Gulou hutongs. Saving the old Beijing and its way of life

The word hutong came from the Mongolian language about 700 years ago, meaning “water well”, a place where people live because of the water. Today in Beijing, it means a small alleyway or lane. They are typical of the Old part of the city and are formed by lines of siheyuan, ancient Chinese courtyard houses, in which most Beijing residents used to live. Inseparable with the material fabric and space arrangement is the ‘hutong culture’. This is the repository of believes, values, rituals, orders, social codes and so forth, of the community. In one way or another, hutong culture represents the unique spirit and identity of Beijing inhabitants. From a micro point of view, each hutong block has its own identity that is distinctive from others, evolving from the demographical, geographical, political, economic and social factors. Exploring these alleyways, it is clear that the way of life in the hutongs is part of the heritage China should care to preserve. Alleys and lanes have their particular charm. Once you walk into one, even if it is just steps away from the hustle and bustle of the urban center, you will find that the noise is completely shut out. Instead, you will feel a unique atmosphere of peace and tranquility, a rich traditional friendly human relationship and encounter easy-going residents. Despite the change of time, the hutongs have always been the house of the ordinary. Here, they live, labor and raise their families. Here, they enjoy their pleasure and experience the hardships in life. So in this way, life has been going on from generation to generation. It may seem rather ordinary and dull, but life here embodies a rich culture, made of customs and habits, festival celebrations, rituals, fashions and business codes, as also friendly relationships and mutual help. Data show there were over 7.000 hutongs in Beijing in 1949, but only around 3.900 remained in the 1980s. When the new century began, especially during the period before the Olympics of 2008, Beijing speeded up the pace of reforming the Old city. Nowadays, hutongs in Beijing are less than 1.000 and most of them have lost their basic nature. The Old City is gradually vanishing. Many historical buildings are torn down. Traditional cultures, arts and crafts, and people's living habits and customs are not being passed on. A large portion of the original residents, who have lived in their houses for generations, are relocated in the new suburban districts. Walking along the alleys you can feel the urgent need of a solution, both against the demolition as for the inevitable changes the crowded courtyards need. This thesis research focuses on and explores the Gulou hutongs area, centered on the famous Drum and Bell towers and core of the Beijing Old city. Also here the once coherent visual and architectural identity has been largely erased, replaced, and at times invaded by cacophony of architectural interventions; big, small, fixed and instant structures are mixed together. How can this present set of conditions be considered as an opportunity to forge new design solutions? The hutongs do not need utopian visions or massive projects, but rather common sense and answers for basic and tangible problems. So, the first challenge was to identify the area’s issues, in terms of buildings’ condition, infrastructures systems and services provided, as also the community’s feelings and necessities. The surveys’ results became the three design macro-topics of the research: slums, infrastructure, connective collective. Each of these problems were analyzed in terms of historical development to better understand the how’s and whys of the current situation, caused by courtyards overcrowd, lack of hygienic services and almost absence of public space. The design solutions proposed are three strategies aimed to solve or drastically reduce the three main issues through systems of punctual interventions inside the courtyard units of the area. In this way the main ambition of increasing the community quality of life still respecting its culture, seems to be achieved without any building demolition, people relocation and tradition loss. If the starting question of this investigation was ‘Can we solve community’s problems and save Gulou’s spirit through punctual architectural interventions and new urban strategies?’, after analyzing Chinese cities old and new developments, Beijing massive transformations and Gulou contemporary situation, the final answer is ‘Yes’. The starting point for a new analysis of the possible relationships between old and new in China.