One thing I love about Beijing is you never know what you will see when you venture out by foot or bike. When my friend and I decided to ride our bikes to a small hutong we visited in June, we thought we would just have lunch then ride on to see some places we were curious about. We walked into the small place, filled with locals and as we sat we saw a familiar face. A red-faced smiling man who we had met before in the same place months earlier greeted us with excitement. He had talked to us back in June when we were last here. I remember him because his face was red and sweaty and he was sitting with several men at a table next to us, which was covered with beer bottles. I thought his red face was due to drinking and wondered if he was wasted so early in the day.
When we saw him in June he was friendly, almost overly friendly I thought at the time but he offered us some of the food while we were waiting for ours. Fried Sardines were offered, we politely refused but after repeated offers, we accepted so as not to be rude. He talked to us, or rather to Amy who speaks conversational Mandarin and I just did what I have come accustomed to, smile and nod my head a lot. Amy would try to translate as best as she could.
Three months later we found ourselves sitting across from the same man. This time he wasn’t drinking but his face was still red as an apple and sweaty. I concluded that he has a reaction to spicy food and that seems to be his permanent state while eating at this restaurant. He recognized me instantly. Having a beard in China makes you more easily remembered I guess. He started to talk with us, with my friend leading the way of course but I was starting to understand a few words here and there. He was asking where we were from and what we were doing in China. Amy would translate and I would try to respond when I understood something. At one point he said something that confused her. The three men at his table were flapping their hands like wings and she said they were saying that birds talk. I offered that I had seen talking Mynah birds in a hutong for sale and she figured, after a few questions that they had some talking birds. They invited us to return at 4pm for what seemed to be some kind of bird show.
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| Lao Qin |
We took Lao Qin (as he asked us to call him) up on his offer and went to his home in Qianyongkang Hutong to see his birds. He brought out two Black and yellow Mynah birds which Chinese call Liao Ge Liao is from the word for chat and Ge is from the word for pigeon. They started out with Ni Hao (Hello), which you would expect. Then the older of the two birds said Gong xi fa cai which is a greeting said around new years. When some of the men repeated that phrase, the bird would say Hong bao na lai Which means give me the red envelope. Red envelopes with money are given around New Years. It struck me as sad that after several months of me taking lessons, this bird speaks better Mandarin than I do. A frustrating realization but what can you do? Several men came out to hang out with the birds. One man brought his bird out and hung it up on the wall opposite Loa Qin’s birds. It didn’t say much but I think maybe he hung it there to learn from the more experienced birds.
I have had little opportunity to hang around in a hutong with local people other than going to a restaurant or bar. This was a great chance to see daily life old Beijing style. When a few friends hang out in front of their homes it really is basically the same thing. They chat, BS and joke with each other from a comfortable place. We felt lucky to be part of it. We saw a neighbor walk by with a dog that had two pairs of tiny tennis shoes, people coming by to say hello to the birds, the district leaders came by to hand out copies of a neighborhood newspaper.
At one point a guy rode by on a scooter dressed in his red McDonalds uniform making a delivery. Yes McDonalds delivers in China but it seems more interesting when it happens in a hutong. One neighbor I enjoyed watching was the wise crackin’ older guy who sits, legs crossed observing and making comments. At one point a driver in a van tried to make it around the tight corner of an intersection. Wise cracker sat there watching him struggle, then said something that made Amy laugh. She told me that he basically said “So Driving…..how’s that working for you? “ Seems like no matter where you are people don’t change much.
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| Lao Qin with one of his birds |
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| Just another afternoon in a hutong. |
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| I call this guy Mr. Stoic. He was very nice but never cracked a smile. |
