New Beijing to Combine Modern and Ancient Glories

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, April 19, 2003

New Beijing to Combine Modern and Ancient Glories

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Though an increasing number of high-rise buildings have shot up in the ancient Chinese capital, Beijing is striving to avoid becoming another Tokyo, New York, or Hong Kong symbolizing economic growth and modernization.

The capital is steering a rapid course towards a unique metropolis ahead of the 2008 Olympics, which will combine modern skyscrapers with historical architecture, to distinguish itself from other cities of world fame with its glorious culture, architectural traditions and amazing wonders.

Walking along the narrow, gray alleyways, called "hutong", which carve up the city, one will possibly have the experience of the ancient Chinese civilization and life in bygone days.

Beijing has become a destination of visitors from across the world because of its 3,000-year history and cultural heritage, rather than its new face featuring the great changes of the past half century, said relics experts.

These factors have prompted the city to increase efforts to preserve its historical sites, to enable its charm to survive mass construction necessary for urban development and its increasing population.

The Great Wall, the Forbidden City, as well as imperial gardens like the Summer Palace, and the Ruins of the Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace), were widely known, but they only represented part of the ancient civilization, said Shu Yi, curator of the National Museum of Chinese Modern Literature.

To completely know the city, it is necessary to visit the traditional Beijing residences, quadrangles, also called "siheyuan" or four-side enclosed courtyards, added Shu, the son of famous Chinese writer Lao She.

These courtyards are formed by inward-facing houses on four sides, enclosed by walls, and date back more than 800 years to when Beijing began its construction as a capital city. The "siheyuan" has since become the most typical architectural style.

A small and medium-sized "siheyuan" usually has its main or only entrance gate on the southeastern corner with a screen wall just inside to maintain privacy from the outside.

Such a residence offers space, comfort, quiet and abundant light and it is good for security and protection against dust and sandstorms.

The main householders lived in the sunny main building and their children in the side chambers. The southern row on the opposite side, the nearest to the entrance gate, were generally used for the study, reception rooms, servants' dwellings or storage.

Covered by a sunshade and containing plants and flowers, the court is also a garden, which can house big families for generations.

The "siheyuan"-style architecture is also a feature of ancient palaces, government offices, temples and monasteries.

"Siheyuan"-style residences, together with the "hutongs" linking them, present a unique image of the old Beijing city, which Liang Sicheng, the late Chinese architectural historian, valued as a city-planning masterpiece unparalleled worldwide.

Many foreign architects have also commended the historic architecture of Beijing. To echo Liang's comment, the late US architect Henry Bacon, who designed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, said the city of Beijing was the greatest individual project of humanity on the planet.

The majority of "siheyuan"-style houses still surviving in downtown Beijing were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368 to 1911), when their development reached its peak.

During the earlier period of the New China founded in 1949, Liang once suggested that a new city be built in Beijing's westernsuburbs to leave the old city intact.

It is a great pity that his suggestion was not adopted, thus not avoiding the demolition of many historical relics, including the old city wall, which was torn down for the construction of a subway and a ring road.

Many surviving "siheyuan" -- mostly former mansions of royal families -- have been turned into museums, homes for senior officials or government offices.

But a number of "siheyuan"-style homes are again on the brink of destruction as their single-storey structures provide less accommodation than high-rise apartment blocks which often replace them.

From 1990 to 1998, 4.2 million square meters of dilapidated houses in Beijing, most of them "siheyuan", were demolished during a massive undertaking to rebuild the old city.

The disappearance of the "siheyuan" cityscape arouses great concern among the public.

"I hope the bulldozers will not demolish the history of Beijing," said Li Mingtao, chief architect of the Beijing Institute of Architecture and Design.

To spare local historical sites from destruction, Beijing has taken a series of measures to preserve its legacy, including increasing innovation funding and demolishing modern cement buildings incongruous with the traditional architecture.

Since late 2000, the city has designated 40 protection zones, 30 of which are located in the old city, covering 1,278 hectares and accounting for 21 percent of the old city area.

A protection plan for the Imperial City around the Forbidden City has been completed by the municipal government and is now under deliberation by higher authorities.

Under the proposed scheme, the number of permanent residents, about 70,000, will be gradually reduced to about 40,000.

More than 60 historic and cultural sites, together with 137 "hutongs", are listed in the plan.

"The protection plan for the Imperial City will be instrumental in the conservation of Beijing as an historic cultural city," said Mei Ninghua, director of the Beijing Administrative Bureau of Cultural Heritage.

In the reconstruction of the old city, Beijing has defined as apriority the preservation of historical sites and cultural relics by increasing investment, innovation efforts and resettlement.

Experts hail the decision as far-sighted, saying it marks the city's largest conservation project since 1949.

The creation of a new and modern Beijing is required for the city to host the 2008 Olympic Games, which experts say is a challenge for Beijing's city planners.

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