When I toured Beijing, I visited a part of the Hutong, the ancient residential compounds that sprouted right outside the walls of the Forbidden City, where the emperor’s staff lived with their families for generations. These Hutongs were built in the traditional Chinese courtyard style with an elegant garden in the center from which all the separate roofed living areas were accessible. After a few centuries however, the courtyard concept was abandoned and many more smaller living quarters were built within the inner walls to accomodate the generations.

Today, most of the Hutongs is gone — demolished to make way for modern buildings, especially with the impending 2008 Olympics. If you’re lucky, you might still be able to catch a rickshaw tour to some surviving Hutongs, where the residents would welcome you into their homes for tea and some conversation, helped along by your guide of course. The living quarters are cramped, almost like a clean slum area. However, don’t be surprised to find within the cramped space, centuries-old, exquisitely-carved wooden furniture that are still in use (assembled with no nails!). Also, I was thrilled to stand under a heavily-fruiting pomegranate tree in what remained of an ancient courtyard. Amazing.

By the way, while in Beijing, I found lamb to be a common menu item in restaurants. I found skewered lamb kebabs in food stalls too. Not too surprising if one thinks back to Mongolia’s influence (think Kublai/Genghis Khan) in China.

Keep writing!