Hutongs
Hutongs are a rare sight in Beijing now. It used to be a distinctive characteristic of Beijing. However, in the name of cleaning up the city in preparation of the Olympics, many Hutongs are demolished to make way for skyscrapers. It’s really a pity.

We were very fortunate to be staying near a Hutong and we had dinner there for 2 nights. I immediately fell in love with the simplicity of life in the Hutong. Kids were running about along the street, laughter filled the little allies where the locals chatted with one another. It appeared to be a close-knit community which is a stark contrast to the cold concrete jungle outside of the Hutong, where vehicles were honking impatiently at one another on the roads and people simply had a vacant look on their faces. Probably, they are like us who are too caught up with the hustle and bustle of city life.



The Summer Palace
We enjoyed this palace the most. The Summer Palace was where the imperial family moved to in order to avoid the searing heat during summer. The huge lake in the center of the palace actually made the entire place very cooling. As expected, this palace was HUGE, but it was comparatively more beautiful than the Forbidden City. The landscaping there was absolutely stunning. The entire place was so serene that there were even some old folks doing calligraphy on the walkway. It was really an ideal place to get inspirations for poem-writing.



We stumbled upon a costume rental shop and had a whale of a time there dressing up as Kangxi, Qianlong and the Empress. We did many hilarious poses and laughed till our sides hurt!