Loricat's Reviews

Worth a discreet peek

The hutongs are the narrow streets & alleys that are home to the traditional dwellilngs that surround courtyards. Each one houses a number of people, and the resulting neighbourhoods are bustling with activity. They figure often in modern Chinese literature.

I had a friend who lived with her Chinese husband in one – sharing toilets and washing facilities with the whole block, never really getting warm, and ending up with mild frostbite on her feet…

These are not places to wander around in with a camera, being a tourist, any more than you would intrude on any residential neighbourhood, snapping pictures of people doing laundry. Hutongs are something you keep your eyes open for, to have a casual look as you pass by on your way to your destination.

Reviewed on: December 23, 2006