Hutong.
As our plane dropped in the black of night I thought how strange it was for an airport to be so far outside the city. Beneath us were fields, featureless and dark.
But just before the runway swung under us I realized my eyes weren’t seeing fields. Within the darkness huddled flattish homes. They were betrayed only by the timid firelight that graced their gridlike courtyards. Hutongs.
How long had we flown above them? Were there really no streetlights? Had they all been switched off at some late hour? I’d taken the black land for rice paddies.
From the first glimpse, Beijing proved even more foreign than I’d hoped.
January 1, 2008 at 12:54 pm
The photo you posted had television antennas in it, so there must be some electricity — but maybe it’s just for private use, and who’s going to waste their precious electricity by pouring it out on the street?
Looking forward to the whole series — hope you have more pictures in store too!
January 1, 2008 at 4:27 pm
I’ve got an even better one for later — same area with a satellite dish atop a pile o’ bricks.
My goal is to include at least one photo/image per post. We’ll see if I can keep it up.