The Other Side of Beijing

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As usual, we didn’t really know what we were up to today, until someone else let us in on the itinerary - I always forget to check mine, but manage to figure things out as we go along. Today, we were taking a Hutong Ride through Beijing’s streets, visiting a traditional Chinese family in their home, AND a cute kindergarten.

The Hutong ride was mayhem - all our tour group (about 33 of us) on tricycles with seats. The riders are often poor farmers who have come to Beijing to make a living - and this is one hard way to earn your money. It can’t be easy lugging tourists around on shitty roads all day long, and the bikes are certainly not in prime condition.

It was lovely riding along past the river, and through the backstreets, which were quite wealthy when compared to the ones we had been through on our first day in Beijing. We stopped in a housing area, where the hawkers were ready to sell their ways - they are pretty bad here - far worse than other countries we have visited!

We made it inside without buying anything, to be greeted by a lovely couple who shared a courtyard with two other families - and who had 5 rooms to themselves. The house had been in the family’s ownership for over 150 years…with the current owners retired. The father was a talented painter, who was able to sell his works at the end of our visit, and many of the group bought paintings.

Outside, the hawkers were ready again, and this time I was talked into buying some silk bags and chopsticks - not that I have mastered how to use them yet! We were back in the rickshaws in no time, and on to the next stop - a kindergarten. This has been one of my tour highlights - the children were adorable, and entertained us all. At first, many of them were unaware that we were even there - they were in the middle of playtime, skipping and playing ball, but eventually, a few of the kids started to mingle with us, smiling and waving.

We walked around the school, and got to see the classrooms and tiny beds the children napped on, as well as some of their artwork. On the way out, one adorable little girl (and there are definitely a lot less than boys) acted like a celebrity, posing for us as she walked to class…she was a riot! From here, it was on to the airport, in time to catch our afternoon plane to Xian - home of the terracotta warriors.

We arrived in Xian in the late afternoon, and had time to relax for a couple of hours, before heading out again. Our tour included a cultural performance and dinner. Both were fabulous. The food was the best we’ve eaten since arriving in China, and the performance was stunning.

The dancers and singers perform traditional songs, some from 2000 years ago, and the costumes are the most elaborate we have seen. They are colourful and covered in beads, feathers, and bells. The performance told the story of the Tang Dynasty, and an emperor who was the first to unite the people of China. I did buy the DVD so that I could watch the performance again.

And now it is definitely time to go to bed, so that I am actually awake when we visit the warriors tomorrow…it is 1:18 in the morning after all! Unfortunately, Iz is still watching Urban Legend, a bit too scary for me.

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