Laku Hutong: a royal revolutionary lane

Located in the hutong-heavy area northeast of Jingshan Park, Laku Hutong is smack in the center of the city, but seldom visited by outsiders. But from a place serving the Forbidden City's emperors, to a hotbed of revolutionary activity, Laku Hutong's sleepy aspect belies its place in China's history.

No. 16: raiding the red revolutionaries

In May 1924, dramatic events saw a police raid smash down the door. They were looking for Zhang Guotao and Gao Junyu, mentors of the May fourth Movement in 1919 and early leaders in China's communist movement. Gao, realizing the long arm of the law was out to get him, made good his escape, disguised as a cook, charcoal covering his face and carrying a food basket. He had no time to inform Zhang and his wife, Yang Zilie, who were not so lucky.

With no time to escape, they were arrested, tortured and imprisoned until October 1924. After release, Zhang rose to power within the Communist Party, and commanded the 4th Red Army on the Long March in 1935. It wasn't long before he fell into disgrace however, and he defected to the Kuomintang, ending his life in exile. Gao became secretary to Sun Yat-sen, but died in hospital of exhaustion at the age of 29 in 1925.

An iron door has replaced No. 16's wooden gate. Guo, a 50-year-old resident says the houses inside were reconstructed when a "break-down for new construction" project was launched in 2007. "The only original thing left is this main gate," Guo says, pointing to the broken-down gate. Only by its shabby appearance can we tell its real age and grandeur. Guo explains he had little knowledge about the former residents, until a steady stream of visitors arrived, enquiring after its history.

Resident in No. 16 since the 50s, 80-year-old Jia says that the gate used to have a wooden latch at the back, and a pair of stone lions on each side. It was smashed to pieces during the Cultural Revolution. "The siheyuan had two areas separated by an inner gate," says Jia. "Apart from two jujube trees the front yard was rather empty. The back yard had the houses where the residents lived." Today the inner gate and the trees are gone, some newly built houses replacing them, crowding the already limited space of the siheyuan and ruining its traditional layout.

Jia guessed that Gao and Zhang most likely lived in the back yard at the time of the raid. Later on, members of the air force lived there, he explained, but ordinary families soon replaced them after 1949. On the left side of No.16, a shabby red brick house is a 1970s era bomb shelter, sticking out like a sore thumb compared to the traditional look of the gate.

No. 49: Radio-free Beiping

In the same hutong, the underground radio station of the Communist Party broadcast from No. 49 during the Beiping-Tianjin Campaign. In 1948 when the People's Liberation Army approached the city, the radio transmitted accurate information, so as to prevent bombardment of Beijing's historical heart. Although the city was eventually taken without a shot, their contribution should be remembered. When I knocked on No. 49, a 50-year-old woman who lived there for 20 years said that while she had been told about her home's remarkable past, there was nothing left to commemorate the radio operators' efforts.

Meeting royal needs

Laku Hutong divides into a southern and northern part. According to Luo Lidan, editor of the Jingshan Weekly, in its heyday the hutong was the provision center for the Forbidden City. Wax was processed into candles in the southern part of the hutong; silk and pottery were manufactured. Finished goods were stored in a warehouse in the northern part before being taken to the palace. The staff responsible for this industry included one administrator, two official document writers and dozens of ordinary staff members and soldiers. Unfortunately, like everything else here, there's no longer any sign of its cottage industry past. "Laku Hutong enjoyed a venerable history, but now it's only a footnote compared to its recent past," Luo told Lifestyle. "Few residents here know about it."

The demon-defeating human-face stone

Before I went to the hutong, I'd heard rumors about a legendary stone called Shi Gan Dang. It's actually a stone carved in the shape of a human face, normally placed at the entrance to a lane to scare away demons, ghosts and evil spirits. Legend says that the Yellow Emperor fought against Chi You, a creature with eight feet, three heads and six arms. Wild and arrogant, Chi You climbed to the peak of Mount Taishan, screaming, "Who on earth dares to go against me?" Nü Wa (God-dess of Sky-patching) was so angry that she hurled a stone, shouting, "The stone dares." Defeated, Chi You turned tail. Another version tells that Shi Gan Dang was a brave, powerful and kindly warrior who traveled around confronting demons. After his death, people carved his face on stones and placed them at entrances to stop the devil.

When I eventually managed to find the mysterious stone in the southern part of the hutong entrance near Nafu Hutong, however, the face was nearly all eroded. If it wasn't for the location and the remnants of the design, you'd hardly know it was a formerly proud defender against demons.