The “Writer Couple” Mr. and Mrs. Liu, 40-year-old drifters in Beijing, and Hu Dong, a young man from Northeast China who sold sesame seed cakes both got to know “Zhao Gong’an”, a notorious faultfinder in the hutong out of conflicts. Having witnessed the painful lesson of Hu Dong who had been driven out, the couple had no choice but to do what their landlady Mrs. Feng required them to do – getting along with “Zhao Gong’an”.

Living with his neighbors, the “Writer Mr. Liu” had questions in mind: Why is Mrs. Feng so happy just because she sold a packet of toilet paper? Why does Mr. Hai suppress himself all day? Why does Hu Dong, the young man who was driven out of the hutong, refuse to leave Mr. Yang’s coal house during the third nine-day period after the winter solstice (coldest days of winter)? Why is Mr. Yang always guarding his home? What is it that he is protecting from?

Have a taste of the joys and sorrows happened in a big courtyard at the end of the last century. Have an understanding of the subtle changes of emotion of Beijing locals and outsiders. Have a sense of the openness and tolerance of Beijing. Let’s step into Neighbors in Beijing together with Beijing drifter – the “Writer Mr. Liu”.