Houtong City
Apart from the shiny multi storeyed glass palaces, Beijing shows a second face. You find it within the so called "Houtongs". This is the distinctive, far eastern side of Beijing, stamped by a 3.000 year long history: until 100 years ago houses weren’t allowed to be taller than the roofs of the Forbidden City, the emperor’s residence.
Houtong areas show everyday life as it still used to be some 10 years ago, a life without air conditioning, tap water or private toilettes. There you still find narrow alleys with clay built houses, where neighbors meet for a afternoon cigarette or a chat on the streets.
You also call one house "a Houtong" and normally a Houtong consists of several small, one-storeyed buildings, arranged around a little courtyard.
It is a pity that these areas are about to disappear. Too big is the demand of new business areas and apartment buildings. Only a very few Houtong residents are lucky to live in a protected area, which might eventually become some kind of open-air museum…