Beihai 

The banners on the doors bring in fortune, while the posters of guards drive away evil spirits. Scary, huh?

One quick glance at this street and you may suppose you are in Europe. But don鈥檛 assume that what you see is an exact replica of Western architecture. A closer look and you will discover deep-rooted Chinese culture embedded in everything. The pathways and the narrow alleyways between the buildings on the street are indeed distinctive.

Can you guess how many households live on the other side of the wall? Actually, just one, even though it鈥檚 so long and deep. Most houses are next to each other, so there鈥檚 no lanes at all. But this one is unique. There鈥檚 not even any windows. Can you imagine how dark it is?

Under the qilou, you can witness the essence of local Beihai life. The pathways are considered an extension of the streets where residents sit and relax, and shopkeepers get ready for business. Zhuhai road was formerly the center for activity, but the street is not inhabited by many residents today.

But those you do meet sure are friendly.

Although the commercial center has moved elsewhere, you can see remnants of their past. Along the street are shops for household goods, fishing shops, and clothing items.

My time is limited, and Zhuhai Road is over 1 km long, so I鈥檇 better speed things up.

A long day of exploration goes well with a relaxing evening. In the center of the city, you can find opera every night from 8 to 10:30, so long as it doesn鈥檛 rain. The local Yue opera is a free performance that draws large crowds. I have to admit that I didn鈥檛 understand a word they sang in the local dialect. However, that didn鈥檛 keep me from enjoying the songs just the same. Hey, wake up鈥you鈥檙e missing a good show! Although the stage is simply set in the street, the performance is quite formal and the singers take their roles very seriously, applying stage makeup. By the way, most of the singers are over 50 years old.