I spent an early morning wandering a local Hutong a couple weeks ago.. Although I wasn’t able to capture it on camera, it was great to watch people start their mornings: brushing their teeth on the streets together, trash collectors starting off their mornings, children walking to school or waiting for the bus, elderly walking their dogs, and even seeing people empty partially filled buckets of bodily fluids because there’s no running water inside their homes. Also sad to see the demolition of these very homes and destruction of this lifestyle. Have a look at a few of my photos posted on Flickr:
View my collection of Hutong posts thus far.
A visit to NanLouGuXiang was great to see with all the small independent and creative shops. From the pottery to Tibetan yogurt and craftmanship items.
It’s a shame to come across this article in the Beijinger noting the change in environment from an authentically developed ‘tourist attraction’ to one that will potentially be artificially enforced. The neighborhood is changing. The local, family and independent establishments will be pushed out due to higher rent prices and demand for the location:
Part of the problem — insofar as it can be called that — is Nanluogu Xiang’s popularity. Time, in December, listed Nanluogu Xiang as one of “25 authentic Asian experiences,” a pick that stands to look real silly once the commercial retailers move in. And a Chinese travel book listed it as one of the top 100 places in all of China, putting it in the same context as the Forbidden City and Great Wall. Nanluogu Xiang, in other words, can no longer be called trendy; it is established. And because of that, its place in this country, in the eyes of the powers that be, ultimately rests in a capitalist pasture with the other established cash cows.
Unfortunate.
Here are a few photos from my 1st visit last week:
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Finally, I’ve taken some time to see a real, not yet reconstructed, about to be demolished Hutong. More photos to come! I just had to post this one first:
Broken glass is used as an inventive way to scare off intruders from trying to gain access into this home. I’m also imagining colored glass and the wonderful reflections that could come from this throughout the day. Nonetheless, the use of broken glass to serve as ‘barbed wire’ is much less industrial or prison-like, providing a unique aesthetic.
I have yet to do much research into my stay in Beijing; all I know is that everyone who has been to this historical city, tells me that I MUST take a look and explore the Hutongs of Beijing. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if much still exists after making room for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
There are few places on the planet as inviting and abuzz as Beijing’s Hutong neighborhoods, where crowds of residents move through clustered, narrow alleyways against a backdrop of diminutive courtyard homes. But during the massive effort to modernize Beijing for the 2008 Olympic games, many of these neighborhoods were razed and replaced. “For some residents this provides a chance for a better standard of living,” writes the photographer Dan Eckstein. “For others it means the end of a way of life.” Eckstein’s Hutong Post
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