No.11, the house of an early American hutong fan

In letters to American friends, George Kates described how much he loved living in a courtyard home here in Xitangzi Hutong. Although he had no formal job and changed his residence several times from one hutong to another, Kates was able to enjoy the high life of an old-school scholar on just a few US dollars a month. He described his lifestyle and the old city culture in his book, The Years that were Fat: Peking 1933-1940.

Unfortunately, when we got to No.11 we found it had been totally rebuilt into a private company. Although the original layout was roughly perceivable, the outdoor courtyard was changed into an indoor lobby with glass ceilings.

"Kates loved Beijing and would probably have stayed for the rest of his life, as he just loved it so much," Roote said. "But the Japanese occupation forced him to depart to America." If Kates came back to this lane again, perhaps he would not find the same intimacy in the face of such conspicuous changes today.