Hutong, a word of Mongolian origin meaning water well, is used to describe a lane formed by the outer walls of traditional courtyard houses, usually sharing a well in the middle. Since the mid-20th century, many Beijing hutongs have been demolished in order to make way for new constructions, while others have been designated as protected areas in an attempt to preserve cultural history. Architect Han Wenqiang and his Arch Studio, worked on such an L-shaped neighborhood of a total of 450 sqm, in the Hutong region of the city’s millennium-old East District. And by the first months of 2015, they had transformed a derelict compound of buildings into a new age Tea House where patrons come to enjoy their tea, read, or even have a little dinner.
Article and photos from YATZER.
