20th century, the appearance of Beijing remained unchanged, but the people living in thousands of hutongs experienced an unprecedented transformation. If we explore in these hutongs the life tracks left by the famous figures of that time—whether big or small, long or short—we would feel that these seemingly dull and even dilapidated hutongs radiate a brilliant light, and we would feel that these ordinary lanes and houses embody a sacred and immortal spirit and an attractive cultural fragrance.
As a Beijing native who grew up in the hutongs and later moved to Xinjiang in the 1960s, I have experienced a great joy and happiness in my lifetime. Through my diligent pursuit, I have deeply immersed myself in the pursuit of old dreams, repeatedly walking into these ancient hutongs to appreciate, approach, understand, perceive, and even touch the lives, thoughts, laughter, or sighs of various famous figures half a century or even a century ago, who once lived in these dilapidated walls and alleys, leaving behind fragments of their existence.