"Like a lot of Westerners, though, my need of space goes beyond just the physical, and toan to an extent that confuses many Chinese. I was reminded of this recently when my prospective in-laws outlined plans to bring half their extended family to stay in my apartment while on a trip to Beijing. Thankfully, I'll be away at the time, but I asked my future mother-in-law exactly how they were going to manage given that I only have two beds:'It's very simple,' she proclaimed. 'I will sleep in the upstairs bed with my daughter. My husband and his two brothers will sleep in the big bed downstairs. Uncle will sleep on the sofa. His daughters will sleep on the floor in the living room. We can put at least five on the terrace; I know it's winter, but we will bring blankets from Changsha. The two cousins can fit into the bathroom, and the little one is only two, so he can tuck in a drawer somewhere. Then my other big sister can sleep standing up in the wardrobe. I've never liked her, you know. Not since that unseemly argument in the winter of 1971. It'll all be perfectly cosy".
James Palmer, Time Out Beijing, Big Issue.
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