Guide to surviving the winter in a Beijing hutong

For those wanting to get to know the "real" China, experiencing Beijing's imperial-era neighborhoods known as hutong is the perfect way to get acquainted with local culture in the capital.

Hutong are narrow alleyways interspersed with quadrangle-shaped courtyard homes. Yet, while recognizing that hutong are atmospheric places, there are some significant drawbacks if you decide that you want to live in one. Metro Beijing investigates what it's like to live in a hutong courtyard home, especially during those cold winter months.

Escaping heat

In Beijing, hutong like Nanluoguxiang, Dongcheng district, are mainstay tourist attractions littered with boutique shops and quaint, funky bars and cafes.

A little way down from the north entrance just off the main shopping drag is Ju'er Hutong.

This is the home of Beijing artist Fang Xinxin. Fang, 32, originally from Yunnan Province, has lived in Ju'er Hutong for over two years. Entering through the heavy iron door one is met with an imposing cast iron stove that stands almost 3-meters high.

"The problem is that all the heat escapes through the gaps in the wooden ceiling," she says. Fang demonstrates this to Metro Beijing by holding a lit cigarette up to a wooden beam. The smoke does indeed seem to get sucked out through gaps in the roof. "I want to change my windows too. The distance between the window panes and wooden frames means that any generated heat escapes quickly."

Fang designed her fire stove as an additional heat source in preparation for last year's winter. The fireplace can get a little smoky, so her main saving grace is a portable electronic heater, which she says is far cleaner than the stove.

Affordable electric heating

Traditionally, coal fired stoves provided heating in courtyard homes until the advent of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Government initiatives were set up to reduce the amount of carbon emissions within the Third Ring Road and to promote 'clean energy' throughout the capital.

Replacements came in the form of electronic heaters, which are now essential for clean, consistent warmth. Fang says that people like her living in bungalows are granted competitive prices for heating costs, set by the municipal government.

"It's basically half price," Fang says, "but I'm not sure it's enough to heat the whole place. I definitely cook more in winter as I find cooking with gas heats things up a bit more."

Wang Zi, a 22-year-old majoring in logistics management at Beijing Wuzi University, lives in Dashihu Hutong, which is near Gulou in Dongcheng district. He thinks highly of the new subsidy policy, saying, "It costs my family around 3,000 yuan every year, which is already really cheap. Otherwise, we might spend over 10,000 yuan."

Foreign perspectives

Chinese language student Ellie-Kate McAllister, 22, from New Zealand, lived across from a hutong in Dongsishitiao, Dongcheng district, for one year starting from August 2011. She says that living there was an amazing experience, especially when waking up to beautiful snow-covered rooftops. "My tips are that if you can avoid it, never use the outside toilets. It's freezing. I would always ask for hot water with every meal to warm me up quick. I avoided cycling."

American graduate student Jude Blanchette, now overseas at Oxford University, England, first moved into Bancheng Hutong near Nanluoguxiang in the fall of 2009. He politely describes showering as "less than pleasant," as he had to remove his possessions from the room each time because the entire area would get wet.

However, Blanchette says that on a more positive note, the lack of a shower forced him to join a local gym. This provided him with a nice warm, dry place to shower. As a result, he lost a considerable amount of weight during his first month. Winter hutong living has its fair share of drawbacks but it does have some benefits too.