'Purrfect' day means taking cat photos in the hutong

'Purrfect' day means taking cat photos in the hutong

I've developed an odd habit. Wandering, as I often do, along one of many of Beijing's historical hutong, I snap photos that I'll never print out. I take photos of strange architectural choices, traditional doors, statues of lions, hidden hipster cafes and, yes, photos of people taking photos of cats.

The more gentrified of Beijing's hutong are visited upon by many furred felines, who lounge on doorsteps in the sun with hedonistic abandon as if they own the place. Like none other in the animal kingdom, cats give off this kind of rock-star vibe. They have the " I don't care" attitude, they are meticulously preened, and they attract swarms of paparazzi.

It has become an ever-increasingly often sight to see a parading puss surrounded by keen paps, crouching, hunching themselves over, contorting their bodies into tantric positions and gurning in effort, to get the best snap of this cat.

I remember the very first time it happened as if it were yesterday. I was rounding a corner of the Yangmeizhu Hutong to the west of Qianmen, when I stumbled upon a scrum of people jostling. I thought, " Hello? What's this? A fight on the otherwise peaceful streets of historical Beijing?"

I was quickly proved mistaken. Instead, I discovered this excited rabble was eagerly taking photos of a cat. And it was loving it too, you could tell. It had its shoulders pushed forward, haunches tilted, head extended upward at 45-degree angle. What a pro. I swear it was even pouting. Or it winked at me, one or the other.