Overview

• A centuries-old tradition in Beijing involves residents playing fetch with migratory wutong birds using plastic beads and carbon tubes.
• The tradition, dating back to the Qing Dynasty, is now practiced by only about 50 to 60 people in Beijing.
• Players train the birds for four to five months, teaching them to fetch beads in exchange for treats.
• The game is believed to have originated with Manchu nobles and has been preserved in Beijing's traditional hutong alleyways.
• Wutong bird owners release the birds in late spring to migrate back northeast, only to catch or purchase new ones in the fall.