The Alleys of Beijing
-------By Robert Westbrook

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People who have been in Beijing for some time tend to gaze at the modern new skyline in astonishment. "None of these buildings were here ten years ago!" they will say, pointing to the sleek high-rise cityscape of glass and steel and white bricks. Everywhere you look: fancy new hotels, department stores, office buildings, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, advertisements for Coca-Cola, neon signs. But in China, appearances can be deceiving.
A At first, surrounded by the city clamor, the new visitor might hardly notice the many narrow alleys that jut off from the great boulevards, often only a small inviting break between two buildings. These are the hutongs, the alleys of Beijing. Step into any hutong and within a few minutes the modern city will disappear. You have just moved backwards in time into a dense, interior world -- the real China that is waiting behind the facade.

The alleys twist and wind through the inner city like veins and arteries moving through a living creature. There is endless fascination here: tiny markets, noodle shops, old men sitting in the waning sun, children playing, donkey carts, strolling lovers, ancient gateways to walled-courtyards . . . a confusion of smells and sights and sounds. The hutongs not only take you back in time, but out of the city itself -- back to village life where neighbors know one another and stare in astonishment at the foreigner passing by. Smaller alleys branch off from the larger alleys into a maze of shacks and hovels, housing for the poor. But occasionally you will pass an ornate doorway that might lead to the hidden mansion of a feudal prince.

You can see the hutongs in comfort by taking one of the organized tours via bicycle-taxi, which can be arranged through any of the large hotels. But i recommend simply entering these alleys on your own and allowing yourself time to get lost -- which you will certainly do, as the hutongs meander in no clear direction, and within minutes you will lose your orientation. Eventually, never fear -- after a few centuries, it might seem -- you will find your way out of the maze of tiny alleys, back onto a main street, and once again in modern times.

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