To ensure that tradition is retained, the municipal cultural heritage administration has sent four teams of relic experts to work with engineers in the four districts where hutongs are restored, says Wang Yuwei, head of the cultural relics preservation department of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics.
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Entrance of the Yandai Xiejie. [chinadaily.com.cn]
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Wang pledges that hutongs are not to look all alike after the facelift. A total of 20 teams of craftsmen with traditional skills in tile making and color painting are hired to maintain the different features of the hutongs.
Chen's courtyard house retains the typical look of a hutong, with grey tiles covering roofs and old-styled bricks paving the ground.
"Experts visited this courtyard house several times. They discussed and debated here before working out every detail, in their efforts to restore the original look of the courtyard. And the craftsmen are well trained and very careful. They take each piece of brick and tile as a treasure." Chen says, pointing at the ancient bricks with engraved flowers.
"I definitely prefer the courtyard house to high-rises. I love chatting in the no-roof courtyard with my neighbors. There are so many new buildings in the city, but none of them can be compared to our old courtyard in terms of an old Beijing flavor." Chen says with pride.
When talking about the "old Beijing flavor", people may also think of Yandai Xiejie, another exemplar hutong. Located near Houhai, this 260-meter alleyway used to be famous for selling long-stemmed pipes. Now, it has a dozen bars and about 60 stores selling antiques, embroideries, kites, lanterns and other folk arts.
The government of Xicheng District started to renovate the hutong last May and the work is expected to be completed by this June. The buildings on both sides are to be restored to their appearances in the Ming (1368–1644 A.D.) and Qing (1644-1911 A.D.) dynasties.
Qiu's seal carving shop, Yidaozhiyin, has been in the street for three years. "The road was bumpy and when it rained, there was a layer of dirt caked on the road. We got few visitors in the rainy days. The hutong faces the wave of shops closing down years ago, but now we are optimistic about the future as the new road will breathe new life into our business. "
"It will not only facelift the Yandai Xiejie, it'll facelift the capital's tourism industry." Qiu adds with confidence.
