The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed

Mr. Meyer's interesting and engaging book transports the reader into a time and place that few of us will ever get to experience, even if we visit Beijing and walk through the hutongs ourselves. Mr. Meyer captures the frantic pace of destruction and redevelopment and the variety of attitudes towards this changing landscape, and the costs associated with these changes - both physical and emotional. If you are planning on spending any time in China or Beijing this book is a required read because it effectively captures the spirit of China today. There are any number of great books on China but most of them capture a different time in China's life and so are less effective in helping a prospective visitor or future resident of China prepare for their time there.

It is a "what i did on my summer vacation and why i did it" kind of book. Chatty without being gossipy, informative and full of personal research into questions he saw as he lived there. Kind hearted and sympathetic to the people and culture he is surrounded by. really the best of this genre, giving us who would like to be there a real window into what it meant to him to live in a hutong in Beijing. i envy him both his experiences and his ability to communicate them to us. this is his first book but i expect i will see his name on a few more volumes. i'll go looking for his blog when i finish this. it is simply a must read book. go get it. worth the price many times over.

Michael Meyer has crafted an engaging, sometimes funny, sometimes sad account of his life in Beijing. The people, places and occurences draw you into everyday situations in Meyer's current life. The mix of historical references is just right for those without a semester of Chinese History 101 in their past. Having recently visited Beijing, the author compels me to check my bank balance for the funds to return and find his neighborhood. Read this book - you won't be disappointed.

The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed is like a New Yorker article that goes on forever, and I mean that in a good way. Michael Meyer's writing is engaging and personal. He skillfully interweaves characters, various settings, interviews, and lots of thorough research. The book is tailor-made for those readers with an interest in city planning, the social aspects of design, or historic preservation, although anyone who has ever lived in a neighborhood will enjoy it, too. I highly recommend it.

"The Last Days of Old Beijing" is written by an American volunteer English teacher in an "old Town" Beijing elementary school. The area surrounding his rental room is being squeezed by encroaching redevelopment motivated both by profit and patriotism (putting on a good face for the Olympics). Public latrines take the place of indoor plumbing, central heating/cooling is non-existent, and the use of most appliances risks blowing a fuse and impacting many others. Many live in less than 100 square feet/person - less than the city minimum of 161 square feet. Meyer speaks Chinese, and living among those directly affected is in an excellent position to relay their thought. His accounting is augmented by an interest in history, which he exercises through frequent library visits to learn the background of the individual streets and buildings in his area. Not surprisingly, rebuilding is met with mixed reactions. The young generally are quite receptive - appreciating their indoor plumbing and central heat/AC (though often shoddy construction), while their elders, having spent decades in the same housing close to downtown, are not. The monies involved are substantial - for example, Mr. Zhang pays $2.26/month for rent (originally provided by his work unit), and is offered $32,000 to move - quite a lot, but not enough to buy a house downtown. Residents feel abused - graft reduces the amounts they are offered, and arbitration panels rarely rule in their favor. Those refusing to the end are liable to be physically removed by force, though changes in the law towards the end of the book provide hope for future holdouts. Accounts of the schoolchildren taught by Mr. Meyer were the most interesting part of the book. Beijing students begin studying English (speak, read, write) in Grade One - three 45 minute sessions/week through Grade Six. Much of the instruction is automated, reducing the teacher's role to leading students through recitations, animated on a disc with the text. Teachers at the Coal Lane Elementary (pupils primarily from migrant labor parents) are paid less than the average Beijing average - at a level about equal that of a recycler. The teacher Mr. Meyer works with failed high school, and enrolled in a technical school to become an English teacher. One teacher handles grades one, two, four, and five. Pupils stand for the national anthem each morning, and announce "Reporting" and bow upon entering the class. One student is responsible for collecting homework and reporting truants. Another leads a row of students through the outside morning exercises, reporting those not executing the deep knee bends and wrist twists. Still another supervised the cleaning of the classroom, another listened for foul language. Daily ten minutes of eye exercises said to improve vision were also pupil led, and he/she noted on the board the names of any laggards not massaging their eye sockets with enthusiasm. Class size is 25, and they have summer home