I am a big believer in exploring cities that I visit when I'm in China. While a city's landmarks and historic sites are always important, I've always thought that to really understand a Chinese city and its residents requires visits to its backstreets, alleyways and hutongs. This particular picture was taken by one of my colleagues while we were in Beijing for an academic conference.  

I had to convince them that it was not only OK, it was essential that they accompany me to visit areas that were beyond the famous streets and landmark locations. I told them that if they really wanted to experience a slice of "real" China — the China that the average visitor will likely miss in favor of the popular attractions or Western restaurants — that they had to set their uncertainties aside and just take it all in and enjoy it. 

What's not seen in this picture is to me the most important part of the story: successfully convincing my colleagues that they wouldn't regret grabbing a couple of beers, trying various street foods (particularly chuan'er, baozi, roujiamou and youtiao) and sitting in a small, outdoor street restaurant chatting about life with average Chinese citizens.