Hutong

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Every year thousands of tourists come to China. They come to see the great sights of the Great Wall and the Forbidden City， but often it is the hutongs that leave the strongest impression， as they offer travelers an unusual view into Beijing’s past. Hutongs connect courtyards of traditional houses and are a feature of ancient Chinese buildings. Beijing’s hutongs are especially famous.

Most of Beijing’s hutongs were built between the 13th and 19th centuries during the Yuan， Ming and Qing Dynasties. To help them manage the city， the Emperors during these periods organized different areas of Beijing and had houses built around courtyards. The Emperor’s home， the Forbidden City， was in the centre of Beijing and the homes of the nobles and rich people were in hutongs closest to the palace. Normal people lived in the hutongs further away from the palace.

By connecting people’s homes， the hutongs in fact connected people’s lives， whether the lives of the rich or the lives of the poor. Because the houses were built facing each other around courtyards， the families who lived there were an important part of each other’s lives. They supported each other when help was needed and shared the happiness and sadness of everyday life. Because of the hutongs， courtyards were joined together for miles around creating a network of people working， playing and living together.

Hutongs are still an important part of Beijing’s life and it is not surprising that tourists love the hutongs. The hutongs not only connect Beijing’s streets and communities， but also its past and present， showing that Beijing is truly an ancient yet modern city.

What is Paragraph 3 mainly about？

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