Qianshi Hutong

File:Qianshi Hutong, Beijing, 2015.jpg

Qianshi hutong ({{zh|s=钱市胡同|p=qiánshì hútong}}) translated as money market hutong, is a Beijing hutong recognized as the narrowest in the city.{{cite news|title=Qianshi Hutong, Beijing's narrowest hutong|url=http://english.cri.cn/8706/2012/08/20/3262s718017.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120014136/http://english.cri.cn/8706/2012/08/20/3262s718017.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 20, 2015|newspaper=crienglish.com|date=20 August 2012}} The street is located near to Qianmen, in the Dongcheng district. For most of its {{convert|55|m|ft|adj=on}} length it is {{convert|70|cm|ft|adj=on}} wide and measures {{convert|40|cm|in|adj=off}} at its narrowest point, requiring passersby to turn sideways.{{cite news|title=The narrowest lane of the world|url=http://blog.beijingholiday.com/travel-tips/qianshi-hutong/|newspaper=Beijing Holiday blog|date=28 July 2010}}{{cite news|title=A lane you can bank on: Qianshi Hutong|url=http://english.cntv.cn/20100601/101820.shtml|newspaper=CCTV|date=1 June 2010}}

==History==

During the Qing Dynasty, Qianshi was a financial center of monetary exchange, home to 26 mints producing copper coins for nearly every bank in the city. The lane narrowed as these banks expanded. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the lane lost its function following the reformation of the monetary system and the production of paper currency.