The old part of Beijing (Hutonzi)

By Ina Stasevic, Beijing: In the middle of the glare of modernization, futuristic visions of the city of Beijing is the Hutong area built during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

 A walk through the Hutong shows the traditional side of Beijing and gives you a chance to see how life was in the old days, although people still live here today.  In the ancient streets, neighbors talk, children play games.  Old people sit quietly with their thoughts.  I have seen similar areas in many cities in India.  

The walk took me to a very special place, to the quiet and modest wooden temple of Zhihua.  It was a pleasant discovery.  The temple is very old, it was built in 1444 by order of Wang Zhen, a powerful eunuch.

 Inside the temple are beautiful ceiling decorations from the Ming Dynasty.  Also, one interesting feature is the Buddha box carved from a single wooden log.