When you think of Beijing, the beautiful green waters and hills of Beihai Park and the grand and beautiful Forbidden City will come to your mind.

In recent years, groups of modern buildings and specially designed plazas have appeared on Beijing’s streets. Standing in the street, you can feel how Beijing has changed. But foreigners still like to go to the hutongs.

The word hutong comes from the Mongolian language. Hutongs come to Beijing more than 700 years ago. As time passed, the hutongs have remained, and have become an important part of the essence of Beijing.

Many foreigners, when they come to Beijing from their far countries, will go directly to visit the hutongs after setting down. They sit in the courtyards, chatting with the native Beijingers about neighbors and their life. It seems that through their chatting, they can find the true meaning of Chinese family life.

Waving good-bye, they have to leave the hutongs, and say goodbye to the families with whom they have chatted happily. But they don’t feel like leaving. The hutongs have brought great enjoyment to them.

Although every country has it own special cultural background, economic situation and level and feelings are similar. The hutong is a cultural symbol of this city. And the families of the hutongs are also unforgettable.

Three people were sitting around a table in a restaurant in Brazil. How much do you think each of them tipped (给小费)?

The Briton asked, “It’s common to tip 10 percent, right?”

The American man cried, “Oh, I was planning to leave 20 percent!”

The Chinese woman asked, “What’s a tip?”

Although it is not a tradition to tip in China, tipping is a big deal in the United States. There, it is common to tip about 15 to 20 percent of the bill.

Usually, people give tips to a waiter or waitress. The US tops the list of tipping—waiters and waitresses are expecting to get 15 to 20 percent of the bill. So if you order $ 100 in food, you are expected to pay your waiter at least 15, making your payment 115 in all.

Why is this? Many waiters and waitresses get very low wages. They get paid below the US minimum wage (最低工资), and tips make up for that. Some states pay their servers only $2.13 per hour.

Tipping is also popular in some Southeast Asian countries, like Indonesia and Thailand. However, in Japan, there is a no-tipping culture. If you try to give a waiter or waitress money, you may actually upset him or her.