The narrow and interlaced hutongs in Beijing are considered by many foreign tourists as a unique trademark of the capital city. They are what remained from the ordinary life of historical Beijing. The oldest hutongs date back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) when they were the city's traffic threshold around which public life evolved. Here is a collection of photos released by CRI on the hutongs that have witnessed Beijing's rich past.

The gray brick houses along hutong lanes bathed in a warm winter sunshine. [Photo:CRIENGLISH.com]