We spent most of the day on a rickshaw going through one of the last hutongs. It appears a cottage industry has opened up and folks in the Hutongs can welcome in foreigners and cook and show us the old Chinese style of living. This was one of the most amazing things I have ever done in China. There used to be 170,000 Hutongs in Beijing. Today there are only 5000 left and now the Gov't is trying to preserve them. No soft coal is burnt anymore and everyone has been wired in prep for the Olympics. The living space is of course very small, but the courtyards are great and the neighbors all seem to band together. We have heard many stories of the cultural revolution, but that is for another time when we return.
We also spent time in a local elementary school and saw how kids in China learn and saw a bit about what they do.
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