The Last Days of Old Beijing

THE LAST DAYS OF OLD BEIJING: LIFE IN THE VANISHING BACKSTREETS OF A CITY TRANSFORMED: Michael Meyer: Walker & Company: 2008: 355 pages

Clearly Michael Meyer loves China and the people of China. Living in a “hutong” neighborhood characterized by old stone and tile buildings, communal bathrooms, small rooms and courtyards surrounded by narrow streets he came to know the everyday life of the Chinese as few westerners do. Michael, known as Little Plumblossom in his hutong neighborhood, acquaints us with neighborhood life and personalities even as he describes the destruction of these Chinese heritage architectural sites as Beijing is modernized by city planners. I highly recommend this book if you have an interest in China.

SH