Ya'er Hutong in Beijing

　　Ya'er Hutong: Located in Shichahai Subdistrict, Xicheng District. It starts southeast from Xiaoshibei Hutong, connecting to Yandai Xiejie; and extends northwest to Ganlu Hutong. During the Yuan Dynasty, it was called Yan'er Hutong, situated along the northern shore of Houhai. In the Ming Dynasty, it was known as Guanghua Temple Street. In the Qing Dynasty, the name Yan'er Hutong was phonetically altered to Ya'er Hutong or Ya'er Hutong, and it became part of the territory of the Plain Yellow Banner. The name has been retained since. The municipal-level cultural heritage site Guanghua Temple is located here. Courtyard No. 6 in the hutong was the former residence of Xiao Jun.

　　Ya'er Hutong is a long alley situated in Xicheng District, Beijing. Originally named Ya'er Hutong, it was called Guanghua Temple Street during the Ming Dynasty. In the early Qing Dynasty, due to its location along the northern bank of Houhai, it was referred to as "Yan'er Hutong," which was later misheard and became Ya'er Hutong. After 1949, the Beijing municipal government standardized hutong names, changing "Ya" (duck) to "Ya" (sparrow), thus naming it Ya'er Hutong. The eastern end of Ya'er Hutong features Yinding Bridge, the most famous stone bridge in Beijing. The entire hutong winds westward along the northern shore of Shichahai, running parallel to the northern bank of Houhai, extending all the way to Ganlu Hutong on the western bank of Houhai. With a total length of 820 meters, Ya'er Hutong is one of the longer hutongs in Beijing.

　　Ya'er Hutong

　　Along the nearly one-kilometer-long Ya'er Hutong, there are numerous municipal and district-level cultural heritage sites and former residences of notable figures: such as the ancient temple Guanghua Temple from the Ming Dynasty; the former residence of Soong Ching-ling, which once belonged to the Prince Chun Mansion; and the home of writer Xiao Jun — “Wowoju” (Snail House), among others.

　　Guanghua Temple was built during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty and was renovated in the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty. It was one of the renowned temples in old Beijing. In the late Qing and early Republican period, the government planned to establish the Imperial Library (now known as the National Library of China) at Guanghua Temple, which remained there until 1917 when the library moved out. Currently, Guanghua Temple is a municipal cultural heritage site in Beijing, serving as the office of the Beijing Buddhist Association, and regularly hosts Buddhist activities.

　　Source: Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development