The controversial demolition of houses at Dongsi Batiao, an
ancient alley of courtyard homes in downtown Beijing, has been
suspended, an official with Dongcheng District government has
confirmed.
Suspending demolition, however, doesn't mean the redevelopment
project has been terminated, the official said.
The official said the demolition office would continue
negotiating with local residents over the amount of compensation
they will receive.
By Saturday, only the No. 9 courtyard in the hutong or alley had
been bulldozed and fewer than 10 of the 80 families in the
neighborhood had moved.
Dongsi Batiao, which literally translated means the eighth
hutong in the Dongsi area, was first developed some 700 years ago
during the Ming Dynasty (1271-1368). It has been listed as one of
the capital's 25 protected historical sites.
The redevelopment plan has been criticized by historians,
experts and in editorials that point out the area is one of the
city's 25 protected historic sites and should be preserved.
Other courtyard homeowners such as Xia Jie, a folklore lover who
has grown up in Dongsi Batiao and owns a 500-sqm siheyuan or
four-sided courtyard, wants the redevelopment project permanently
halted.
"Hutongs are the soul of Beijing. They must be preserved." Xia,
who has petitioned the government and is awaiting feedback, was
quoted by the Beijing Times as saying.
However, local newspapers say that many of the local residents
with no property rights of the courtyards are eager to move but
upset with the compensation, with the lowest at 8,090 yuan a square
meter.
"We can't wait to move. Who said this is cultural relics, please
come to my place and see for yourself," said another resident who
had lived 17 years in a shabby one-room shack.
Some residents say these traditional houses lack sufficient
sanitation such as flushing toilets, bathrooms and are in unsafe
condition. They deemed it's a good chance to improve living
conditions but the compensation is not enough to buy an apartment
downtown where housing price can be twice as much as the
compensation for per sq m.
The owner of the No. 9 courtyard said she was satisfied with the
compensation. The developer paid her more than 20,000 yuan for one
square meter because the courtyard is her private property.
Bai Hua, deputy manager of Zhong Bao Jia Ye Property
Development, would not confirm that demolition had been suspended
as he had not received formal notice from the government.
The housing administration of Dongcheng District published an
announcement in February saying two hutongs, the eighth and ninth
of Dongsi, would be demolished.
The authority posted another notice on April 15, ordering all
the residents to move out before May 26.
Covering an area of 80,000 square meters, the redevelopment of
the area was approved by the municipal urban planning bureau in
2001 under the name of "renovation of endangered historic
areas".
Liu Qifei, an archaeologist and a member of the Beijing
Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative
Congress, the local political advisory body, appealed to the
municipal government in late April, asking that the project be
stopped.
Liu also said the departments in charge of the project should be
reprimanded for damaging the city's image as an ancient
capital.
The hutongs, traditional networks of small lanes and courtyards,
have been rapidly vanishing in recent years as Beijing modernizes,
triggering outcries to safeguard the city's unique heritage.
(Xinhua News Agency May 28, 2007)