Beijing Bicycle

These photographs were taken in the Hutongs of Beijing, which surround the Forbidden City. A Hutong is a lane, or an alley, formed by a series of quadrangular courtyards surrounded by small, usually one storey houses. Many were built during the Yuan (1206 - 1341), Ming (1368 - 1628) and Qing (1644 - 1908) dynasties. Unfortunately, these beautiful places are disappearing at breakneck speed as Beijing is forced to answer the needs of a soaring economy. Most of them will become high rise flats and offices, so I suggest that if you would like to see them, go before it's too late. As for the bicycles, they are still (by far) the most common means of transport, and the Chinese are wonderfully adept at carrying anything and everything on their bikes. I remember seeing a man once riding casually on one of the many long, wide and chaotic boulevards in Beijing, with a full-sized trailer connected to his bike. The trailer was full of boxes of mineral water. Imagine how heavy that would be, and trying to manoeuver such a load in the centre of one of the biggest and most active cities in the world! There will be more on China to come in the near future. In the meantime, for more photos of the Hutongs' architecture and layout, try Iain Masterton's website www.hutongphotography.com