The kitchen always appears very dark because the only window looks directly onto the side of the building, hardly allowing any light in at all. Not that we're too bothered by this. We have a gas hob and an electric oven, something which does not normally appear in the homes of Beijingers. The photo is taken from the doorway of the kitchen, which leads into a small corridor connecting it to the living room (which, like the corridor from the main bathroom, does not have a doorway, thus giving the feel of it being open plan). The space to the left and just before the fridge/freezer contains the washing machine (which has given me problems in the past) and doorway to the air conditioning unit.