Xiahao Old Street. [Photo by Tan Yingzi/China Daily]

But Xie Peisong is an exception. The young architect was born in Xiahao in 1983 and stayed with his parents in a six-floor building until 2003. He now lives in a high-end apartment nearby, but his heart still remains in Xiahao. Last year he and his cousin Xie Ranran, another architect, returned to the area, rented a ruined house by his former home and turned it into a quaint studio and teahouse called Xiao Guan－meaning in Chinese, a small place.

"When I heard that Xiahao Old Street was going to be pulled down soon, I decided to do something to keep it alive as long as possible," Xie Peisong says.

The house has a traditional East Sichuan style with Chuandou structure, a distinctive wooden frame to support the roof, a perfect model for Xie's transformation project.

It took them three months to finish. They made most of the decorations themselves, from materials collected from the community.

Xiao Guan was soon discovered by photographers and tourists, including a photographer working for the Chinese edition of the National Geographic magazine. Now its a photographer's hot spot in Xiahao.