This post goes out to all of you hypnotized by the big picture, missing all the trees while you contemplate the forest. Whether Rising Dragon or Crouching Tiger, China is a construction, a mythical creature equal parts forecast and hindsight. Chinese people and their communities, on the other hand, are right here, right now.

Let us lay the scene: a tranquil little red-brick gated neighborhood whose like are found China-wide. However this one sits surrounded by Beijing mega-tower construction, a ten-minute flat-bed tricycle ride from the CCTV tower. In late fall, a gray gloom descends on the capital, seldom relieved until the vernal equinox. A rogue sunny afternoon, unaccompanied by Mongolian winds, turns the neighborhood into a brief oasis. Hordes of tower captives pack the community during their lunch-time reprieve, and for an hour or so it's as though winter's another three months away.

Ordinarily a drab pastel pink, this apartment building turns cherry blossom in the noon sun. The effect is almost Mediterranean.

A true touch of Northern China, piles of cabbage stored on roofs and in hallways. Traditionally the only vegetable available during the long cold months, bai cai is still a staple winter food for the average Beijing family.

Dining al fresco in November. If the patrons look a bit chilly, a 6 RMB plate of spicy ma po doufu will warm them up in a hurry.

Looks like everyone's opting for the spicy noodles. They're made fast, swimming in hot broth, and barely require chewing - just slurping.

Fast food standby mala tang, odds and ends on a stick, boiled in viscous peppery oil. Begs the age-old question, "How can they eat so much fatty food and stay slim?"

Classic Chinese free-for-all zoning, with sidewalk diners, pedestrians, and motorists existing in an uneasy truce. That alley isn't one way, either.

Just looking for a snack? A roasted sweet potato is the healthy choice, 3-5 RMB for a belly-full of complex carbohydrates. The irresistable smell of fresh popcorn draws more customers, however.

A passing cloud briefly throws the whole community into all-too-familiar cold shadow.

A little local produce offers a handy, socially responsible alternative to driving 50 km for vinegar and preserved duck eggs.

One enterprising trike peddlar figures goldfish and gerbils make an ideal post-luncheon impulse buy.

It's easy to forget that you're in the business heart of Beijing, if not China, until you look up at all the glass and steel.

In fact, if you're like most expats, zooming by on your way to Silk Street, Starbucks, or a Grade A office interior, this gateway to authentic Chinese community is all-too-easy to miss.