Bert de Muynck is an architect, writer and co-director MovingCities. With his partner Mónica Carriço, he has been based in Beijing since 2006. In the coming months, they'll be traveling quite extensively to several Chinese cities--some "known", some under the radar--for research (images and text) and production. Keep an eye on their website where they'll be sharing their discoveries in the next few months.

Area around Gulou Dajie subway station | July 14, 2009

Last year we talked about “hutong hypochondria“, referring to people suffering from an excessive preoccupation with the city’s history and who usually becoming obsessed with little alleyways, with stones that are strangely mixed with cardboard and wood structure. This suffering was Olympic and today the proponents have left the scene and the debate. In the mean time, Beijing’s hutongs are still disappearing at rapid pace. And one wonders, where have the memory masochists gone to?

During the past month a large area (approximately 250 by 250 meter) south of the Gulou Dajie subway station has been gradually demolished. Right around the corner from where we are live, the city is disappearing. Reason for the destruction is the extension of Line8 subway line, known as the Olympic Branch Line, in Southern direction (detailed info on those plans). The line is expected to open in 2010 and will connect on the Gulou Dajie subway station with Line2.

Area around Gulou Dajie subway station | July 14, 2009

A small trip down on memory lane: it was remarkable to see last years’ international media and bloggers being all over the place about the combination of starchitects operating in Beijing and the destruction of Beijing’s inner-city. The hutongs were an easy victim for a group of ‘architectural critics’ to provoke a horror scenario for the future of China’s capital. Following list of pre-Olympic publications are emblematic; From Mao to Wow! (Vanity Fair), In Changing Face of Beijing, a Look at the New China (New York Times), Secrets of the Bird’s Nest (The Guardian), Forbidden Cities (The New Yorker), Out of the Blocks (The New Yorker),…

Next to these mainstream mongers, some of our more favorite blogs also featured in pre-2008 Olympic Games times posts about the collapse and fencing of Beijing’s historical structures; Beijing’s hutong destruction (We Make Money Not Art), The End of the Hutong (Phronesisaical), Great Wall 6 (Subtopia),… to name a few.

CONTINUE READING Hutong Histories 2009 Part 1 and check out Part 2 and stay tuned for Part 3 on movingcities.org.