beijing: day 7

10th july 2008 – hutong tour… some of the following description is stolen from http://www.chinavista.com/experience/hutong/hutong.html

starbucks… with an oriental twist.

booths set up at various tourist spots to offer service ranging from information to map to medical first aid.

rickshaws to take you on a tour through the narrow hutong.

granny enjoying beijing’s summer outdoor… feeding ducklings.

tea house

rickshaw and its persistent rider

passing time

uncle skipping by the side of the road after a swim.

famous eatery – jiumen snack

seahorse, anyone?

or worms?

or scorpions?

 

hutong – an ancient city alley or lane typical in beijing, where hutongs run into the several thousand. surrounding the forbidden city, many were built during the yuan (1206-1341), ming (1368-1628) and qing (1644-1908) dynasties. in the prime of these dynasties the emperors, in order to establish supreme power for themselves, planned the city and arranged the residential areas according to the etiquette systems of the zhou dynasty. the center of the city of beijing was the royal palace — the forbidden city.

 

retirees/pensioners playing cards to pass their time…

 

interesting flower…

doggies shaved for the summer heat

at night, we went to cafe sambal, a popular malaysian restaurant, for dinner.

very interesting set up… love it.

 

in recent years, the houses in many hutongs have been pulled down and replaced by modern buildings. many hutong dwellers have moved to new housing. the hutong today is fading into the shade for both tourists and inhabitants.

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