Life in the back streets of Beijing
August 2, 2008
I am slowly working my way closer to the Beijing Olympic stadium otherwise known as the bird nest. Today I am just near the Gulou. It is the Drum Tower in english. It is around 7km from the Olympic district.
Tomorrow I plan to catch bus no. 1 which takes passengers on a tour of all of the Olympic venues. I am told it is 3rmb or around 50 cents US.
Earlier today I took my daughter up the steps of the Drum Tower to take in the view. It is quite a climb but worth the effort. You get a great view of Beijing. The photos I took did not look that spectacular as the skies had become a bit hazy and were more grey than blue.
When I was at the Drum tower I noticed a military truck in the courtyard between the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower to the north. I am not sure what they had on the back. They looked like some guns. Maybe they are for fireworks for the opening ceremony.
The rest of the day has been spent experiencing life in the Hutongs of Beijing. Hutong means alleyway. My wife’s family live in a hutong dwelling not far from the Drum tower. Life here is simple. It is all about community. Sitting around a chatting is the main entertainment for the day. There is nothing fancy about this lifestyle however eveyone seems to be happy.
The hutong house was once the grand house for my wife’s grandfather. It was a nice courtyard home. Something that is not seen often in modern day Beijing. After communism took hold of China the large dwelling was split up to house 8 families. It is now a lot different to how it was in the early forties.
Seeing what I see is probably not that common for the Beijing tourist and especially not the Olympic visitor. They may take a hutong tour on the back of a bike which will wind down the alley ways however they do not often take a peek behind the walls to see the real Beijing.
Check back here for some photos. I am not able to upload them just yet.
A sports fan's view of Beijing just four days out from the Olympic opening
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