Thursday, July 6 Hutongs

[soid]

Woke up at 7am on the tenth floor of a hotel placed for some reason among one-to-two stories buildings in Hutongs of central Beijing.

The surroundings of the center of Beijing surprised me. What is not surprising is that in the very center, around Tiananmen square placed the government, the party buildings, etc. Forbidden City, the palace of Imperial China overthrown in 1912 is on one side, with a portrait of Mao at the entrance along with the sign saying "中华人民共和国万岁" - usually translated as "Long Live Republic of China" it literary means "Chinese People's Republic, Live 10,000 years". Ironically, for building a new socialist society the party chose to place its bureaucracy in the exact place of former Imperial rule. 

Hutongs are old quarters preserved around the central parts of Beijing, contrasting with socialist grand architecture and western-style office buildings. They look essentially like village-like slums, with chaotic motorcycle traffic and cars taking the whole narrow street – I don't know why they didn't ban the cars. But houses in hutongs are expensive, and it's trendy here for rich people to buy a hutong and renovate it. Some hutongs are essentially tourist traps, but there is a lot to explore, and some look pretty cool, authentic. Dashilan Street was full of tourist crowds, but its parallel Yangmeizhuxie Street was totally empty with many good places to explore, but northern hutongs are even more interesting to walk around. I thought it was pretty surprising to be able to quickly get away from the government center and see the village-like life in the center of the capital.

Tesla parked in the hutongs with wooden plates protecting tires from the sun

An old man matching the neighborhood

Inside residential hutongs

In the evening we were invited for dinner by a friend. What is it like to be invited by a friend in China? The check is on them, sure, but also we don't get to order anything ourselves – everything was decided by the host; it is a gesture of knowing your friend to be able to order the food that they like. The place was Yunnan food, which turns out is a region with many indigenous people. I liked bridge noodles and potato stew. All food was shared, as usual in Chinese dining. The place was decorated in the 90s-like style, with many old electronics around, cassette players, VHS TVs, and old family photos. Some kind of nostalgia for the nineties. Oh, and Mao's portraits, occasionally; that was a strange part.

Beijing's life of young adults sounds stressful. Would it be easy for girls to date in China, since the gender imbalance, with too many men in society? As it turns there are many expectations from girls' families barring most of the potential partners – sure, the family wants only the best for their daughters, and the best have a good education, an apartment, and a car. Thus, those guys that are able to pass the family's checkmarks actually have a lever of their own. Besides, families compete with each other, which involves much judgment and jealousy. Buying an apartment in Beijing is a hard endeavor, with prices going above millions of US dollars for not-too-far-away locations; young use their families' money for such things and thus keep depending on their parents. My question about communist housing and the party providing for the people raise a laugh–free housing is not part of what is called "scientific socialism rooted in Chinese realities". All these regards make the young sick of society, willing to run away anywhere. Something like that, in my interpretation. 

Bed by midnight.

Comments

[juan_gandhi]

So they still have to ask the family for a marriage permission. Interesting. Traditions.

[soid]

Yeah, but it's probably more nuanced dynamics than just asking for permission.

[ivanrubilo]

I've always thought the wooden plates were protection from dog's piss :)))

[soid]

Ha, interesting guess - that could be! who knows what’s on those Chinese tesla driver’s mind…