In one more twist in the lifecycle of the hutong neighborhoods , some of beijing 's old courtyard homes-the same structures once considered unfashionable and overcrowded-have in recent years become real-estate status symbols .
For centuries the hutong characterized the city 's culture ; the capital 's rigid grid still has locals saying turn north , south , east , and west instead of left and right , even though today fewer than one-eighth of the lanes remain .