THIS picture shows Goldfish Hutong during the end of the Qing Dynasty. It shows a road with a hard surface, probably quite new. The old hutong road surfaces were mostly unpaved（未铺）, and muddy after rain and dusty when dry. The buildings are low-single or two-storied buildings, but look commercial（商业的）. On the south side of Goldfish Hutong was the north gate of Dongan Market（东安市场）, founded in 1903, and Donglaishun（东来顺） Restaurant, founded around 1905.

　　In the picture, Rickshaws（黄包车） from Japan not long before, are waiting for customers. Perhaps from Jixiang（吉祥） Theater, founded in 1906， the first public theater inside the Inner City（内城). Earlier in the Qing dynasty, theaters were only allowed in the Outer City（外城). Jixiang Theater became very popular, and Mei Lanfang（梅兰芳） late performed there.

　　The hutong also had the grand residence of a great official called Na Tong (那桐). In its gardens Sun Yat-sen（孙中山） and Yuan Shikai（袁世凯） met for negotiations（谈判，协商）in 1911.

　　Soon after 1949, a tall 10-story building-the Peace Hotel（和平饭店） was built here to house the delegates（代表） to the Peace Conference（和平大会） of 1952. But beautiful courtyards and gardens remained as part of the hotel. Then in 1988 the Palace Hotel（王府饭店） was built on the south side, and Taiwan Hotel on the north side, and Peace Hotel was expanded. The road was widened, and extended eastward all the way to the Second Ring Road where the old City wall used to be. Now there is little sign of the original 5-meter-wide hutong!