China - Hutongs, Houhai Lake & Kung Fu Show

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Saturday 15th September

With no more tours booked was now a good time to see the things ear marked to see within the city. First stop was getting a cab to the drum and bell towers near the Houhai lake. From here haggled with some rickshaw drivers into a tour of the local Hutongs (name originating from the Mongols). For those of you going to visit Beijing this is a must. Not the rickshaw but just venturing around the Hutongs. The rickshaw driver was an overweight Chinese guy navigating his way around the Hutongs very slowly. He stopped off at a family to show me the inside of a Hutong residence. He tapped the door bell a few times and a lady opened the door asking for ¥30. Not knowing to expect I enter and hear loud applauses. Found out that this no longer belongs to a family and now hosts a chinese Kung fu show by 3 elderly Chinese men. The place held at lest 200 chinese people from various tour groups. As everyone left one of the workers explained the house and feng shui parts of the courtyard. They then asked me to sit while they cleaned up all the cups of teas and biscuits left behind from the group. 5 mins later they reset all the tables and opened the front doors (not the back door I came though) and another 200 odd elderly Chinese people all wearing different coloured hats depicting which tour they came in. A they all settled some Chinese music came on similar to that of the 1970/80s Chinese tv show Monkey Magic came on and then a chinese guy with missing front bottom teeth came onto the stage with a mic and explained things for 5 mins in Chinese. Mind you I'm sitting there being the only Caucasian person in sight. He then sees me and says in broken English "Old Chinese Kung fu" where everyone turns around and stares at me. He then went off stage and came back a few mins later with differs attire. Then starts spinning a staff around then swallows a small ball bearing before bringing it back up. Then two other guys came on stage doing things like swallowing swords, swallowing a billiard ball before bring that back up. Once over my rickshaw driver drove me back to where I got on.

After the hutong tour I spend a few hours simply wandering the small Hutongs taking in the atmosphere. Eating foods prepared from people's own home. My policy is only eat foods cooked and nothing raw or seafood. Then s night fell I ventured to the houhai lake again where there was all lit up with bars and is a popular place to come each evening for locals. Must be at least 100 bars all linear up beside he lake. Each one having local bands singing Chinese music. Whilst walking past besides getting asked if I want boom boom at the the lady bar (brothel) some elderly man holding a stool and a sign that said massage asked me if I want a massage. Looking around I see a few others getting their head massaged so went for it. Man this was so painful it afterwards was the best feeling ever. Now was time to head back to the hotel via Tiananmen square to take a few pics of Meo.

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