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I recently celebrated my first year of being in Beijing -- by flying out to Hong Kong on the exact day I entered Beijing in 2012. Nah, don't get me wrong. I don't usually have such lavish celebrations. It was more for practical reasons of having to vacate the country to renew my work-visa, or I'd be considered an 'illegal-alien'. So I took that as an opportunity to celebrate, eat and be merry with a few friends in Hong Kong!
One year, is by far the longest I've ever been based out of my own country for work. I know, this is nothing. But for the nomad in me, it is a little something.
Carried away with my life and job here, it took about a year to dawn on me how I had overlooked and taken for granted the little things happening around me all this while. I decided to put my distracting smart-phone aside... To really tune in to my surroundings while I'm out. I started to open up my senses -- really observing, listening, feeling, smelling and tasting (!!) the place. You'd be surprised, on a bad smoggy Beijing day, you can actually taste the air... Meh..
So now that the bitter cold winter is gone and spring is here, I've been exploring my neighbourhood on foot and on pedal power (which is the way to go about in Beijing). Not only did I find many interesting shortcuts connecting one place to another, I discovered many cool cafes, eateries, bars, theatres hidden in the quiet hutongs (narrow centuries-old alleyways), including this little boy who's completely committed to the art of the 'Clapper Talk'. He is impressive for his age (You can turn on the subtitles so you understand what's going on):
(Click here if video doesn't appear above.)
Beijing, I'd say, is quite an acquired taste. It definitely isn't anywhere near perfect especially if we're talking about basic living conditions such as clean air, water, the notorious food scandals... But I still find myself attracted to this city.
I live in a hutong alley within the second ring road in Beijing. The hutongs 胡同, in my opinion, is the most charming part of Beijing where it seems as though it is lost in time. Imagine people in suits with their smartphones in one hand and takeaway coffee in another, zooming between skyscrapers in Guomao (Chinese World Trade Centre); Meanwhile in the centuries-old alleys, known as 'hutongs' surrounding the Forbidden City, time slows down and you get transported to a different world where you find folks sitting on stools watching life go by, people cycling, unhurried; Old folks playing cards, chess or mahjong; Traders slowly zig-zaging through the narrow alleys on their squeaky rickshaws, calling out what they're selling: "maaaai yaaaa daaaaaannn..." ("Selling duck eggs") And they would drag this one sentence for at least 5 seconds. Amusing. Love it!
This is how a local hutong looks like.
A hutong close to mine. This was just after a heavy overnight snow, at the end of March. Lookin' pretty!
Most local Chinese spend their entire lives working towards moving out of the hutongs, and then you get foreigners like me who choose to live in a hutong. Well, what can I say... We'd love to live like a local. Umm... Perhaps that's a bit too strong. I'd say we'd love to have a taste of a local's life.
When I told my local colleagues that I had finally found a cute hutong bungalow 平房, the first question they'd ask (along with looks of concern) was: "Is there a toilet in your hutong bungalow?" Followed by: "You really had better wrap up and get extra heating during winter" and many suggestions on how I should keep warm. A colleague of mine even bought me a heating fan for my birthday that served me so well during the winter. Bless her heart.
Beijing's winter was harsh indeed. My local colleagues often warned me to stay warm especially since I come from South East Asia, where it's sweltering hot all year round. I thought to myself they were probably over-reacting, and the more warning I got, the more I looked forward to the much-talked-about Winter! I say: "Bring on the winter baby!"
I enjoyed the cold weather at the beginning and did not dress warm enough (as I got tired of having to remove and put back on layers as I entered heated zones - subway, buses, and back out in the cold streets again... You know the drill). And one day it hit me so suddenly - I was perfectly fine and fresh as a daisy in the morning, then I started feeling queasy and feverish after lunch. I had the tummy flu, and on the way back home in the subway, I couldn't hold it in any longer, I dashed out of the subway and puked at a corner of the station. Ugh... Disgusting, I know. As if that wasn't bad enough, I later fell ill for 6 weeks. Longest I've ever been ill... Don't mess with winter man.... Ever since going through that winter, I have stopped complaining about the humidity in Malaysia. I swear I have! In fact, I'm simply delighted to be in a hot climate where I don't have layers piled on myself, and my limbs are free as a bird!
Back to the hutongs. The first question I always get asked when I say I live in a hutong is if I have a toilet in my house. That's because in a typical hutong house, there are no toilets. You'd need to walk out of the house to a common toilet. This is why you can find public toilets every few metres in the hutongs. Just imagine having to walk out many times in a day during winter... It's probably fun for a few days or weeks for a traveller, but not very convenient or comfortable if you were living there long term. That's why, saying that foreigners want to 'live like a local' is probably not too accurate.
So my answer to my colleagues is that - I DO have a toilet in the house. Thank goodness!
The first shock I had in Beijing was when I saw this:
I was actually prepared for toilets without doors, but with dividers... I absolutely did not expect such an 'open-concept'... I literally halted in my tracks when I entered the hutong toilet, because I thought I already had the worst in mind... It was a funny moment! This is why I love travelling! It catches you by surprise, shocks you and wakes you up.
The picture above is a common hutong toilet. Of course some actually do have doors, and some with dividers... And don't you worry, the picture above does not represent all the toilets in Beijing. You can pee in peace :)
Very quickly, I got over my shock and adapted. Needless to say, I have become a local when it comes to hutong toilets. I do exactly as the locals do, very comfortably. I even say 'hi' to locals as they enter, which sadly isn't very well received. The only thing I do differently is that my 'business dealings' are super quick, just in case I bump into a friend in the toilet.. Now that would be awkward for me....
Another thing which surprised me was this, in Wangfujing:
(You can click here if the clip doesn't appear above.)
Yup, deep fried starfish and live baby scorpions on skewers, waiting to be dipped into boiling oil.
Here are a few other things which can be found, deep fried:
Bigger scorpions
Ok, please don't let these scare you. It's not all that funky in Beijing.
There are many great courtyard restaurants, cafes, bars and even clubs underground, that are hidden in these quiet hutongs. And this is why I LOVE the hutongs in Beijing! It is quiet and unassuming. If you were to walk in these hutongs, you sometimes won't be able to guess that there's a nice restaurant / cafe / bar in one of the courtyards...
There are many hidden courtyard restaurants in Beijing. The picture above is at one of my favourite restaurants - 苏苏 Susu, a Vietnamese Restaurant with good food, service and ambience, totally hidden in a local neighbourhood.
Another good restaurant of a similar setting is Dali Courtyard - A Yunnanese (Chinese Provincial) restaurant. Nice ambience with an interesting concept whereby you tell them what you DON'T eat, and they'll cook something up for you. Good surprise for sure. But this place is becoming a little too commercialised.
As for western cuisine, there's a cosy Italian restaurant called Mercante. With only about 10 tables in the little trattoria, their friendly Italian waitresses, fresh hand-made pastas, and homey Italian setting, definitely make you feel like you're tucked away in an Italian neighbourhood.
These are just a few of the MANY lovely restaurants, cafes and bars hidden in hutongs of the 'Jing.
I could explore the hutongs every other day and not get bored as it is simply down-to-earth, unpretentious and full of interesting little surprises, such as these:
Shaven Lion of a dog (and cats too) in the summer... and being fed ice cream! Lucky thing
Life is too good for this pampered pooch!
This has got to be my favourite!
Perhaps it's because more attention is given to dogs? =p
(In case the clip doesn't appear again, you can click here.)
Exploring the hutongs is definitely a great way to see the more local side of Beijing which I find very charming and exciting. If you have seen the hutongs and all of Beijing's touristy sites, here are some other beautiful, less-traveled places you can visit while in Beijing.
For more on China's quirkiness, click here :)
My exploration continues!
NEW ADDITION:
Foreign nationals from *51 countries who are in transit in Bejing Capital International Airport along with a few other Chinese cities -- may stay in these cities for up to 72 hours without an entry visa to China. For more details on the qualified countries, participating Chinese cities and the terms, read this.Here's a show I presented, on the things you can see and do while in Beijing, plus tips on getting around in your short 72 hours in the Northern Capital:
Good to know there were places to dine for a good reasonable price,one question,do they have washroom facility. As you did mentioned this places they don't have the facility for people to go when nature calling,i guess that's why the holely pants come about.kidding.
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