There has been much debate over the demolition of Beijing's
ancient alleys and the need to preserve the city's cultural
heritage.
Much press coverage was given to the controversial decision to
demolish houses at Dongsi Batiao, an ancient alley of courtyard
homes in downtown Beijing, a plan which was subsequently
halted.
A China Daily survey of 594 people held last week found almost
52 percent were against the demolition, while 29 percent were in
favor of it.
The Dongsi Batiao, (which translates as the eighth hutong in the
Dongsi area), was first built about 700 years ago during the Ming
Dynasty (1271-1368).
It is listed as one of the capital's 25 protected historical
sites and was home to renowned artists such as opera
singer-cum-female impersonator Mei Lanfang.
One of those surveyed, a man called Heritage Lover, expressed
his concern over the rapid demise of the city's hutong -
traditional networks of small lanes and courtyards - as Beijing
modernizes.
"Hutong are the soul of Beijing, they must be preserved," he
said. "Without them, there is no more Beijing."
Another respondent, Dr Ross Grainger, agreed, saying hutong add
to Beijing's appeal and must be saved.
"Beijing's few remaining hutong give foreigners a slice of
community life in Beijing. As time goes on you will find the appeal
of Beijing's hutong will only increase," he said.
However, despite the calls from the conservationists, the
historic hutong are disappearing fast. In 1949, there were more
than 3,000 such lanes in the city. By 2003, that number had fallen
to 1,600, according to the Beijing municiple commission of urban
planning.
While acknowledging the need to save the hutong, many
respondents wanted more attention to be paid to the living
conditions of the residents.
Chenchen said: "Their living conditions are not good. They have
little space, poor access to transport, a dirty environment and few
modern facilities.
"Hutong residents, as contributors to the economic boom, deserve
to benefit from it.
"By demolishing these obsolete houses, they can be given a
better life," he said.
Questions were also raised regarding the city's planning
departments, after the media reported conflicts between
construction authorities and cultural bureaux over the
demolition.
A man named Jerry said the project showed how poor the initial
planning had been.
He suggested there should be more discussion before action is
taken.
"Look before you leap, and plan well before starting a project,"
he said.
Some of those polled put the blame on the developers.
A man called Give-heritage-a-chance pondered what Beijing would
be like if left in the hands of developers.
"They would demolish all one-story houses and build modern
high-rises. Then Beijing would be no different to Manhattan," he
said.
(China Daily June 12, 2007)