So we're well fed, and we walk a few blocks to meet our rickshaw drivers. Not long after my first trip two years ago, I read a travel article which mentioned the Hutong, the old residential area in Beijing. It listed this area as a 'must see', since the Chinese were busy building more modern housing, and it soon would all fall victim to urban renewal. Well, it seems the chinese listened, and now there is a very organized tourist agency, dedicated to telling the story of the Hutong, and we got to experience it first-hand.

Technically, the Hutong is the labyrinth of narrow streets, and the dwellings built there are known as quadrangles. The classic quadrangle is a rectangular walled courtyard, with several buildings, each usually one room, either built into the walls, or (usually only one) built within the courtyard, sometimes dividing it into an 'inner' and an 'outer' courtyard. We were shown a model of a 'classic' quadrangle, but it appears that there are none in existence today. Additional rooms have been built in virtually every courtyard, making for an almost impossible maze when viewed from above.

Our rickshaw ride was quite entertaining in itself. Strong young men pedal the tricycle-style rickshaws, hopping off to pull whenever the road got too steep. They were so practiced, that we hardly felt a bump as they transitioned from one mode to the other.

The ride initially took us past the large lake at the back of Beihai park, where families with their kid were out doing typical sunday afternoon family things - Picnicing, walking, pedalling the duck boats, napping, etc. Hey, people aren't so different on the other side of the world! Then on into the labyrinth. The narrow streets seemed tight for the parade of rickshaws, I couldn't believe it when later, a car came down the street, sending all of us ducking into doorways and sucking in our guts to let it pass.

The Beijing Hutong tourist agency gave us a special guide for this part of the tour, a very bright and cheerful woman who was well versed in the history of the area, as well as the cultural meaning behind the architectural decisions. Our local guide, Tiger, as well as the National guides John and Fei, seemed to enjoy the break, and were happy to be tourists themselves for a while.

First stop was the old drum tower. In the old days, drums were used to broadcast the time of day to the people. Later, a companion bell tower was built a few blocks away. after that, the bells were used to signal the beginning of the work day, and the drums were used to signal the end of the day. Access to the upper level of the drum tower was gained by a narrow staircase of 96 steps, each almost a foot tall. Note the red smudge on the back of Wayne's t-shirt. We discovered the hard way that the omnipresent red paint on all the temple walls and buildings, has a very chalky quality to it. On the top level were some dimly-lit historical displays, as well as a display of some folk art from the rural regions. Among the displays was the remnants of the last signal drum used on that tower. In addition to the ravages of time, it shows the slashes of vandalism received in an insurrection in 1909.

From the balcony around the top level, there was a good view of the city. I know I'm sounding redundant here, but I continue to be fascinated by the contrasts of old and new, juxtaposed everywhere I look. Follow along with me, as I pan my camera from left to right and take in the view. In the last frame, that's the white temple in Beihai park, on the hill in the background. Two years ago, I walked to the top of that temple on my free day.

The chinese have put an immense amount of effort into preserving and restoring these ancient buildings. Think about it - on a prominent hill in the center of a busy, crowded, growing city, would we let a building sit unused for almost a hundred years after it had outlived its usefulness? In this country, I dare say, the site would have gone to the highest bidder long ago. Still, the ravages of time do show. For some reason, I was fascinated by this peek under the veneer of paint, to the heart of the ancient wood pillars which have stood for so long. On the way down, the stairs appeared much steeper than coming up!

Back into the rickshaws, for another brisk jaunt. John and Josie decided to go topless and enjoy the sun. We did find one street wide enough for a few parked cars, and even a tree! We passed through a local market area. At one point, we passed a very irate woman, who was screaming at us as we passed, and even threw a stone or brick at one of the rickshaws. Lucikly , it hit the side or back, and not the driver or occupants. Now it was time to visit a home. We left the rickshaws, and set out on foot for a block or so. I snapped this picture of a corner house - untypical for the area, in that it has windows to the street, and a second story. Typical, in the style of construction - brick and masonry, with tile or corrogated steel roof, and the roof used for storage of spare materials. It never ceased to amaze me that the chinese build with extreme attention to detail, as in the artworks and the temples, or absolutely none. There doesn't seem to be much in between.

The doorway of a home tells a story. The number of lintel-posts above the door tells the status of the owner. At the bottom, notice the drum sculptures. Only the Emperor is entitled to have the mythical lions guarding his door. Also, on some doors you will find buttons, or bolt-heads. The number of these, and the number of rows in which they are arranged, is also strictly dictated by status. Violating the code was punishable by death. And we thought we had strict neighborhood associations! One doorway was open, probably to allow access to the multiple families who had built dwellings within the courtyard of an older quadrangle.

In the home we were to visit, we were treated to some watermelon. The man was busy most of the time we were there cutting more pieces in the kitchen. It seemed very important to him that we eat as much of it as possible. The rooms were austere by american standards, but quite clean. The furnishings were generally simple. In this as well as every other home I visited, I was struck by the fact that while the home itself and its furnishings may be quite simple, and not generally very new, every home seemed to have one bookcase or glass-front display cabinet, which contained a few very nice pieces of art, displayed proudly, and with obvious care.

Back to the rickshaws. I honestly forget what this last stop was. From the doorway, it must be somebody important! Obviously, space for a garden and pond are reserved for the royalty. When we got back to the bus, Linda was just beaming about the sandalwood statue she had purchased along the way.

Finally, it's time for dinner. Our meals were feasts, every one of them. At least twenty courses was the norm. One thing that bothered us, was that they were all served family style, and they do not as a matter of course place serving spoons in the dishes. We quickly observed that with 69 people travelling together, we would soon all be sharing our bugs if we went unconscious and used our chopsticks to scoop up second helpings.