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A Foreigner's Life in Beijing's Hutong

She is one of the few foreigners who have lived in Beijing's siheyuan for an extended time. This Swedish writer and journalist tells BTM her story of living in Beijing.

A fan of China since her childhood, Catarina Lilliehook, a Swedish writer and journalist prefers to be addressed as Li Lin, her Chinese name. After her first visit to Beijing in 2000, she decided to study Chinese in Beijing the next year. Arriving at Capital International Airport on a cold morning in 2001, she swept along in a flood of people and dragged into a taxi, feeling like a slow camel surrounded by a group of smart goats, perhaps a feeling not unlike that of many foreigners when they first arrive in China. But after three years' living in Beijing, she is used to the life here and has fallen deeply in love with its vitality, hospitality and cosiness.

Ayi's strange question

"My dream of visiting China derived from my father. He is a man who fancies Chinese history and culture. And when I was growing up, I was obsessed with visiting different countries around the world. Therefore, I planned my first visit to China in 2000," she said.

"During my early days in Beijing, I felt that the people's behaviour was a bit strange." She gave a funny example of the Chinese's behaviours she had observed. "You know, in my country as in many other western countries, people care about the space and distance between each other. However in China, the situation is totally different. For instance, people in China always stand in a queue with very little space between each other. People's hearts are very near.

"One time, when I was studying Chinese at the Beijing Language and Culture University, an ayi cleaning the toilet said, 'Hello,' to me in Chinese. To be polite, I said a few simple sentences to her. After I closed the door in the toilet, she asked, 'Where are you from?' I didn't answer until two minutes later, because I thought she was talking to somebody else. Well, in Sweden, an ayi in a toilet will never speak to a stranger! Funny and lovely!"

The cultural shocks between different countries cause much inconvenience, but bring a sense of warmth to her.

Moving to hutong

Later in 2001, Li's husband suddenly came to work in China. Like most foreign employees working in China, her husband's company arranged an apartment with satisfactory facilities and services. After living in an apartment in the prosperous Jianguomen area for a few months, they decided to challenge themselves by living an ordinary life with the Chinese. That meant a move into a siheyuan (walled courtyard in traditional style) in a hutong alley. With the help of an agent, they found an ordinary dwelling in the Fangzhuanqiang Hutong.

Li said, "It was a simple and direct way to experience real China, and to touch the cultural shocks between the East and West."

In the beginning, things were difficult for the couple. Many Chinese youngsters are not used to living in a hutong, not to mention a foreign couple. At first, when there were problems, they relied on their Chinese neighbours. Several months' later, Li had recorded in her notebook almost all the telephone numbers for house maintenance, water delivery and other necessities. In the beginning it was hard to adapt to the fact that scores of people needed to use one public toilet. Another difficulty involved maintenance workers speaking different kinds of dialects.

But she enjoyed most her sitting in a courtyard and chatting with her Chinese neighbours. Both her spoken and written Chinese improved greatly during that time. And often she talked with the needlewoman and maintenance workers in the hutong to better understand their lives.

She said, "I like the old houses in the hutong; I like to hear the voices of peddlers in the hutong, I like roaming the quiet hutong in the morning, and I like to watch children playing happily on the steps before my house. My two years' living in a hutong brought me back to a placid, rich and real life."

Mysterious Chinese culture

One of the most astonishing things for Li was that an ordinary Chinese can relate Chinese history. They know the historical and cultural stories behind things, even a traditional Chinese dish. "This is impossible for ordinary citizens in Sweden." She said. She tries to remember each historical story.

In her spare time, she studied calligraphy and Chinese painting. Though really difficult for her, they are kinds of mysterious arts in her eyes. Now she uses calligraphy for her name on business cards. Like many foreign ladies, she prefers to "pick" some furniture or gadgets from the Panjiayuan and Hong Qiao markets.

Her love of Chinese culture is also reflected in her frequent visits to "must-see" ancient architectural sites, whether in Beijing or in one China's other cities.

Thoughts on Beijing's future

"The city is changing every day, obviously and swiftly. No need to say that with the surging high-rise buildings, people's minds are also changing quickly. I notice that people stand in a line quietly, and the greening is better," she said.

"And I have small suggestions on the development of the city. Every city should have its distinctive character, no exception for Beijing. The city could build new buildings in the siheyuan style. My reason for living in this kind building is that it gives people more opportunities to communicate, and people may feel more comfortable and safe. Another suggestion is to strengthen the public transportation system. This can control traffic jams and reduce pollution."

After living in China for four years, Li Lin or Catarina Lilliehook came upon an idea of writing a book in Chinese about her experiences here. The reason was simple, to explore the cultural shocks between East and West, to stimulate cross-cultural understanding, and to share her interesting stories about China. The book is available at the Wangfujing Bookstore and Xidan Book Mansion. An English-language version of her book is on the way.