The Nightlife in the Village
I must admit I had some great nights in the outback village of Beijing, I never had to venture into the city, thanks to the local hospitality, top restaurants, cheap entertainment and tasty food! Karaoke with the locals is an experience
you never forget, and the beer is cheap!! what more can one ask for? The chinese love to sing, or if you're in the mood for something quieter because they can whale a bit, barbeque on the street
is also a good option, its a real spectator sport, that's if you don't mind a bit of dust on your chicken and the noisy trucks speeding past your ankle high chair. Near Xuxinzhuang is Tongxian, which is growing bigger by the day. This township is full of
terrific restaurants, niteclubs and shops, one recommendation of mine is called The Bamboo restaurant.
The Famous Crapper
This is a familiar sight at all restaurants in the outback, even in the city and in some hospitals, and also in the domestic village home. I would recommend holding your breath before you enter, don't look down and don't forget to take some toilet paper otherwise you'll find yourself having to drip dry. By the way, this toilet is a fancy porcelain one, some of them are just made of dirt.
Their Homes
This is taken in a village called Ma-shung, close to the main highway situated near the horse farms. A lot of the staff live here. I used to cycle through this village on the way back home after work just to admire the colorful artwork which is all done by hand.
Safety at home
The local people always build a big wall around their house first before building the house itself, which is made of brick. The walls are 100% burglar proof, with broken glass stuck all around the top so no intruder will ever consider trying to break in. As you can see, the doors are stainless steel and very solid, there is no way anyone can see what's inside. Inside these marvellous mind-bogling walls exists a little haven of their own, a garden in which they grow all their own vegetables from, and some of the people have pets such as dogs, rabbits, if they're lucky, an Ass, and on the odd occassion, a very dirty looking cat. Surprisingly, they keep their little villages very clean, the narrow streets are swept everyday and small shrubs dorn the pavements.
The Local People
I found the local people in the outback to be very friendly, more friendly than the city people, and even our own western people. They do it hard and live in harsh conditions that make you realise how lucky we are. I never saw lush green fields, clean running water and rarely saw a clear blue sky with birds for a long time. Since living in China, I now always take the time to look at the blue sky, feel and breathe in the fresh air, look at the trees, green grass, new born lambs, fresh water, even enjoy a conversation in English more than before, (its a good feeling). I really appreciate those things that many people take for granted. In my opinion, my stay in Outback China was well worth it, and recommended for anyone.
I believe that people in western countries get uptight over the smallest of things and worry too much. The locals are grateful to have food on their plate everyday, and yet, they would give it away to see that you are fed.
Fashion is not an issue either, although I find most of the young ones to have a strange but rather original and trendy taste, only reminding me of how BLAND we tend to dress. However, when you see men and women, wearing a suit, tailored jacket and pants with small dress shoes, shovel in hand, going to work, digging for a day, it does makes you wonder. Their casual outfit consists of black slippers and ankle high pants, sometimes floral or plain. I found them to be very family orientated. They all pitch in to help one another, and once the kids get a job, where most of them travel for up to 16 hours away from home, they still send money from their measly salary to their parents every month to help support them. To get a good education is very rare, and the whole family, including uncles, will all pitch in to get the son or daughter into college, where later on when they finish and find a job, they are paid back. On their annual holidays, which lasts for 10-14 days, family is the first place they go back to, and if they don't have any family? then you can look at the picture below.
This is a common sight around the villages of outback Beijing. There is no welfare system for the commoner, and unless they have family to support them, having no rubbish bins or rubbish trucks works entirely in their favour. People just dump their scraps anywhere, and then along come the battlers to pick through the rubbish to see what they can keep, reuse or sell.
They've always got a trailer attached to their 100 year old pushbikes, these beauties don't have any gears
or springs either, luckily for them Beijing is quite flat. 
This picture is me standing in a typical lane way which
was not far from where I lived, it was about -10 degrees this day. There was a fierce smell of sewerage in the air, which multiplies in summer time. 
