Nothing good will come of this

That is: the destruction of the old alleyways – hutong – around Gulou (the Drum Tower) neighborhood in Beijing. I understand the complaints of local residents, who have to put up with substandard housing, but a more organic, grass-roots process would yield a better combination of preservation and improvement. Unfortunately, Beijing city authorities are acting like jerks: not releasing plans, disrupting a local preservation organization. I share the fears of those who look at what the Qianmen district has become and see that as the future of Gulou:

Critics say the most egregious example of this trend can be seen just south of
Tiananmen Square, where the city’s most fabled shopping district, Qianmen, was
replaced by a soulless but expensive facsimile of its former hurly-burly self.

“The renovation of Qianmen wasn’t about preserving history, but about
creating a fake Hollywood version of it,” said Mr. Yao, the urban planning
professor.

Qianmen is a garish simulacrum driven by hyper-commerce. But money and profit rule in Beijing these days, and the pursuit of the highest return may well make Gulou another Qianmen. It doesn't have to be that way. My sense is that Nanluoguxiang is a better mixture of commerce and preservation. The old hutong architecture is better maintained there than at Qianmen, and many local residences have been upgraded. But the big developers and bureaucrats will demand big, top-down, sprawling, development for Gulou that will pull in big, big profits.

And Confucuis would be appalled:

When the officers of Lu were planning to rebuild the treasury building, Min Tzu-ch'ien said: "Just rebuild the old one. Why make it new and different?"

"He's a man who rarely speaks," commented the Master, "but when he does speak, he's always right on target." 11.14

Why make it new and different? These days the answer in Beijing is depressing clear: because that will yield more profit for investors who do not actually live in the area. They have the power and the pull, and the historic character of Beijing will continue to suffer on account of their greed and short-sightedness.

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Sam Crane

I have moved The Useless Tree to WordPress. Hope this works!

Categories: Confucius/Confucianism, Current Affairs, The Perils of Modernization

4 responses to “Nothing good will come of this”

Danny Y. Huang

July 21, 2010 at 1:35 pm

As one put it, a renovated Beijing is becoming a Universal Studio. Shame.

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Eric Soskin

July 21, 2010 at 1:56 pm

Sam,
Per Michael Meyer’s book on the destruction of the hutongs, I had understood this to be a process that was very much driven from the top down, not from local residents demanding better places to live. Meyers seemed to have less trouble than Andrew Jacobs in finding outraged residents as well. Do you think this has changed? Or are we looking at different perceptions from different viewers?

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Sam

July 21, 2010 at 4:14 pm

I agree that it is being driven from the top down. My point was that those doing the driving will always bring forth a few local people who say new housing will be better. But more is lost in these sorts of mega-developments….

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Chris Waugh

July 23, 2010 at 6:13 am

Not even the Chinese Academy of Sciences is safe! Via a post in my Sina Weibo feed that seems to have since disappeared, I came across this notice: http://www.imech.ac.cn/xwdt/tpxw/201007/t20100723_2909933.html protesting the forceful destruction of CAS’ Institute of Mechanics’ Huairou base, including the destruction of several historic labs, some in which Qian Xuesen worked after he came back from America.
I see both sides of the argument over the destruction of the hutongs. Yes, life there is pretty basic, infrastructure desperately lacking, and the buildings rundown, even dangerous. And yet so much community, culture and history is lost. If only a happy compromise could be found…. Oh, right, Sam mentioned it: “a more organic, grass-roots process”. You’re absolutely right, sir. The only downside is it would take a lot more time and effort, and would be much messier. But some things are worth the extra trouble.

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