The word "hutong" in mandarin means street, lane and alley, and is in fact the passage formed by lines originates from the word "hottog" which means "well" in Mongolian. There are about 3,000 Beijing hutong, including Nanluogu Xiang at Jiaodaokou in Beijing's Dongcheng District and hutong around Xicheng's Shichahai area. Shichahai is also one of the best place to view well-preserved hutong and siheyuan. They are not reproductions but real. All that owe to their intransigence and fighting spirit toward retaining their particularly attractive way of life through a number of efforts to replace it. Those houses are normally have one or more courtyards surrounded by a surprisingly large, single story residence, originally a big family with many generations living together. Designed according to long-held principles, each residence has its main rooms facing south toward the sun and heat, eastern and western "wings" and "reverse-positioned" rooms located on the north side. Taller, brighter and better ventilated than the other areas, the main accommodations are reserved for the family head. Younger family members and their children occupy the wings, while the reverse-positioned spaces are used as family activity rooms. Visiting hundred-ages of Hutongs by pedicab has become a popular activity for visitors from China and abroad.