[00:04.83]the hutongs in fact connected people's lives,
[00:07.81]whether the lives of the rich or the lives
[00:09.94]of the ordinary citizens.
[00:12.01]Because the houses were built facing each other
[00:14.36]around courtyards,
[00:15.80]the families who lived there
[00:16.94]were an integral part of each other's lives.
[00:19.16]They supported each other
[00:20.43]when help was needed and shared the joys
[00:22.78]and heartaches of everyday life.
[00:25.10]The children played together
[00:26.64]in the courtyards and because of the hutongs,
[00:29.33]courtyards were joined together for miles
[00:31.49]around creating a network of people working,
[00:34.80]playing and living together-a real community.
[00:40.89]D Towards the end of the Qing Dynasty,
[00:44.84]China's economy suffered due to political
[00:47.42]instability and the conditions
[00:49.50]in Beijing's hutongs deteriorated.
[00:52.32]Many new hutongs were hastily built to
[00:54.58]accommodate the increasing population
[00:57.32]but these were poorly made.
[00:59.65]After the establishment of the People's
[01:01.38]Republic of China,
[01:02.96]conditions improved a great deal
[01:05.41]and many of the original hutongs
[01:06.94]were renovated and preserved.
[01:07.98]
