When I booked our trip, I had the choice of a Shanghai to Beijing route or Beijing to Shanghai. I chose the latter for two reasons: first, I felt that having the bulk of the city touring at the beginning of the trip with the ship part towards the end would be more relaxing, and second, the rickshaw ride was available only on the Beijing to Shanghai route. To say I was looking forward to this day is an understatement. The weather had been threatening rain since we arrived, so of course, today the skies opened up.
Jack's Bus takes us to the Hutongs area of Old Beijing. Hutongs means narrow, ancient alleys, and these are just that. We choose our rickshaw and climb inside; fortunately the driver has installed the rain curtains, which keep us somewhat dry. Unfortunately, these same curtains somewhat impede our view, but not enough to ruin the experience. I'm a little disappointed that the rickshaw is a pedicab, powered by our driver pedaling a bicycle, and not being pulled on foot; but that disappointment is short-lived. Our driver holds his umbrella over his head with one hand, and maneuvers the teeny, two-way alleys with the other, adroitly staying away from oncoming traffic of both the rickshaw and car variety.
After a short ride, we stop at the home of a local Chinese family, who has invited our group inside to experience local Beijing life in this traditional neighborhood. The home is quite small, around 300 square feet, but the homeowner lives there by herself, with her dog, so it's enough for her. We're seated on stools placed around the living room, where she serves us delicious and warming Jasmine tea. She doesn't speak English, but our guide translates her story: Before the Cultural Revolution, her grandfather owned this house, which at that time was much larger and was the multi-generational home. He was an artist, skilled in the art of inner painting. Mao's revolution's stated goal was to enforce communism in the country by removing capitalist, traditional, and cultural elements from Chinese society. Because of this, many of these old skills were lost, but this woman's grandfather secretly taught her, and she subsequently taught her niece, the art of inner painting.
Inner painting is the painting of intricate pictures on the inside surface of a glass vessel. This is done with a special brush with bristles which are bent at a 90-degree angle. The brush is carefully placed in the narrow neck of the bottle, and the designs are drawn, in reverse, on the inside of the glass. The talented niece demonstrates how she does this, and it's pretty amazing. In no time at all, she's painted a simple bird on the inside of a tiny bottle. Of course, the larger designs take more time; some pieces take several weeks to complete.
As we were riding to this home, we noticed many Happy Houses along the way, and correctly assume that these homes do not have indoor plumbing. The kitchen is a tiny passageway, with a stove and a sink, but I don't think there was any running water in there. Perhaps they do have water, but just not sanitary facilities. In any event, it certainly is a different way of life, and one I'm so glad to have witnessed.
Today was my favorite day of the trip.
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