24. Life in the Hu Tong

Entrance to a Hu Tong dwelling

The other room of the Hu Tong home

Day 17 

Today was to be a free day, but Virginia and her cousin, Glenda, as well as a number of others from our group, opted for a tour of the Hu Tong and visit with a Chinese family. A small bus took them to the place where they were to board a rickshaw (<jinriksha), or pedicab. 

They were advised to remember the number on their rickshaw and to remember the driver's face. Virginia and Glenda were in rickshaw #55. Their driver looked to be about 16 years old and they wondered how a person as slight as he was could tow their weight. He didn't seem to understand any English, but he was very friendly. Virginia asked his name -- Bu -- and took his picture. Bu, in turn, took theirs while sitting in the rickshaw.

JinRikShas, pedicabs or just plain rickshaws

Author and cousin, Glenda, pose in their pedicab

Bu took them around a small lake where there were many people, young and old, enjoying the beautiful morning with their friends and neighbors. They came to a small square. At one end, there was a building called the bell tower. At the other end was the drum tower, which was being renovated.

Bu parked the rickshaw so they could visit with people there. Some were young women with their babies. Older women, probably grandmothers, were sitting with them. Virginia took some pictures of the "Little Emperors and Empresses". The mothers seemed very pleased that tourists made over their children.

Our fascination with the children is endless

They left the square in the rickshaw and went down streets too narrow to accommodated more than one vehicle at a time. The young driver was a real pro at handling the constant traffic.

After saying goodbye to Bu and leaving a tip, Virginia and Glenda walked to their hostess' home. The lady who greeted them was probably in her 50s. She was very gracious and welcomed them with a wonderful smile. She had many kinds of food on the table to be tried, as well as hot tea to drink. All of the items had been purchased at a local market except for one that she had prepared herself. Virginia didn't know what it was, but she liked it.

Parts of the Hu Tong date back to the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1341). In this room, there was a small electric refrigerator with a glass door and a large table with many chairs and stools. In the adjacent room, there were two cots, a large ceramic turtle, a large vase, etc. Outside was a courtyard with a small tree and some potted plants. There was a two burner cooking device that indicated the cooking was done outside.

Bell Tower in square near the Hu Tong

Drum Tower in square near the Hu Tong

Across the courtyard was another small room with a deep sink and other things Virginia couldn't remember. A very pretty, but bashful, young woman was inside. When Virginia looked in the room, she came into the courtyard. Virginia motioned for her to come back into the room so that her picture could be taken. She was very shy. Ultimately, Virginia convinced her to permit them to take her picture in the room.

Their hostess answered many questions about her family and daily life. She spoke no English -- her responses were interpreted by our guide. She and her husband, who was at work, have two daughters. Both are married and have the allotted number of children -- one has a boy and the other a girl. The daughters and their husbands live in apartments in the city, but their children live with the grandparents during the week and go to school. The children's parents have them on the weekends.

Our happy Hu Tong hostess caters to our curiosity

Since married couples are now allowed only one child, the children tend to be spoiled with so much attention by the parents and two sets of grandparents. At the same time, they are under a great deal of pressure to compete. They go to school early in the morning and come home in the late afternoon. After school, they attend special classes for music, art, singing, dancing, etc. Then, there's homework. When is there time for play or anyone to play with? 

This trip to the Hu Tong was both enjoyable and enlightening. All of the people they met seemed to be honest, hard working and friendly. Sadly, many of the old ways in China are changing -- Beijing's young people are becoming westernized very rapidly. They flock to junk food at McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut to the disdain of their parents. What will the next ten years bring?

After the Hu Tong, they went to a teahouse where a young girl demonstrated the ritual of making, drinking and enjoying tea. It was a very laborious process -- not practiced in present day China. Hastily, Virginia purchased a clay teapot for her daughter-in-law's collection and a mug for her own. Using her credit card for this purchase made her even later getting away.

She describes an old traditional tea ceremony

They returned to the hotel shortly after noon. The ladies had another excursion planned for the afternoon.

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