July 3 – A Peek at Ordinary Life

Today is our last day in Beijing and we began it with a rickshaw ride through the Hutong area. Hutong is a traditional Mongolian word that means ‘deep well’ though now the word has evolved to be synonymous with alley. The deep wells were at the center of each Hutong, both for the water they provided for drinking, bathing, and washing (today, pipes are used, tapped into city water), and 400ish years ago – for their ability to keep fires under control. Hutong are neighborhoods that have remained largely unchanged for hundreds of years, with traditional homes built behind gated walls with courtyards. The number of posts on each gate represented the hierarchical position of the family (the emperor has 12 posts…middle-generals had about 4, and common people have 0 or 1 – meaning that when arranging marriages in historical times, one needed to stay ‘within one’s posts’. Only 25 Hutong have been preserved by the Beijing government at this time, and they are very valuable historically and financially (a large home within a Hutong could fetch $1 billion yuan…though people rarely sell or move, as by law a family can keep its residence for 75 years before moving/selling it to the government. We visited three homes --- one that had also served as a ‘model home’ during the Olympics. Our hostess was a 59 year old woman whose 92-year-old father owned their home (prior to that it had been owned by the uncle of the last emperor). It was a beautiful home, with pomegranate trees in the courtyard and several separate rooms – including the ‘happy room’ (private bathroom) – most people living in the Hutong must use public toilets, which is why younger generations tend not to live in them. We then entered a second home in which the children were taught about the art of kitemaking…and then they were able to make their own kites.




The third home was owned by a family of kung fu masters – the eldest son teaches martial arts in Houston and has appeared in several commercials (his dad showed us his picture on a water bottle). Half of our group (about 15) ate lunch at two tables in the family dining room, which we agreed was one of the most delicious meals we’ve eaten since arriving. There were tons of fresh vegetables, which had just been purchased at market stalls set up within the Hutong. It was a treat to get a glimpse of what everyday life is like, at least for some Beijing families. We see many many older people in the neighborhoods, some taking care of grandchildren, and others just chatting and playing mahjong. Compared to the last time we were in China, there are many very plump people – which is not healthy, but at least suggests that there is plenty of food.

The day was sweltering, so next we went to the government Pearl market…which was brilliantly organized. We started with a demonstration of how freshwater pearls were harvested from an oyster (and we each got to keep a pearl as a gift). The children were then whisked away to make beaded necklaces so that adults could shop. Ordinarily I hate such things, but the public restrooms were clean, ‘western’ (i.e., no squatting over terrifying holes in the floor), and the buildings were cool and very clean – with comfortable chairs, cool drinks, and smiling women everywhere. Though I am decidedly not a shopper, even I fell into gift-purchasing mode – so grateful to be cool, clean, and not needing to go to the bathroom. It was a terrific way to make it through the hottest part of the day.



Did I say hottest part of the day? That actually came next – when we were deposited at the Temple of Heaven to fly the earlier-before-crafted kites. The Temple of Heaven devolves into a Tower of Hell when the temperature is over 100 degrees and one’s water bottle tastes as if it had recently been heated in a microwave. The children gamely trotted about for several nanoseconds with their kites (which flew easily in the little heat thermals that bubbled up from the scalding courtyards). Older adults – seemingly oblivious to the heat – danced to popular music in a lovely park and played cards and mahjong along the long corridors of the temple – very fun to see. Sort of like a Knights of Columbus or Senior Center plunked down in the middle of an ancient historical monument – it’s clearly a popular hangout for retired folks. We learned that women in China can retire at (get ready) 45-50 years of old…and that men retire between 50 and 55, leaving a bunch of years (in this economy) for mahjong, dancing, and cards.




Dinner seemed to occur about 3 hours after lunch – no one was very hungry and the children were decidedly cranky. Though I had no intention of eating I just can’t resist tasting…everything looks so good. And when you ‘taste’ a chopstick or two full of each of 8-9 dishes….suddenly you feel like a not-so-happy Buddha in need of a nap. My general culinary caution has succeeded in weaning me off of the Tums, though poor Eliza rides the bus after every dinner. I hope it’s not bad to give her an adult dose of pink pepto-bismaley medicine, but it works like a charm.
This evening we experienced the largest train station in Asia…on the Saturday following the outset of the summer vacation break (which begins July 1). This translates to throngs of people taking trains out of Beijing, and another subway-like crowd experience, though this time with all of our luggage in tow and a cranky, overtired daughter. Our sleeper car (where I’m writing this now) is tiny, but cozy and clean. Although a pajama party is erupting around us – since all of the families traveling with us are in adjacent cars – I’m disregarding Richard’s voice in my head to let Eliza stay up, and making this child go to bed! We arrive at Xi’an at 8:30 tomorrow morning.