本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛Pedal power Close encounters in China's capitalPedal power（Z）
Touring the hutongs of Beijing via pedicab can be a hair-raising experience You can get a close look at the life and culture of
BEIJING — Yikes! That was close! Really close!
Without so much as a hand signal the lead driver in our convoy of pedicabs proceeds into the street, cutting in front of a taxi. The taxi screeches to a halt, the poor cabbie having no choice but to wait patiently while at least a dozen pedicabs follow suit.
The pedicab driver makes no apologies, he simply grins from ear to ear and pedals on his merry way.
Surprisingly, the cab driver appears to take the encounter in stride.
No horn honking, no shaking of fists, no angry words. Can you imagine that happening at King and Bay?
Such is the juxtaposition that is Beijing — a city determinedly carrying on its ancient traditions amid the traffic and interventions of the 21st century. Beijing's pedicab drivers know full well that bicycles were a major part of the Beijing street scene long before BMWs. They consider the downtown streets their territory and, oddly enough, invaders on four wheels know enough to concede the right of way.
Once seated under the maroon awning of our pedicab, or Peking rickshaws as they are often called, it didn't take more than a few minutes to realize that a big part of the hutong tour was going to be nail-biting adventure. Hutongs are the ancient alleys and passageways that run helter-skelter off the central area around the Forbidden City, some so narrow that your shoulders almost touch the walls on either side.
The young man assigned to our pedicab impressed us the way he negotiated the crowded hutongs where cars, scooters, bikes, pushcarts and myriad moving things seemed to be coming at us from all directions. He grinned non-stop for the entire 2 1/2-hour tour, as he pedalled us through the maze of passageways.
We learned that he had come from a small village in central China and, though we had no way of communicating with him, we were able to acknowledge his efforts with smiles, nods and an occasional thumbs up when he cut off traffic, scaring the bejabbers out of us.
Beijing's hutongs are said to number in the thousands, some dating back 700 years, built during the dynasties of Yuan, Ming and Qing.
Many of the narrow lanes are tree-lined; most run between walled-in clusters of buildings known as quadrangles, where four buildings have been erected facing an inner courtyard.
From the twists and turns of the alleys you can often catch glimpses into the daily life and culture of the ordinary people who live in the hutong district.
We stopped for a few minutes at a small local market, wandering among fruit and vegetable stands. Children were playing street games among the vendors and old men sat in doorways playing the ancient games of Mahjong and Chinese chess.
Another stop was made at the Bell and Drum Towers, which divide the east and west portions of the old city. They date to 1420 and were restored in the 18th century. In the old times, they served as the city clock. The bell was struck every two hours beginning at 7 a.m. to signal a new work day; the drum struck beginning at 7 p.m. to signal the arrival of evening and the closing of the city gates. Several in our group made the climb up the narrow steps for a panoramic view of the city's willow-shaded Shishahai (Ten Temple Lake) and the surrounding maze of hutongs.
We also made a stop at a quadrangle home where the lady of the house invited us in, offered Chinese tea, and answered our questions. Yes, she has lived in the house her entire life, so did her parents before her, and her grandparents — generation after generation for as long as the house has stood.
Over centuries, life and the social culture in the hutongs has changed, depending on the stability of the country and, sadly, many hundreds of hutongs and quadrangles are being torn up to make way for high-rises and new found commerce. However, in fairness to city planners, much of the historical area is being preserved, especially in the Shishahai area, but in some neighbourhoods families, who have lived side-by-side for generations are being relocated to apartment blocks on the outskirts of the city. Oldtimers, many of whom have never been far from the city centre, look on the move with sadness and trepidation. The young tend to see it as progress.
On the subject of progress, at the rate Beijing is moving, it should be in position to host the Olympics well ahead of the 2008 schedule.
Construction cranes dominate the skyline, new hotels are going up at a rapid pace, existing ones, like the five-star Kunlun, have been spiffed up.
As is the case in most big cities, pollution and traffic are a major problem.
Getting back to the hutong tour, our last stop was in the Xicheng district, at the Cuijin Garden, site of Prince Gong's Mansion, one of the aristocratic residences remaining from the Qing Dynasty. It stands in a garden amid a complex of traditional mansions and courtyards. It's a place to relax with shade trees, flowers, fountains, artificial hills and terraces, a lovely setting where visitors and residents often go to take in performances of Peking Opera.
The tour ended in the garden complex with a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, which, unlike its Japanese equivalent, emphasizes the tea rather than the ceremony.
Hutong tours are offered mornings, afternoons and evenings daily May through October. Among tour operators that include them in their Beijing itineraries is Toronto-based Asia Adventures and Study Tours (1-866 564-1226). We booked through the tour desk at Beijing's Kunlun Hotel and paid $28 Cdn. for the 2 1/2-hour afternoon tour, which included transfers to and from the hotel.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
Touring the hutongs of Beijing via pedicab can be a hair-raising experience You can get a close look at the life and culture of
BEIJING — Yikes! That was close! Really close!
Without so much as a hand signal the lead driver in our convoy of pedicabs proceeds into the street, cutting in front of a taxi. The taxi screeches to a halt, the poor cabbie having no choice but to wait patiently while at least a dozen pedicabs follow suit.
The pedicab driver makes no apologies, he simply grins from ear to ear and pedals on his merry way.
Surprisingly, the cab driver appears to take the encounter in stride.
No horn honking, no shaking of fists, no angry words. Can you imagine that happening at King and Bay?
Such is the juxtaposition that is Beijing — a city determinedly carrying on its ancient traditions amid the traffic and interventions of the 21st century. Beijing's pedicab drivers know full well that bicycles were a major part of the Beijing street scene long before BMWs. They consider the downtown streets their territory and, oddly enough, invaders on four wheels know enough to concede the right of way.
Once seated under the maroon awning of our pedicab, or Peking rickshaws as they are often called, it didn't take more than a few minutes to realize that a big part of the hutong tour was going to be nail-biting adventure. Hutongs are the ancient alleys and passageways that run helter-skelter off the central area around the Forbidden City, some so narrow that your shoulders almost touch the walls on either side.
The young man assigned to our pedicab impressed us the way he negotiated the crowded hutongs where cars, scooters, bikes, pushcarts and myriad moving things seemed to be coming at us from all directions. He grinned non-stop for the entire 2 1/2-hour tour, as he pedalled us through the maze of passageways.
We learned that he had come from a small village in central China and, though we had no way of communicating with him, we were able to acknowledge his efforts with smiles, nods and an occasional thumbs up when he cut off traffic, scaring the bejabbers out of us.
Beijing's hutongs are said to number in the thousands, some dating back 700 years, built during the dynasties of Yuan, Ming and Qing.
Many of the narrow lanes are tree-lined; most run between walled-in clusters of buildings known as quadrangles, where four buildings have been erected facing an inner courtyard.
From the twists and turns of the alleys you can often catch glimpses into the daily life and culture of the ordinary people who live in the hutong district.
We stopped for a few minutes at a small local market, wandering among fruit and vegetable stands. Children were playing street games among the vendors and old men sat in doorways playing the ancient games of Mahjong and Chinese chess.
Another stop was made at the Bell and Drum Towers, which divide the east and west portions of the old city. They date to 1420 and were restored in the 18th century. In the old times, they served as the city clock. The bell was struck every two hours beginning at 7 a.m. to signal a new work day; the drum struck beginning at 7 p.m. to signal the arrival of evening and the closing of the city gates. Several in our group made the climb up the narrow steps for a panoramic view of the city's willow-shaded Shishahai (Ten Temple Lake) and the surrounding maze of hutongs.
We also made a stop at a quadrangle home where the lady of the house invited us in, offered Chinese tea, and answered our questions. Yes, she has lived in the house her entire life, so did her parents before her, and her grandparents — generation after generation for as long as the house has stood.
Over centuries, life and the social culture in the hutongs has changed, depending on the stability of the country and, sadly, many hundreds of hutongs and quadrangles are being torn up to make way for high-rises and new found commerce. However, in fairness to city planners, much of the historical area is being preserved, especially in the Shishahai area, but in some neighbourhoods families, who have lived side-by-side for generations are being relocated to apartment blocks on the outskirts of the city. Oldtimers, many of whom have never been far from the city centre, look on the move with sadness and trepidation. The young tend to see it as progress.
On the subject of progress, at the rate Beijing is moving, it should be in position to host the Olympics well ahead of the 2008 schedule.
Construction cranes dominate the skyline, new hotels are going up at a rapid pace, existing ones, like the five-star Kunlun, have been spiffed up.
As is the case in most big cities, pollution and traffic are a major problem.
Getting back to the hutong tour, our last stop was in the Xicheng district, at the Cuijin Garden, site of Prince Gong's Mansion, one of the aristocratic residences remaining from the Qing Dynasty. It stands in a garden amid a complex of traditional mansions and courtyards. It's a place to relax with shade trees, flowers, fountains, artificial hills and terraces, a lovely setting where visitors and residents often go to take in performances of Peking Opera.
The tour ended in the garden complex with a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, which, unlike its Japanese equivalent, emphasizes the tea rather than the ceremony.
Hutong tours are offered mornings, afternoons and evenings daily May through October. Among tour operators that include them in their Beijing itineraries is Toronto-based Asia Adventures and Study Tours (1-866 564-1226). We booked through the tour desk at Beijing's Kunlun Hotel and paid $28 Cdn. for the 2 1/2-hour afternoon tour, which included transfers to and from the hotel.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net