To green their ancient alleys, Beijing鈥檚 hutong gardeners get creative
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Ann Scott Tyson Staff writer
| Beijing
On his morning rounds after a summer rainstorm breaks Beijing鈥檚 heat, Zhao Shisheng inspects his favorite vine of gourds.聽
From a small pot of dirt set against the wall of his back alley home, the vine climbs a bamboo pole, rising past mops hung out to dry. From there, it scales window ledges, pipes, and electricity wires, soaring toward a makeshift trellis Mr. Zhao built on his rooftop.
In fact, Mr. Zhao鈥檚 prolific, potted garden 鈥� bursting with vines of melon, grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers, mint, and beans 鈥� is rapidly enveloping his modest, one-story house, where he lives with three generations of his family and a pet parrot.
Why We Wrote This
A story focused onGardening can be a means of survival, but for Beijing鈥檚 hutong gardeners, growing peppers and beans is more about feeding the soul 鈥� and sharing that joy with others.
鈥淭his is my hobby,鈥� says Mr. Zhao with a smile.聽
Mr. Zhao counts himself among the ranks of Beijing鈥檚 hutong gardeners 鈥� the avid, green-thumbed residents who work wonders in the city鈥檚 maze-like ancient neighborhoods, tucked behind skyscrapers and traffic-clogged avenues. In hutongs, as the narrow alleys are called in Chinese, people travel more slowly 鈥� often by bicycle or by foot 鈥� affording them time to enjoy the lush bounty, and admire the gardeners鈥� horticultural feats.聽
鈥淲e eat some and I share the rest with neighbors. I don鈥檛 need to sell what I grow. I already have a way to make a living,鈥� Mr. Zhao says, pointing to a tiny convenience shop in the front room of his house.
These gardens are largely vertical, rising like Jack鈥檚 beanstalk out of humble clay pots or small planters. Vibrant vines and curly tendrils cling to the old stone and rounded tiles of the traditional courtyard homes. Their rustling leaves create a soothing sound and welcome shade as they arc over alleys and courtyards on trellises.
Like many of the gardeners, Mr. Zhao takes pride in cultivating beauty on the hutong where he and his family have lived for generations. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been here for more than 100 years,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 am a descendant of the [Qing Dynasty] Empress Dowager Cixi,鈥� he adds, referring to the 19th-century Manchu concubine-turned-noblewoman who effectively ruled China for 50 years until 1908.
Indeed, around the corner next to another hutong garden, a plein-air painter has set up an easel and canvas to capture the scene. 鈥淭his plant is a loofah gourd,鈥� says Liu Changli, dabbing leaves on his watercolor tableau. 鈥淧eople in Beijing like to grow it because you can eat it, or simply enjoy looking at it.鈥�
The leafy summer setting in the old alley, set against the backdrop of Beijing鈥檚 high-rises, offers inspiration for Mr. Liu, an architect by trade who paints both for leisure and in drawing up designs. 鈥淗ere my paintings can contrast the traditional hutongs with modern architecture,鈥� says Mr. Liu, who belongs to a painters鈥� group in Beijing.
The grower of the loofah gourds, Zhao Guangliang, steps out his door carrying a potted tomato that needs a sunnier exposure. Space is precious in the hutongs, where people live in crowded conditions and share public toilets. So gardeners must be creative. Assisted with strategically placed bamboo, they use every nook and cranny for plants. One of Mr. Zhao鈥檚 neighbors arrays plants on the roof of an unused van. Mr. Zhao opts, for now, to seat his tomato on a small chair.
A longtime hutong resident, Mr. Zhao eagerly shows a passerby his winter melon plants, and hot peppers. Then he springs a pop quiz: 鈥淲hat鈥檚 this?鈥� he asks. 鈥淗mmm鈥�.a 鈥榢ugua鈥� [bitter melon]?鈥� the passerby ventures, tipped off by the melon鈥檚 bumpy skin. Mr. Zhao beams. 鈥淐orrect!鈥� Encouraged, he guides the visitor across the alley to check out his neighbor鈥檚 bumper crop of cucumbers and eggplants, pointing out a big gourd clinging to a surveillance camera.
When it鈥檚 time for the visitor to depart, Mr. Zhao sends her off with a wave.
鈥淐ome by again when you are free!鈥� he says.
Visit with them for a time, and the gardeners enjoy sharing not only growing tips, but also how to use different plants in cooking and other practical ways. 鈥淭his is a Sichuan pepper bush I鈥檝e been growing for more than a decade,鈥� boasts Mr. Wang, who withheld his first name for privacy. 鈥淵ou dry out the pepper in the yard, then you can use it to make mapo tofu or meat stew.鈥�
鈥淲hichever plant you like, I can give you one,鈥� he offers. 鈥淭his is mint. Do you have some in your house? Smell this kind 鈥� see how strong it smells? If you get bitten by a mosquito you can crush some and rub it on your skin.鈥�
The conversation meanders from peppers to mint to jasmine, flowing easily and readily as Mr. Wang moves around his compact but fruitful garden.
鈥淚t鈥檚 good for people to chat like this,鈥� he reflects. 鈥淚t gets rid of your worries. Come by anytime.鈥� It鈥檚 an invitation that, like the hutong gardens, is hard to resist.
