The first time I went to the hutongs, I went on a tour. I didn’t like that. It was like there was this big swarm of American students buzzing around people’s homes and people’s lives, and the residents weren’t unfriendly, but you could tell they didn’t like it much, either.

The second time I went, I went by myself. Then, the people were much friendlier. They can see you as a person, and not just as one of those annoying tourists who just wants to look at “old Beijing,” and someone who just looks at the buildings and alleys and doesn’t think about the people inside. If you go alone, I think it’s much easier to see yourself living there, and to me, the best kind of travelling is the kind where you can picture yourself living there along with everyone else.