Beijing is a  very modern city of over 20 million people, almost as populated as Shanghai but zoned very differently.  The tall buildings are only 15-20 stories high as compared to Shanghai’s 75-100 storied ones.  Even though Beijing’s perimeter is wide, it has the feel of a smaller city — more like a combination of Boston and Washington, DC.

We spent part of the afternoon around Hou Hai (Back Lakes), a cluster of three linked lakes north of the Forbidden City.  They are right in the heart of a district of hutongs (labyrinths of alley ways — the ancient neighborhoods — where many people still live amid incredibly crowded and poor conditions).  See my previous story about black market shopping in Shanghai’s hutongs.

After we walked about the pretty lake area and strolled by the little boutiques, renovated from the old homes of privileged government workers, John got to see the hutongs up close and personal. Unlike the Shanghai 2–stored hutong buildings, these are only one level.  They didn’t seem as cramped to me.  But they are very old, very dirty, very dilapidated — and they are quite narrow.  When a rickshaw would pass us, we’d have to move to the side.  And actually we were just walking in the main alleys, we could see the side alleys, but they are private.  It would be like walking up someone’s driveway or sidewalk or front yard.