Rickshaw Tour of Beijing's Hutongs

The morning of our first full day here we took a rickshaw tour of Beijing's old residential neighborhood. We had an English speaking guide accompany us on bicycle. He led us through the narrow streets to a farmers market, a nursery school, and a local family's home where we were served jasmine tea.

Beijing is an amazing place with throngs of people and bicycles. There are over 15 million people living in the urban area and approximately 11 million bikes. Driving anywhere is serious business. Our guide asked us kindly not to try to talk to him during the trip from the hotel this morning because navigating the congestion takes all his concentration. After a few minutes out of the hotel parking lot and it becomes all too clear what he is talking about. The volume of cars is staggering and maneuvering is complicated by the people on bikes, mopeds, and foot.

You can see other pictures from our tour on Flickr.