We found it. Forget the
lavish apartments, the fancy penthouse, the 160 square metre complex. Our
residence is going to be a tiny little hutong. A traditional Chinese courtyard.
Our neighbours are a lovely old temple, Tian An Men and unbelievably the
Forbidden City itself.
It took 4 days to stumble
across it. Four days of agents, viewings, comparisons, making and receiving
calls. At one point we even had 2 different agents take us to the same place
and the owner pretending he had never seen us before – probably having violated
some sort of exclusivity agreement and ducking around it.
The Beijinger online proved
invaluable. It’s even been at the source of a lovely tea tasting afternoon
today…but that is another story.
Hutongs are the traditional
old neighbourhoods and houses structured around a courtyard where one or more
families live. They tend to be badly heated, inconvenient, with some layouts
requiring you to cross the open aired courtyard to go from the bedroom to the
bathroom and the living room to the kitchen. They were the old houses of the
people of rank and nobility that had the privilege of being allowed to live
near the Emperor’s home. They are exclusive to central Beijing and until
recently they were being torn down at rapid rates. It seems though that their
value is rediscovered and to rent one costs as much if not more than a super
flat in the new developments.
Still, our home is going to
be a hutong. One little gem with a garret and a skylight, small but with modern
conveniences. A doll’s house.
And tomorrow is the ritual of the tenancy agreement signing. Three more weeks until we
move in. Till then, might as well enjoy the 4-star hotel.
