Relaxing by the water

Xihai is connected to a series of hutongs that the team and I spent most of our time zigzagging in. The culture here is most vivacious in these narrow streets: an old granny and her grocery basket, two women chatting about their newborns, and men with their shirts rolled up to their chests on a humid day. Many generations of a family live together under one roof in the courtyards here, and it is a place where people played, bought goods, gossiped, and connected with their neighbors. Although most people in Beijing nowadays live in multi floored apartments, and contact with neighbors is less and less frequent, the courtyard still preserves this special element of old beijing. Not losing any ounce of its ancient charm, most have been uped a notch to include air conditioning, a new plumbing system, and all your basic necessities. These days, people buy and sell houses all the time, but I have a few friends who have courtyards, and let me tell you, nobody even thinks about selling the courtyard passed down from their parents and grandparents. It’s absolutely priceless.