Farewell to the Hutongs: Urban Development in Beijing

In the best 60 Minutes tradition, a China Central Television (CCTV) producer sent me out last summer to the planned "Jade River" real estate redevelopment for some investigative reporting on the fate of Beijing's historic hutongs or alleyways. I was armed with a concealed camera inside a made-in-China purse. The producer also equipped me with the cell phone and e-mail persona of "Emily Tinari," a rich American, charmed by the traditional hutongs of old Beijing, lusting to own a courtyard house of her own.