Hutongs, Beijing, China

The brochure says: In the afternoon, take the opportunity to join an optional tour (not included) to see Beijing’s 700-year-old Hutong’s (narrow lanes) area by old fashioned pedicab. You will also visit a local family living in a courtyard style home to experience the local customs including a delicious home-cooked dinner. 

What are Hutongs?

In Beijing Hutongs are formed by lines of traditional courtyard residences, called siheyuan.  Neighborhoods were formed by joining many hutongs together.

These siheyuan are the traditional residences, usually occupied by a single or extended family, signifying wealth, and prosperity.  Over 500 of these still exist.

Many of these hutongs have been demolished, but recently they have become protected places as a means of preserving some Chinese cultural history.  They were first established in the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368)

Many of these Hutongs had their main buildings and gates built facing south, and lanes connecting them to other hutongs also ran north to south.

Many hutongs, some several hundred years old, in the vicinity of the Bell Tower and Drum Tower and Shichahai Lake are preserved and abound with tourists, many of which tour the quarter in pedicabs.

The optional tour also includes a visit to Shichahai, a historic scenic area consisting of three lakes (Qianhai, meaning Front Sea; Houhai, meaning Back Sea and Xihai, meaning West Sea), surrounding places of historic interest and scenic beauty and remnants of old-style local residences, Hutong and Courtyard.  

First, we had a short walk through the more modern part of Hutong and given some free time for shopping, but we prefer just to meander by the canal.  

There is a lake, and if we had the time, there were boats you could take.

With some time to spare, we take a quick walk down one of the alleyways where on the ground level are small shops, and above, living quarters.

Then we go to the bell and drum towers before walking through some more alleys was to where the rickshaws were waiting.

The Bell tower

And the Drum tower. Both still working today.

The rickshaw ride took us through some more back streets where it was clear renovations were being made so that the area could apply for world heritage listing.  Seeing inside some of the houses shows that they may look dumpy outside but that's not the case inside.

The rickshaw ride ends outside the house where dinner will be served, and is a not so typical hose but does have all the elements of how the Chinese live, the boy's room, the girl's room, the parent's room, the living area, and the North-south feng shui.

Shortly after we arrive, the cricket man, apparently someone quite famous in Beijing arrives and tells us all about crickets

and then grasshoppers, then about cricket racing.  He is animated and clearly enjoys entertaining us westerners.

I'm sorry but the cricket stuff just didn't interest me.  Or the grasshoppers.

As for dinner, it was finally a treat to eat what the typical Chinese family eats, and everything was delicious, and the endless beer was a nice touch.

And the last surprise, the food was cooked by a man.

A trip to China - Day 3 - Hutong, and a genuine Chinese meal

Hutong

The brochure says: In the afternoon, take the opportunity to join an optional tour (not included) to see Beijing’s 700-year-old Hutong’s (narrow lanes) area by old fashioned pedicab. You will also visit a local family living in a courtyard style home to experience the local customs including a delicious home-cooked dinner. 

The optional tour also includes a visit to Shichahai, a historic scenic area consisting of three lakes (Qianhai, meaning Front Sea; Houhai, meaning Back Sea and Xihai, meaning West Sea), surrounding places of historic interest and scenic beauty and remnants of old-style local residences, Hutong and Courtyard.  

First, we had a short walk through the more modern part of Hutong and given some free time for shopping, but we prefer just to meander by the canal.  

There is a lake, and if we had the time, there were boats you could take.

With some time to spare, we take a quick walk down one of the alleyways where on the ground level are small shops, and above, living quarters.

Then we go to the bell and drum towers before walking through some more alleys was to where the rickshaws were waiting.

The Bell tower

And the Drum tower. Both still working today.

The rickshaw ride took us through some more back streets where it was clear renovations were being made so that the area could apply for world heritage listing.  Seeing inside some of the houses shows that they may look dumpy outside but that's not the case inside.

The rickshaw ride ends outside the house where dinner will be served, and is a not so typical hose but does have all the elements of how the Chinese live, the boy's room, the girl's room, the parent's room, the living area, and the North-south feng shui.

Shortly after we arrive, the cricket man, apparently someone quite famous in Beijing arrives and tells us all about crickets

 and then grasshoppers, then about cricket racing.  He is animated and clearly enjoys entertaining us westerners.

I'm sorry but the cricket stuff just didn't interest me.  Or the grasshoppers.

As for dinner, it was finally a treat to eat what the typical Chinese family eats, and everything was delicious, and the endless beer was a nice touch.

And the last surprise, the food was cooked by a man.

A trip to China - Day 3 - The Great Wall of China, or part of it

The Great Wall of China

The brochure says, [After the Jade Museum], Afterwards take a scenic drive through the countryside and mountains to reach China’s most renowned monument—the Great Wall. You will visit the less-touristy and more original Juyong Pass, avoiding other sections which are the most accessible and consequently most crowded. The Great Wall meanders through China’s northern mountain ranges from the Yellow Sea to the Gobi Desert - a distance of more than 3500 miles. 

This is in a very scenic area and on the first impression; it is absolutely stunning in concept and in viewing.

As for the idea of walking on it, well, that first view of the mountain climb when getting off the bus, the first question was where the elevator is?  Sorry, there is none.  Its walk on up or stay down the bottom.

Walk it is.  As far as you feel you are able.  There is quite a few who don't make it to the top.  I didn't.  I only made it to the point where the steps narrowed.

But as for the logistics, there's the gradual incline to the starting point, and what will be the end meeting place.  From there, it's a few steps up to the first guard station no 7, and a few more to get up to the start of the main climb.  The top of the wall is guard station no 12.

Ok, those first few steps are a good indication of what it’s was going to be like and it's more the awkwardness of the uneven heights of the steps that's the killer, some as high as about 15 inches.  This photo paints an illusion, that it’s easy.  It’s not.

If you make it to the first stage, then it augers well you will get about 100 steps before you both start feeling it in your legs, particularly the knees, and then suffering from the height if you have a problem with heights as the air is thinner.  And if you have a thing with heights, never look down.

This was from where we stopped, about a third of the way up.  The one below, from almost at the bottom.  One we’re looking almost down on the buildings, the other, on the same level.

It requires rest before you come down, and that's when you start to feel it in the knees, our tour guide called it jelly legs, but it's more in the knees down.  Descending should be slow, and it can be more difficult negotiating the odd height steps, and particularly those high ones.  You definitely need to hang onto the rail, even try going backwards.

And, no, that rail hasn't been there as long as the wall.

While you are waiting for the guide to return to the meeting place at the appointed time, there should be time to have some jasmine tea.  Highly refreshing after the climb.

Lunch, today, is included, back at the jade factory

It is also a restaurant, and here we are being served Australia Chinese dishes that lean towards Chinese cuisine, but, it's definitely not authentic Chinese food.

I won't say it's disappointing because it tastes delicious, but I think it would have been more important to continue the Chinese experience.  Maybe that will come with the Hutong tour, which will be tonight.

With dinner included this should be the authentic Chinese food.

The trip back to Hutong was through the Olympic village where we saw the cube, for water sports and the bird's nest used for the opening and closing ceremonies, and several other stadiums, including the tennis, and archery, though this has been removed and is being replaced with an indoor ski centre.

A trip to China - Day 3 - We're off to the Great Wall, via a Jade Factory

Day  3 - We're off to the great wall

The trip to the Great Wall is going to take a while and since we are leaving early, about 8:00 and the time for peak hour for traffic, it gives our guide some time to talk us about China, history and current day, and answer questions about everyday life in China.

It seems they do not have it any easier than we do when it comes to house prices, cost of living, taxes, petrol, cars, which are considerably more than we pay, children, education, though it might be rather less, child minding, and the usual government services like pension, hospital and other medical care, and the typical retirement age, which like in Australia, is increasing in age.

And it seems that life coexists somewhere between socialism and capitalism, which seems best for the country and its people.  Oppression and lack of individual freedoms doesn't match the impression we are given in the media, or from the odd case of infringement that occasionally hits our newspapers.

My view of China has changed significantly since being here. Of course, the internet is here, but without the usual social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook and the government might be responsible for making it impossible to use the internet in this hotel, but, I think its more of a bandwidth issue, and needs someone more qualified to fix it.  People don't look oppressed, they just look like you and me, dressed in formal wear or designer casual, and nearly everyone I saw under the age of 30 had a cell phone.

So much for social history, we are within a short distance and we are getting an introduction to the next place we're visiting.

On the way the Great Wall we are going via the jade museum, so called, but more a small factory and a very large sales showroom.  It's owned we're told by the government so there should be no problems with quality and after-sales service.  I doubt the Chinese government would want to have complaints levelled against it when this tour is a key part of many, many groups arranged by Trip a Deal.

Negative publicity has a way of destroying something very quickly, and the internet outside China is a very powerful determinant of what people will spend money on.  And Trip adviser is only too happy to help spread the word.

The Jade Factory

The brochure says today we will, after breakfast, on the way to the Great Wall, stop at a Jade Museum to learn the history of jade. In Chinese, jade is pronounced as “Yu” and it has a history in China of at least four thousand years. Observe the skilled artisans at work as they create their intricate designs.  I can’t wait.

But, first, you are dazzled by the ship and is nothing short of magnificent.

So, armed with the brief introduction, on the bus ride, and a story about how a jade bracelet saved a friend from serious harm by the tour guide, she hands us over to a local guide, read staff member, and she begins with a discussion on jade and we watch a single worker working on an intricate piece, sorry, there are two workers, and the second is working on a dragon.

Then it's into a smaller showroom and we are taken through the colours, and the carving process in the various stages, without really being told how the magic happens, then it's out into the main showroom where the sales are made, and before dispersing to look at the jade collection, she briefly tells us how to tell real and fake jade, and she does the usual trick of getting on of the tour group to model a piece.

Looks good, let's move on.  To bigger and better examples.

What interested me, other than the small zodiac signs and other smallish pieces on the 'promotion' table was the object tour guide told us about on the bus while stuck in a traffic jam, the good luck bangle.  If anyone needs one it is my other half, with all the medical issues and her sometimes clumsiness.

There are literally thousands of them, but, they have to be specially fitted to your wrist because if it's too large, you might lose it if it slips off and I didn't think it could be too small.  Nor is it cheap, and needing a larger size, it is reasonably expensive.  But it is jadeite, the more expensive of the types of jade, and it can only appreciate in value, not that we are interested in the monetary value, it's more the good luck aspect.

We could use some of that.

But, just to touch on something that can be the bugbear of travelling overseas, is the subject of happy houses, a better name for toilets, and has become a recurrent theme on this tour.  It's better than blurting out the word toilet and it seems there can be some not so happy houses given that the toilets in China are usually squat rather than sit, even for women.

And apparently, everyone has an unhappy house story, particularly the women, and generally in having to squat over a pit.  Why is this a discussion point, it seems the jade factory had what we have come to call happy happy houses which have more proper toilets, and a stop here before going on the great wall was recommended as the 'happy house' at the wall is deemed to be not so happy houses.

Not even this dragon was within my price range.  Thank heaven they had smaller more affordable models.

After spending a small fortune, another bonus, free Chinese tea.  Then it's onto the Great Wall experience.