We began our tours by visiting the Hutong Area, a collection of very old homes along the river, by taking a famous rickshaw ride. Our driver volunteered to take the "big guy" and we made sure he was tipped well. We were hackled along the way to purchase several items. Thought they asked us to ignore them, we couldn't help but buy a couple of fans. The proved worth-while in the very hot sun.
We were able to see how some of the upper-class in China lived. Mr. Huo's home has been in his family for 5 generations. His mother-in-law, wife and son live in the home. He has a small art studio, she is a retired teacher and writes beautiful calligraphy. The wife works for a major Beijing art business.
In the center court of the home, you found cucumbers growing, pigeons, and beautiful flowers. The rooms were tiny, some of them being re-done. It was neat to see their humble homes....yet this was a home much larger (though very tiny) than most enjoy.
My favorite part-they had 2 caged cats, and a cat box in the kitchen that was "made-in-China" that looked very similar to mine. Actually, the artwork was our favorite.
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