The Hutong Community by Pedicab

We packed up and left the Paragon Hotel in Beijing after breakfast and went to an old section of town in order to see and experience different aspects of daily life for regular people ~ in the past and in the present. 
On the way, we went by this dental office...the chair was right there inside the window for all to watch the patient in the the dental chair!

If you go to Beijing, you really must do this heritage tour! At one time there were 8,000 of these neighborhoods, but since the Cultural Revolution in the 1970's they have been disappearing.  The area we went to is near the Forbidden City and on a pretty little lake.  This particular section of the hutongs has been selected by the government to be on their "historical register" and must be maintained as they are now.  The government will pay for any reconstructive work that needs to be done on the outside.
These are very small homes with a courtyard in the middle for 2-4 homes.  The homes are all connected and make with gray bricks, the color of the common man.  They are from 100 to 400 years old.  For most of those years a public bathroom was all they had...which meant walking down the street to wash or use a bathroom.

The pedicab is a modern version of the old rickshaws which were pulled by men...now they have bikes attached, so men drive you around in your own cute little cab by biking.  We rode around several blocks, past the lake, and up a pretty streets with shops and restaurants from the same era in the same old grey brick.

 

 

 

 

Then we got out and a local tour guide walked us up and down a couple of streets, talking about the history and life in modern times.  Both our tour director and the tour guide grew up in similar hutongs...150 square meters for a family of three...one bedroom and one living space...that's it.  The parents slept in the bedroom, the boys slept on a couch in the living room/kitchen space.

 

 

 

We were taken to the home of John...and all piled into his living room...it is his part time job to welcome people to his home, tell his story, and answer questions.  He had about 12 little round metal stools and a couple of sofas, so we were all comfortable.  John's family has owned this little home for over 100 years and he said he would never sell it.  Over the last 30-40 years he and his neighbors have added on to their homes by common agreement, so now they have a very tiny kitchen, a closet bathroom, and a studio/office for his business.  They only share a 10 X 10 courtyard now in order to have the indoor space.

John is an artist...his work is on the walls and his studio was very tidy and clean.  Our guide interpreted for him.  He was a sweet old man with a kind heart and a beautiful smile.  He is very happy the government has decided to preserve his neighborhood.  His home is worth a lot of money ($1,000,000+ American dollars), but most of these folks are not willing to sell, so what good does that do them?

 

We were in his home for about 45 minutes...could walk around and take pictures.  Can you imagine?  It was fascinating.

Underware drying in the sun, grass growing on the roof...

Neighbors out talking, sweeping, doing laundry and knitting...

 

The pedicabs took us another couple of miles around the neighborhood and suddenly it was all over...our step back in history complete.

 

Looks like the local bike shop to me...