Zhongjianzi Hutong has become perfectly ordinary Beijing street. Photos: Yin Yeping

There's nothing out of the ordinary Zhongjianzi Hutong, a perfectly predictable lane that's usually crowded with vehicles and pedestrians. Recent storefronts that have opened up along this approximately 200-meter lane have effectively erased its original character, and at this point there's not much left that would set it apart from any other Beijing hutong.

Zhongjianzi Hutong can be found on maps as far back as the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Its name marks it as the middle of Jianzi Lane, and it meets up with Beijianzi (north Jianzi) on its north and Nanjianzi (south Jianzi) on its southern end. When asked about the area's historical significance, local residents usually bring up sites like the Duan Qirui governing department on a neighboring street as a point of pride. But one of the real draws of the area is No. 33, formerly No. 14, which was the childhood home of Bing Xin (1900-1999), one of the greatest writers in recent Chinese history.

Hutong paradise

No. 33 is located in the west end near the southernmost access to the lane, where it's a much quieter environment away from the noisy main road. In 1913, the young Bing Xin, then known as Xie Wanying, moved to this single-family siheyuan with her family from their hometown in Fujian Province.

Behind the door of No. 33, Bing's father filled the open yard with flowers and even built a platform for growing grape trees. Bing and her friends used to play on a swing in that yard. Although she later lived in the US and traveled around the world to places like Paris, Moscow and Tokyo, Bing said that this place was the only real home in her heart because of the memories she had of her family and friends there.

After moving to Beijing, Bing entered a local high school for female students in 1914. In 1923 she graduated from Peking University with exceptional grades and went on to study in the US, ending her time here at Zhongjianzi Hutong. Although her family still dwelled in this place for a little while after she left, they eventually moved elsewhere and did not return.

Near the end of her life, Bing published an essay called "Where is My Home," where she described her youth at No. 33. Although she had lived all around China and the world, she said that none of those residences were her real home. That honor was reserved for No. 33, where she had lived with her parents and all her brothers and sisters.