Hutong courtyard

Here's a view of an inner courtyard of a hutong. Many of these courtyards were 'empty' but this particular one had a giant birdcage within it as it seemed one of the residents was a major bird enthusiast. rnrB & trkr loved it! There were even eggs in the pigeon nests--which was neat to see. One of the birds was even trained so speak--and every so often would say "Ni hao!" It first caught us by surprise but then the kids started a conversation with the bird. Funny to watch!