China is undergoing one of the biggest transformations in world history. Millions of poor,rural Chinese farmers are migrating to the cities to get a piece of the modern Chinese dream, making for some interesting views and experiences. You can leave the comfort of your 80-story, 5-star hotel, with all the trappings of the Western world, and walk directly down a street where they are cooking snakes; selling shrimp just caught in the polluted river; boiling live chickens; and doing anything they can to survive and hopefully send money back to the family they left behind in the countryside. These alleys have some of the most interesting sights, smells, looks, and lives I have ever seen. The one constant in China these days is change and they are changing fast. I've learned that I'd better get that photo of the alleyway or go to that cool restaurant on top of a building while I can, because when I go back in 6 months, the neighborhood will be gone and there will be a new freeway or skyscraper.
