Review Excerpt:

Acclaimed architectural photographer Douglas Keister set out to document the changing landscape of Beijing through the eyes of two local girls on their way to visit their grandmother, Laolao, who lives in a courtyard house, or siheyuan, in one of the city's few remaining hutongs, the oldest neighborhoods of Beijing.

...... If you can't make the visit any time soon, reading To Grandmother's House is certainly the next best thing.