Hutongs are a type of narrow street, most commonly associated with Beijing, China.

More recently, some hutongs have been designated as protected areas in an attempt to preserve this aspect of Chinese cultural history.

In Beijing, hutongs are alleys formed by lines of siheyuans, the traditional courtyard residences.

The term "hutong", originally meaning "water well", came from the Mongolian language about 700 years ago.

Their siheyuans were far smaller in scale and simpler in design and decoration, and the hutongs were narrower.

Nearly all siheyuans had their main buildings and gates facing south for better lighting, so a majority of hutongs run from east to west.