Editorials

Preserving heritage

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-13 08:17

A proposal to ban mammoth realty projects in two districts with historical value in inner Beijing is welcome news.

Of course, Beijing's municipal authorities have yet to approve the recommendation to preserve Dongcheng, which covers the eastern half of Beijing's urban core, and Xicheng, which forms the biggest portion of the old city within the second ring road.

If given the go-ahead, the move will help retain Beijing's unique identity and culture, intact in its famed hutong - alleyways - and siheyuan - residences that have three buildings arranged around a courtyard lined with trees.

The consultative body to the Beijing municipality, which made the proposal, has revealed that the situation in Beijing's inner city is worsening, with the old hutong vanishing at a rapid pace.

In the race to modernize, the city has demolished tens of thousands of homes along the old alleyways. Only some 600 alleyways are now protected. Homes of famous personalities too have not been spared.

In 2004, Beijing approved a comprehensive city-planning model that covered the years 2004 through to 2020. It required the preservation of the whole of old Beijing, including areas with siheyuan and hutong.

The old town's features and layout would be retained, the model mandated. Any new property development that failed to fit in with the character of the old town was prohibited.

It is time real estate developers respected the plan. Beijing's inner city occupies less than 6 percent of its total area. Preservation of this part is not an obstacle to the city's development.

Cities built from scratch are de rigueur in the nation. What makes Beijing attractive however is its historical core that is the pride of China and the world.

(China Daily 09/13/2010 page8)