More from our Rickshaw tour of the Hutong...

I think I mentioned the bikes, right?

I love the idea of a rickshaw merging with traffic... until I'm the one on the rickshaw! "Hello Bus!"

And a quick "Hello" to our new friend Oncoming Traffic.

This is a typical front door to a home in the hutong. Behind this door would be a path that leads to the actual "home" which could be a living room, bedroom, bathroom (probably not connected to the other rooms), and a kitchen - or something like that. Very simple. The home we visited was very clean and well kempt...the consumer electronics were very modern (evidence of a DVD player, a 36" TV and a boom box)...the household electronics were out of date by Western standards, but functional...

NOTE...even though the homes in this area are old, don't make confuse old with impoverished. Unlike the highrise dwellers who RENT, Hutong dwellers OWN...many have owned since before the Revolution, or were awarded ownership as a reward for loyalty during the Revolution, and have passed this ownership interest and the pride in ownership through generations...

Inside the home...

Looking down the street at various homes in the Hutong