Hutong Life

We visited a hutong, a Chinese neighborhood, which included a Jewish section. One of the streets in the hutong was called Read the Torah Lane due to a women who ventured into China and taught Judaism. About one thousand years ago, a Kaifeng emperor said he would protect and support a Jewish population in his city. This neighborhood was economically poor with one-room houses serving as a kitchen, bedroom, and entertaining room; and there was a communal shower facility. All the residents lived humble, meager lives, quite different from anything seen in the United States. Conversely, even though they were not rich, the people seemed content. The people in the streets seemed surprised, but happy to see us westerners. Seeing this type of living environment allowed me to question living conditions and how to live life. The complaints Americans have about various issues seem silly, insignificant, and ridiculous in comparison to the lives of these Chinese people. Even though it was a sad lifestyle, it was a good representation of old China. These little pockets of people and dirt roads are tucked away before main commercial streets and are scattered with tiny restaurants and food stations.