Today I took a tour of the Hutong - or "alleyways" of Beijing. Hidden in these alleyways are the homes of the common people. This is how most Chinese live. Younger people chose to live in high rise apartments, but the older generations are still living in their "Five Element" homes. I went with an excellent english speaking guide and a New Yorker from another hotel.
First we visited the Drum Tower of Beijing that sits on the meridian line of the city. This line runs in the middle of the city and connects the Forbidden City with other important landmarks like the Drum Tower, the Bell Tower and even the Bird's Nest of the Olympic Park. Drums were used to tell the time at night and to also signify the different seasons. In China there are 24 seasons instead of the boring 4 found in Western culture. Currently the season in Beijing is "Little Cold". I was glad to hear that "Big Cold" had already passed...
Then we ventured into the Hutong area and took a rickshaw, since cars cannot fit down the tiny alleys. We visited the home of a wealthy family. They own all five sections of their house. There are five sections for the five elements: earth, water, fire, metal, and wood. This house was a home stay for German journalists during the Olympics. This family home was taken away during the revolution, and was only returned by the government about 30 years ago.
On to a common family home...This home was one room, divided into three sections. Our hosts were older, had been married for 38 years, and he was a painter, and she was a middle school teacher. They served us peanuts, sunflower seeds and jasmine tea. They showed us his beautiful paintings and took pictures with us. These are always my favorite parts of traveling - connecting with the local people. You may not speak the same language, but you can understand a lot about each other.
Tomorrow I am on to the Great Wall of China at Simatai!
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