Hutongs are historic features Chinese urban design: they're the narrow winding streets that connect traditional courtyard homes. These distinctive alleyways subsequently gave their name to entire neighborhoods of homes, some hundreds of years old.

The architecture firm ARCHSTUDIO was charged with renovating an 100+ year-old structure within one Beijing hutong neighborhood. The building, previsouly a site for business meetings, had fallen into disuse. The architects had to affect repairs while revamping the space into a modern tea house.