5 Tips to Live Like True Native Beijingers

1. Food - Douzhir, Jiao Quan, and Mung Tofu

Douzhir (Fermented Bean Drink) is likely the most notorious traditional Beijing food. it's the single most important and easiest factor to determine if you're a real Beijinger. If you can bear the smell and drink it up without twitching your nose, you're halfway to success. Made from mung beans, Douzhir has a history of almost 2,500 years. Most Beijingers have Douzhir as breakfast, accompanied by traditional snacks. Douzhir is no doubt healthy. Rich in Protein, Vitamin C, Coarse Fibre, and Sugar, it helps to reduce blood pressure and improve your appetite. it's said that if you hold your breath and try two bowls, you'll become addicted to it.

Jiao Quan (Deep-fried Snack) is a must-have when drinking Douzhir. Made from flour, salt, alkali, and a little alum, Jiao Quan tastes crispy outside and soft inside and can be preserved for ten to fifteen days. Due to the high level of fat and heat, it contains, it isn't recommended to have Jiao Quan for more than two times a week, and better to be accompanied with organic drinks such as Douzhir.

Mung Tofu, made from remains of mung bean starch, is another true Beijingers' favorite food. It became popular in ancient China when the poor had no better choices. But surprisingly, the rich also became addicted to it for its special taste. Most big restaurants in Beijing now offer Mung Tofu, but the taste differs from the original for the oil used has been changed from caproic oil to vegetable oil.

2. Sports - Kong Zhu and Yang Ge

Kong Zhu (Diabolo) was originated in Song Dynasty and became popular in acrobatic performances in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 A.D.). Made from a wooden stick with single or double wooden plates on one or both sides, Kong Zhu is played using a long cord in the middle where it balances. because of the holes on the plates and the way it's played, Kong Zhu makes sounds similar to whistles, which makes it more fun to play with. In order to play it well, you have to utilize every part of your body to throw, catch, twist, stretch, and jump. If you want to lose weight and have fun at the same time, walk into a park in the morning and learn from the elders.

Yang Ge (Harvest Dance) is one of the most popular sports in north China. People dress up in fancy outfits, holding colorful fans, and dance in groups. During festivals, people from different residential communities gather and dance as a form of performance. Some elderly used to dance every day as a form of morning exercise, but it's becoming rare due to the noise. Yang Ge is much easier to learn compared with Kong Zhu, just join the group and follow the rhythm.

3. Pets - Birds, Fish, Jing Ba

Pets are needed to live like real Beijingers. Walk around on streets and in parks from five to eight o'clock in the morning, the elderly you meet carries birdcages or walks Jing Ba (a local breed of dog, also called Shih Tzu) are true native Beijingers. All of the most common kinds of pet fish and birds can be found in morning markets and corners of old residential areas. These places are also where Beijingers, particularly the elderly gather and discuss international affairs and happenings around the neighborhood.

Jing Ba used to be a pet for the royalties in ancient China. they're small, quiet, and sometimes sensitive little doggies, which are deeply loved by all Beijingers. These most common local pets are living a worry-free, leisureful, and healthy life, just like their owners.

4. Residence - Hutongs and Siheyuans

Living in Hutongs and Siheyuans is becoming a trend for the wealthy and the powerful in Beijing. Siheyuans are being sold for millions and even tens of millions for its traditional architecture, cultural richness, and increasing scarcity. Hutongs are narrow lanes between Siheyuans, and Siheyuans are courtyards with living rooms at all four sides. Architecture beauty and cultural uniqueness can be found in every corner of Hutongs and Siheyuans. Proliferated during the Yuan Dynasty, Hutongs and Siheyuans used to be the most common housing for native Beijingers, until they moved to modern skyscrapers due to massive renovations inside the city.

The lifestyle in Hutongs and Siheyuans used to be close, quiet, and secure. Everyone knows each other well, and the atmosphere of having a big family can be found nowhere else. If you can afford it, buy a Siheyuan and live among the true Beijingers. If you can't, walk into a bar or cafeteria at Nanluogu Lane, where most shops and stores were renovated by Siheyuans, and have a taste of the old Beijing.

5. Recreation - Xiangsheng

Xiangsheng (Cross-Talk) is a must-have for true Beijingers. Some even listen to it every morning before having breakfast and going to work. During the Ming Dynasty, Xiangsheng originated as a form of ventriloquism imitating and mocking other people's tone and dialogue, and telling jokes. It was well received by the mass and became an art form that can be performed by single, double, and more than one performer. 

There are four basic skills that any qualified performers must grasp. Dialogue, impersonating, teasing, and singing. Famous performers like Ma Sanli, Ma Ji, and Guo Degang are being loved across the whole nation. 

The best place to go for quality performances is Tian Qiao Theater where Guo Degang and his partners and students perform regularly. If you're a foreigner, learning good Xiangsheng can definitely give you an unfair advantage in becoming popular in Beijing and even the whole country. it's also one of the easiest ways for you to appear on TV shows in China.

Beijingers are being described as proud by people from other parts of the nation. Rich cultural heritage, unparalleled cultural and political status, and openness of the city give it no reason that Beijingers should not be proud. But, the most important factors lie inside the Beijingers themselves. Optimism, wholeheartedness, friendliness, honest, and fun, are the true ingredients that make a Beijinger a Beijinger.