It’s Not Demolition, It’s Restoration

If the Drum and Bell Tower area were a person, they’d be a skittish, elderly worker constantly worrying about whether or not they will be fired. "Surely seniority counts for something?" they fret.

Well, after years of will-they-won’t-they debate about demolishing the hutongs that surround the towers, it looks like the pink slip is finally in the mail.

A "style restoration project" in the works will knock down five hutong neighborhoods around the Drum and Bell Towers. Some of the housing will be rebuilt, but the majority of the space will be used for a square, roadwork and a small museum. Officials have stated that this will "restore the area to how it looked in the Ming and Qing Dynasties." While we'll have to wait to see for ourselves what that means, it's clear that the new "old" structures will not include multi-story modern designs. Several weeks ago, Boston International Design Group (BIDG) was removed from the project because their concepts did not adhere to the city's cultural preservation guidelines.

This renovation-destruction debate is nothing new for the greater Gulou area. Back in 2010, plans for a “Time Cultural City” were introduced that would have involved knocking down a large area surrounding the towers; that project was scrapped months later and replaced with plans for a smaller, less invasive project. Meanwhile, Nanluogu Xiang has been subject to continuous demolition in recent years to accommodate additional parking and a new subway stop.

While these renovations may adhere to strict historic-preservationist standards, Beijingers have voiced concerns that Gulou may become the next Qianmen – a cold, lifeless replica of a once-thriving social hub. This focus on destructive preservation has led to sarcastic online suggestions including: “Let’s destroy everything and build CCTV towers that looks like underwear” and “Let’s move the capital altogether.”

Photos: weibo.com, topchinatravel.com