Li Yannong, an 80-year-old resident of Tu'er Hutong, a traditional lane in Beijing's Dongcheng District, had to say farewell last month to his home of a half-century.
Tu'er and nearby Xiang'er Hutong disappeared in a wave of massive urban renovation. In their place, six 13-storey towers will spring up a year from now.
Tu'er and Xiang'er are just two time-honoured Beijing hutongs to face this fate.
Relic protection experts had appealed to the local government to preserve the two hutongs, arguing they were intrinsic parts of traditional Beijing life.
Tu'er Hutong was home to Manchurian writer Wen Kang, who lived in the first half of the 19th century and wrote the famous novel, "Romance of Heroes and Heroines." That story documented the vivid life and oral languages of Beijingers in his era.
"These two hutongs represented the typical urban life and culture of Beijing civilians, which was very different to royal lifestyle," said Ni Songyi, a noted literary researcher and a member of China People's Political Consultative Council (CPPCC). "Without those hutongs, the memory of the traditional life and culture in Beijing will disappear."
The city has set aside designated parts of downtown Beijing as off-limits to urban rennovation. These areas include the neighbourhoods around the Forbidden City, Beihai Park and the Lama Temple.
The city government also announced earlier this month that it would restore and protect the residence of Ji Xiaolan (1724-1805), a famous scholar and writer in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
But experts claim these gestures are too small and that these areas were the places where the royals and the rich lived, not commoners.
Observers argue that commoners' residences also are worth protecting. Their grey bricks and blue tiles, curving eaves, doorway style and sculptings once formed fabric of ancient Beijing.
"The layouts of hutong houses and buildings are typical of common residents in Qing Dynasty," said Zheng Xiaoxie, top consultant to the Ministry of Construction.
Experts worry that urban renovation is likely to break the traditional fabric of the city, making it difficult for the younger generations to fathom the life of old Beijing.
The changes have left some peculiarities, too. Xicheng District's Pichai Hutong, for instance, contains the protected old residence of famed painter Qi Baishi (1864-1957) and is now sandwiched between blocks of fancy high-rise buildings.
"The residence of Qi is now the Qi Baishi Well," quipped Li Yan, a Tsinghua University art professor.
The loss of the original environment diminishes the cultural and historical significance of these places, Li complained.
"After viewing the residence these days, who would believe that Qi's works are deeply rooted in Beijingers' everyday life?" Li said.
But the process of modernizing sometimes requires these sacrifices, Beijing officials say. Many homes in the Tu'er and Xiang'er hutongs were built 200 years ago and didn't have modern water-proofing or sewage facilities. The wooden structures also were susceptible to fire.
Most of the residents were poor and couldn't afford to upgrade their homes to modern standards.
Still, some say upgrading doesn't necessarily mean demolition.
"You can upgrade the public facilities within the houses while leaving their outer face intact," said Shu Yi, director of the China Modern Literature Museum and a CPPCC member, who has made repeated appeals to protect traditional streets and houses.
That would cost a lot to the local government, although cities in Europe have done this. Developing countries are challenged by budget problems, though, said Li Zhun, former director of the Beijing Institute of Urban Planning.
Instead, Beijing is leasing the land where hutongs are located to developers to increase property values. Developers are enjoying strong demand for housing and office space, so they partake in this equation.
Improving traffic flow is also a motivation. The city believes it can improve road conditions between suburban residential zones and downtown areas by building highways and light railways. Much of this will happen in the space where old hutongs are now.
"It is difficult for any single party to protect old houses when most of the people think it is better to live in a modern apartment than in a traditional house," Zheng said. "Education should be enhanced to teach people and officials to cherish our traditions."
(China Daily October 18,2001)
