"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. "

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