The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed
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The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed
He crouches, looks up, rises, makes a small bow, and yells, “Good morning, Teacher Plumblossom!”
Michael Meyer • The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed
In 2005, the state-run media reported that only thirteen hundred hutong remained.
Michael Meyer • The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed
Originally Red Bayberry and Bamboo was named after a matchmaker who arranged marriages on the lane. After the custom was deemed a relic of feudalism, municipal authorities swapped her name (yang) and profession (mei) for homophones that mean Red Bayberry (yangmei), then added bamboo (zhu). The name reflects the apothecaries who worked here, and the
... See moreMichael Meyer • The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed
It is Beijing’s—if not the world’s—densest urban environment.
Michael Meyer • The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed
I moved to Red Bayberry and Bamboo Slanted Street on August 8, 2005.
Michael Meyer • The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed
Together, they are the backdrop to a vanishing way of life.
Michael Meyer • The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed
I wanted to live in the hutong as I had in the countryside a decade before, with unhurried days in a community where I played a role.
Michael Meyer • The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed
Minnesota home. Here, I also met my future wife. For me, Beijing was simply love at first sight.
Michael Meyer • The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed
healthier than living in a high-rise apartment. The concept is called jie diqi in Chinese, “to be connected to the earth’s energy.”