Beijing Record: A Physical and Political History of Planning Modern Beijing

by Jun Wang

Beijing Record, the result of ten years of research on the urban transformation of Beijing in the last fifty years, brings to an extended Western audience the inside story on the key decisions that led to Beijing's present urban fragmentation and its loss of memory and history in the form of bulldozing its architectural heritage. Wang's publication presents a survey of the main developments and government-level (both central and municipal) decisions, devoting a lot of attention to the 1950s and 1960s, when Beijing experienced a critical wave of transformative events.Shortly after its original Chinese bestseller edition was published by SDX joint Publishing Company House in October 2003, it ignited a firestorm of debate and discussion in a country where public interaction over such a sensitive subject rarely surfaces. The Chinese edition is in its 11th print run and was translated into Japanese in 2008. This newly-translated English version has the latest update on the author's findings in the area. As the only edition printed in full color with nearly 300 illustrations, the English version powerfully showcases the stunning architecture, culture, and history of China's Dynamic Capital, Beijing.Home to more than 15 million people, this ancient capital city -- not surprisingly -- has a controversial, complicated history of planning and politics, development and demolition. The publication raises a number of unsettling Why have a valuable historical architectural heritage such as city ramparts, gateways, old temples, memorial archways and the urban fabric of hutongs (traditional alleyways) and siheyuan (courtyard houses) been visibly disappearing for decades? Why are so many houses being demolished at a time of economic growth? Is no one prepared to stand up for the preservation of the city?For his research, Wang went through innumerable archives, read diaries and collected an unprecedented quantity of data, accessing firsthand materials and unearthing photographs that clearly document the city's relentless, unprecedented physical makeover. In addition, he conducted more than 50 in-person interviews with officials, planners, scholars and other experts. Many illustrations are published here for the first time, compiled in the 1990s when archival public access was reformulated.

Genres: China, History

536 pages, Hardcover

First published January 3, 2011

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly powerful book about the loss of historic structures in Beijing - truly, a tour de force of research. I would give it five stars except that stylistically it's simply straightforward, not particularly special although that may be a result of the fact that the text is a translation of a work in the Chinese language.

Taking as the focus of the narrative the heart wrenching stories of architects Liang Sicheng and Chen Zhanxiang, the author conveys the tragedy that these men,and others, faced, as monument after monument were destroyed, as well as touching on the mass destruction/vandalization/looting of any/all historic artifacts during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (GPCR) years. The number of treasures that have been lost is probably innumerable. The country wanted a clean break with the past, with feudalism, yet it would have been possible to preserve monuments, statuary, and so forth, in museums. It seems to me that the destruction and the anti-intellectual persecutions represented the release of rage -- almost on a subconscious level -- a sense that none of the monuments ever benefited them, and that the people who were involved in some way in creating what the mobs saw as "elitist" "feudal" or "religious" art, should also pay a price. The Red Guards perhaps had legitimate complaints about temples, palaces, tombs of emperors, even city walls - they all represented works designed to either tie up masses of workers in endless public works, or works of art meant to glorify the ruling class, or favored religion (Buddhism). Yet, they were cutting off their nose to spite their face in destroying these artifacts and persecuting intellectuals. Were they trying to destroy past priceless art works so that current perhaps mediocre works would be seen as great (since there'd be nothing to compare them to afterwards)? Their actions remind me of zealous early Christian mobs in Greece and Egypt who also destroyed pagan temples, and works of art - in the name of Christianity. That is why ancient statues are still occasionally unearthed - they were buried because otherwise they would have been destroyed. Ideological zeal led to the repurposing of temples as churches or their destruction. The anti-intellectual, anti-pagan philosopher zeal eventually led to the Dark Ages in Europe.

The cultural heritage of China - which was created with the labor of ordinary Chinese - was largely wiped away as countless artifacts were either looted or destroyed. Intellectuals who had any connection to historic preservation advocacy, city planning, city design, were likewise punished/humiliated/stripped of their posts in the frenzy. City planning came to a halt in the years following the GPCR.

Unfortunately, city planning and historic preservation had become politicized in New China (that is, post revolutionary China), which is what this book is about - the vicissitudes of deciding on how the new capital should be planned. Political discourse seemed to always enter into the decision-making process. Calls for historic preservation of Beijing were ignored. Perhaps the CPC was right in placing the center of New China atop that of the Old (at Tiananmen Square).

Following the proclamation of the PRC in late 1949, Chairman Mao probably found it expedient to distract the people with endless ideological (and other) campaigns - no doubt so that the immense strides in national development he promised that did not always materialize would not be noticed. There was also the reality of fighting the Korean War - right after the PRC was founded - which underlined Mao's anti-imperialist rhetoric. The state of siege mentality was real given the war on the Korean peninsula in the early 50s.

Later, Mao broke with the Soviet Union after Khrushchev denounced his late predecessor Stalin. That rejection of Stalin, had it been adopted in China, more or less would have created doubt in general about the legitimacy of the Chinese communist regime, which is why to this day the government of China does not renounce any of the past/famous communist figures including Stalin, if I am not mistaken. And the CPC will certainly never renounce Mao, despite his schemes, which did not always pan out as planned, and sometimes, had disastrous, even tragic, results.

When Chinese relations with the USSR became strained to the extent that a small war was fought on the China/USSR border, Mao began an air-raid shelter citizens construction campaign. This campaign continued after Mao began the Cultural Revolution in 1966 - the sense of doom however, at a possible Soviet attack, probably was intentionally whipped up by the CPC, blended somehow into the intensely left rhetoric of the GPCR, since the USSR was said to have adopted the capitalist or at least revisionist road.

Then, Mao decided on a rapprochement with the USA in the early 1970s while the GPCR was in full swing - despite being thoroughly anti-capitalist & anti-imperialist - as a way of counterbalancing the Soviet "threat;" as a bargaining chip, he also smoothed the way for the US to exit the Vietnam War. After the death of Zhou and Mao in 1976, a factional struggle broke out at the top level of the CPC, which was eventually won by the Deng (modernizing/reformist) faction at the expense of the left faction (Mao's widow Jiang Qing and the Gang of Four, pro-GPCR).

Since the 1980s, and the introduction of special economic zones, Chinese development has continued apace, with many of the previously rejected features of capitalism re-adopted, such as stock markets, and the accumulation and ostentatious display of capital. Classes have re-emerged. Nevertheless, the CPC still holds the high cards, as land is still owned by the Party (or, the people) as are most big banks.

The incredible pace of development in China since the economic reforms is unparalleled in world history. However this book describes what was lost - in Beijing - especially during the Cultural Revolution, but also in the 15 years prior to the GPCR, as ancient gate after gate, tower after tower, and the historic city walls, were torn down to facilitate traffic or to enable the construction of the subway. Scarce money was not to be spent on upkeep and so historic treasures deteriorated. Dilapidation often led to destruction.

Those interested in the history (and future) of People's Republic of China, historic preservation, architecture, or city planning, will find this book, which is illustrated with numerous photos, charts, maps and so forth, highly rewarding albeit in the end heart-wrenching.

Here are the quotes:

"By 1952, one of the few remaining foreigners pointedly observed that "the People's government seems to have a lack of taste and a narrow-minded suburbanism more often associated with a government of the lower middle class than a government of workers."

"So many people have been moved by the words [Liang Sicheng] ... wrote in 1957: "Demolishing a city gate tower, you are cutting a piece of flesh off my body; taking off a brick from the city walls, you are peeling off an inch of my skin."

"I am grateful to Ms. Lin Zhu [Liang's widow] for allowing me to access Professor Liang Sicheng's notebooks and diaries, and which came in scores of bound copies, as well as the "confessions" he was forced to write for alleged "anti-Party, anti-socialism crimes" during the Cultural Revolution."

"A century ago, the Chinese empire, having suffered one humiliating defeat after another in wars launched by imperialist powers against it, was often compared to a "piece of meat to be cut into pieces on a chopping block."

"[Kang Youwei, shouting at the top of his voice at a 4/12/1898 meeting of 200 reform-minded scholars:] "We are treated not as human beings, but as beasts of burden, as dogs and sheep, as slaves exploited and bullied by others at will. Never has China been so humiliated throughout its history of 20 successive dynasties."

"...the "May Fourth Movement" [was] -- the very first intellectual revolution in China. It was a socio-political movement directed toward national independence, emancipation of the individual's mind and rebuilding of society and culture."

[In 2000] ...Professor Wu Liangyong of Qinghua University, who doubles as academician of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, commented: ... It is indeed no exaggeration to describe old Beijing as the best example, the "gem," of ancient city planning across the world."

"[Wu Liangyong:] ...In the old city of Beijing, virtually all structures of cultural value have been demolished and numerous ancient trees have been felled to make room for construction projects that are meant for maximum profits from exploitation of the limited land space, and gone are so many sites of historical interest."

"[Wu Liangyong:] "Does that differ from tearing invaluable ancient paintings into pieces for use as raw material for production of paper pulp, or smashing bronze vessels thousands of years old into bits of scrap metal?"

"[At a 10/11/2001 meeting of] ...100 experts in various disciplines of study ..... [to assess] ...the results of a major research project to plan the development of the envisaged "Greater Beijing" that encompasses both the urban and rural areas in Beijing and Tianjin municipalities and northern Hebei Province... Professor Wu Liangyong ....noted that in the current era of economic globalization, development of global -caliber metropolises is a choice of strategic importance for a country or region in striving for development."

"Ieoh Ming Pei, an American Chinese who has a global reputation as an architect... [spoke to the author in 1999 and 2001, and said:] Beijing is the oldest and also the largest among the surviving ancient cities across the world. It represents the quintessence of the centuries-old Chinese art of urban construction."

"[2002] Comments from these [International Olympic Committee] ... officials testify to a deplorable fact that traffic congestions and environmental pollution are most serious problems facing Beijing."

"Atmospheric pollution is the top environmental problems facing Beijing. According to some studies, car emission is now more than 60 percent responsible fo the atmospheric pollution in areas within the Third Ring Road, while a decade ago, at the end of the 1980s, the corresponding figure was around 30 percent."

"The city's population increased by an average of 300,000 people each year during the 1950s and by the 1960s, had exceeded 10 million."

"[In 2000] ...Fang Ke and Zhang Yan, young urban planner, wrote: Under the influence of the prevalent ideology...old Beijing was seen as 'heritage of feudalism,' as something that must be 'revolutionized' and 'transformed.'"

"In an article titled 'On Systematic Planning for Cities and Towns' published in August [of 1945]... in Ta Kung Pao newspaper, Liang Sicheng advanced his ideal for social progress, which he summarized as 'dwelling to the dweller' and 'one bed for each person.' ... 'Most of the metropolises in Europe and the United States are now huge messes,' [Liang] commented."

"[Eliel Saarinen's 1943 book 'The City: Its Growth, Its Decay and Its Future'] ...is a systematic summary of the theory of "organic decentralization," which has since exerted a worldwide influence on city planning and development."

"[In a 1948 article published in Tao Kung Pao newspaper] ... by Zhu Ziqing..., a friend of the Liangs, who was working as a professor at the Chinese language and literature at Qinghua University... titled 'Cultural Relics, Old Books and Writing Brushes' [Zhu stated] "Protection of ancient things can be laid aside until after the people are ensured of food and clothing. ... I don't agree to ideas that overstress the importance of ancient things and the important of Beiping as a cultural city."

"[Zhu:] Intellectuals can either be a part of the ruling class or a part of the downtrodden."

"Zhu ... in an article titled 'On Discontent with the REalities' ....said: 'Discontent will be prevalent and public anger will keep mounting when the realities become so bad that one just cannot maintain even a meager living no matter how hard one works.' "

"[Liang, in an article titled 'Cultural Relics in Beiping Must be Preserved,' said: 'Cultural relics left over from history exert a special influence on the minds of the people, which are most effective in imbuing our people with a confidence in the Chinese nation and the entire human race..."

"[In 1948] Writer Shen Congwen... a friend of both Zhu and Liang... published a fiction titled 'Socrates on Beiping's Needs' [that] ...called for protecting the ancient capital, using the Greek philosopher ... to air his own views. ... In Shen Congwen's dream, Beiping should be a 'capital of art.' [Shen:] There should be six groups of pure white marble and bronze statues on the largest lawn in Beihai Park, highlighting the most important achievements made over the past 50 years in the development of literature, art, drama, music, architecture and filmmaking."

"[In 1948] Liang Sicheng met a PLA soldier who had walked for a mile to return a broken basket to its owner -- that was his first encounter with the Chinese Communists."

"[In 1955, Liang recalled:] 'A PlA officer visited me three days after the campus of Qinghua University was liberated. He assured me that the PLA would find a thousand and one ways to ensure the safety of the monumental buildings if it had to attack the city. ... As a child, I had already learned what Mencius said of the popularity of an army fighting for a just cause: "With food and drinking water in their hands, the people would welcome the royal army."

"In August [1900] .... the aggressor troops... of eight imperialist powers... set up artillery batteries on the Altar of Heaven (Huan Qiu) in the Temple of Heaven (Tian Tan) for bombardment of the Sun-Facing Gate. The Qianmen Arrow Tower was destroyed, followed by destruction of the Sun-Facing Gate Tower in a fire caused by a bonfire set by some Indian soldiers inside the gate. The allied forces also bombarded the arrow towers of Chongwenmen and Chaoyangmen gates."

"Among those wars mentioned above, the 1900 invasion by the allied forces of eight imperialist powers was most damaging. Structures they destroyed were mostly gate towers and arrow towers."

"The general public demanded peaceful handover of Beiping to the Communists, in order to ensure safety of the cultural relics in the city."

"[In 1949] ... Mao led [General] Fu to see the Hall of Prayers for Good Harvest to which repairs had been done. "You did a great thing to protect Beijing," Mao told Fu. "Will it be good if we award you a medal as big as the Temple of Heaven?"

"In March [1949] Liang Sicheng produced 'A concise Catalogue of China's Architectural Relics. [In it he said:] "Beiping was built in 1280 under the Yuan Dynasty, and rebuilt around 1400, during the early Ming period."

"...Zhu Qiqian [was the ] founder and president of the [Institute for Research in Chinese Architecture]. As minister of internal affairs in 1914, Zhu Qiqian ordered repairs of the Temple of Land and Crops to the left of the Gate of Heavenly Peace and its opening to the general public as Central Park (now Zhongshan Park), the first of its kind in China."

"[Liang:] "We should differentiate the essence of cultural heritage from its dross."

"On March 5, 1949... Mao Zedong said: "Only by restoring and developing production in cities and by transforming consumption cities into production cities can the people's power be consolidated."

"In January 1950, Mayor Nie Rongzhen published an article titled 'In Celebration of the First Anniversary of Beijing's Liberation.' "Our task," he wrote, "is one of completely wiping out the remnant forces of the reactionaries and building a government strong and efficient enough for exercising the people's democratic dictatorship."

"[Liang:] "Beijing should be developed into the national administration center, pure and simple, into a city as beautiful and tasteful as Washington."

"[Liang:] "I was resentful of Chairman Mao's instructions on 'transforming Beijing from a consumption city into a production city,' on building a 'forest of chimneys' that can be seen from atop Tiananmen."

"Here is the logic of the CPC: to establish the status of the working class as China's leading class, industries must be developed in a big way for the numerical superiority of the working class. Only by turning Beijing into the national economic center will it be worthy of its status as the national capital."

"History of the past 50 years since New China's birth has proved that Beijing's endeavor to industrialize despite shortage of locally available water and mineral resources has not only caused numerous problems for Beijing itself. Tianjin has declined because the two cities, just about 100 kilometers apart, have redundant economic structures."

"Basing itself on a rethinking of history, in April 1980 the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee issued a four-point instruction on Beijing's development, stating that "Beijing may not necessarily be developed into an industrial center."

"[In 1983] ...the CPC Central Committee and State council ... explicitly {stated] ... that: "Beijing shall be the national political and cultural center" and as such, "should cease to develop heavy industries."

"[In 1993]... the State Council reaffirmed that Beijing "should cease to develop heavy industries."

"In 1999, the Beijing municipal authorities decided to remove 134 polluting industrial enterprises out of the once walled city in five years through to 2004."

"[In 1982]... the Beijing Urban Master Plan ... called for "increasing the construction of housing and service facilities needed in people's life over a fairly long period to come, so that problems such as the shortage of housing and inconvenience in people's life can be alleviated step by step."

"Even before he entered Beiping on the eve of national liberation, Mao Zedong had already urged the Party to pay sufficient attention to the importance of the working class. He said: ..."Once in Beiping, we need to form a power base for ourselves, and our power base comprises none other than the workers and other laboring people in the city."

"[Liang, in] .. an article 'On Shapes of Cities' and City Planning published in the People's Daily on June 11, 1949 [said:] This is what we mean by 'organic decentralization,' which enables residents to enjoy nature without having to travel too far. In an air raid, targets in small, scattered areas will be safer than targets concentrated in one large area."

"[In 1950, Chen Zhanxiang said:] "My friend, I was in Shanghai when it was liberated. I had seen armies marching up and own China for over thirty years and that was the first time I ever saw troops move through an area without so much as damaging a stalk of grain or taking as much as a stick of wood."

"[Chen met] ...Dr. Joseph Needham, author of the monumental 'Science and Civilization in China' ... [in Cambridge in] ...1942. Dr. Needham advised him not to blindly follow the Western ways of studying Chinese architecture and should instead examine it in the context of the Chinese culture."

"By early May 1949, the Communist-led People's Liberation Army (PLA), having taken Nanjing, capital of the Kuomintang government, had besieged Shanghai."

"[Chen:] "Shanghai was liberated in May 1949, enabling me to see a bright future for my country."

[Rita]

“Beijing Record: a physical and political history of planning modern Beijing”
by Wang Jun
[a journalist for OUTLOOK magazine, publ. by official Xihua News Agency – but he is investigative]
23 june 2011 NYR reviewedby Ian Johnson ‘the high price of the new beijing’

Has rare old photos of Peking neighborhoods at different stages, before bulldozing.
[tranls. of 2003 Chinese book “Cheng Ji” = City Record]

[“Beijing has turned into a two-tier city: a global capital elite in the center, and ordinary people on the periphery”]