LIVING RELICS
THE TEAM
JOSE DEVORA
HABIBA HOUSSEIN
SARAHI BAEZA
NAOMI GUEVARA
SERENA LIU
JANEY XUE
Landscape Architecture CPP
Landscape Architecture CPP
Architecture NCUT
Urban & Regional Planning CPP
Architecture CPP
Architecture NCUT
JASMIN ESQUIVEL Architecture CPP
METHODOLOGY Our team, consisting of students from Cal Poly Pomona and North China University of Technology, conducted an exploratory study into the conditions of and potential interventions for the hutongs in the Dashilar quarter of Beijing. We spent two days conducting on-location site analysis, in addition to off-site study and research.
Interviews Qualitative interviews were conducted to gain a better understanding of the history, perspectives, and needs of residents in the community. The sample was a convenience sample, with interviewees selected based on their presence and availability at the time of our site analysis, in addition to their willingness to be interviewed. Our sample size was 9. We conducted interviews over two days. The first day of interviews was more open-ended, with questions asking about the history of the area, how things have changed, and what improvements they thought were needed in the neighborhood. The interviews were conducted by a Chinese-speaking team member. For the
second day of interviews, a set of questions was created and printed out that could either be handed to residents to write their response, or could be followed as a script by our Chinesespeaking team member. For verbal interviews, a Chinese-speaking team member would ask questions and translate the answers for the other team members. An audio recording and written notes were also made of those interviews.
Site Analysis An on-site observational analysis was conducted of the existing conditions in Dashilar. Documentation of our observations was done through photography, videography, and sketching. We took note of: • building and street typologies • pedestrian access ways • traffic flow • trees • public & private spaces
HISTORY
Beijing Central Beijing’s current spatial design can largely be attributed to the Yuan Dynasty, which established a new capital city along a strong northsouth Central Axis. The old capital city, built during the Jin Dynasty, was located slightly southwest. Following the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming and Qing Dynasties expanded the capital along the Central Axis, building the city’s most important sites and landmarks on this north-south axis, including the Forbidden City, the Bell Tower and Drum Tower, the Temple of Heaven, and Tiananmen Square. This Central Axis, along with elements of Feng Shui, contributed to the city’s gridded street system, with streets typically running north to south or east to west. Today, Beijing’s central city is a gridded network, with 5 large ring roads that connect the outer regions of the city.
Central Axis
HISTORY
Redevelopment & Preservation Qianmen Street is a popular pedestrian street that runs south of Tiananmen Square on the Central Axis. Qianmen (which translates to Front Gate) is one of many areas that has undergone redevelopment by the Chinese government in recent years. The rebuilding of the Qianmen district, which was completed just in time for the 2008 Summer Olympics, has been met with mixed feelings. While many love the rebuilt retail spaces designed in “traditional Chinese architectural styles,� the redevelopment of the street led to the displacement of longtime residents and businesses, and the demolishing of an entire neighborhood (Mayer, 2012). The high-profile redevelopment of Qianmen has led some to reconsider development plans for areas surrounding Qianmen, and a more concerted effort is being made towards preservation of historic neighborhoods.
Dashilar Dashilar, “one of Beijing’s most original historic quarters,” is located just west of Qianmen Street. The neighborhood is comprised of many hutongs (narrow streets and alleys) and siheyuans (traditional courtyard residences). In 2011, the Dashilar Project was launched “as an alternative redevelopment strategy for Dashilar.” While much of its infrastructure is in need of repair, the strategy aims to take an “acupunctural” and “nodal” approach to stimulating and revitalizing the neighborhood, with hopes of preserving its traditional and historic character. For 600 years, Dashilar has been a vibrant commercial and cultural quarter within central Beijing, in large part due to its proximity to the Imperial Palace. The street network in Dashilar is atypical to the gridded north-south, east-west street network common throughout Beijing. Tieshu Xiejie (or Byway) is one of several diagonal streets within Dashilar (Sasha et al., 2017). These diagonal streets were formed because they were the quickest and most efficient routes between the old capital city of the Jin Dynasty and the new capital city established by the Yuan Dynasty.
Peking Opera Dashilar is the birthplace of the Peking Opera. In 1790, four opera troupes from Anhui (a region south of Beijing) came to the capital city to perform for the Qianlong Emperor’s 80th birthday. Soon after, opera troupes from Hubei arrived in Beijing (pekingopera.eu). A blending of opera styles gradually formed the unique Peking opera melodies. In 1800, the emperor imposed a ban on opera theaters within the inner city, pushing the theaters and troupes into the outer city. Many Peking Opera actors made their home in Dashilar because it was near the inner city. There are four roles in Peking Opera: • Sheng - the main male role • Dan - the female roles • Jing - a painted face male role • Chou - a male clown role. All roles were played by males until the 1870s, when women began making appearances on stage. Mei Lanfang, who was born on Tieshu Xiejie in Dashilar, was famous for his Dan roles and went on to train female opera actors. His 50year career brought him around the world.
Peking Opera started out as a form of side entertainment in teahouses, with people sitting on benches facing one another, only paying for the tea. It quickly grew to draw its own audiences and expanded to small playhouses with a square stage, and benches facing the stage on three sides. The art of Peking Opera requires skill and training in singing, acrobatics, recitation, and acting. The Cultural Revolution banned all forms of traditional theater, and it wasn’t until the 1980s that efforts were made to revive the tradition of Peking Opera.
INTERVIEWS
Mr. Lee Mr. Lee is well-known and respected in the community. We met him outside of the Far East Hotel, our proposed project site. He told us the hotel is mostly used by Chinese tourists visiting Beijing, and that the local residents and businesses don’t really benefit from the hotel being there. Mr. Lee told us, “Tradition & culture makes Beijing great,� and he was kind enough to take us on a tour of Dashilar, pointing out important historical sites in the area. Our first stop was a bronze mural depicting Peking Opera, and he explained to us that Dashilar was the birthplace of Peking Opera. He told us that many famous opera actors used to live in the area, and that it was kind of like a Hollywood. Another stop on the tour was the site of a former courtyard garden. The site is now a hotel, and while it retains some of the old courtyard garden features, he told us the garden used to be much bigger and much more beautiful.
Mr. Shi, 37
Business: Liquor Store Mr. Shi grew up in Dashilar. Both his grandfather and father lived in the hutongs in Dashilar, and his father was a printer & calligrapher. His family’s home has been passed down to him, and because of his family’s history in Dashilar, Mr. Shi continues to live and run a business there. Mr. Shi has a wife and 6-year-old daughter who live with his wife’s family near the Olympic Village. He sees them once a week, and frequently FaceTime’s with them. During our interview, Mr. Shi expressed a love for music and dance, and shared several traditional Chinese songs with us. One was Village Son, a song that spoke of having respect for elders, tradition, and heritage. He feels that people are starting to forget about their cultural heritage.
Yang Yang, 35
Business: Tea House Yang Yang owns a teahouse in Dashilar and shared with us a traditional tea ritual. Dashilar has a history of teahouses and she continues to keep that tradition alive. While Yang Yang lives in a high-rise, she thinks life in the hutongs offers more friendship and community. She said everyone in the hutong knows each other, and children living in the hutong can easily find and play with friends, whereas in high-rises, everyone just keeps their door closed. She also talked about how health and physical activity have become more of a priority for many. She mentioned that it is common to see people, particularly older people, gather in public spaces to dance and exercise. She feels there is a need for more green space in the Dashilar area.
Yue FangFang, 25 Yue Fang Fang comes from Henan Province and has lived in Dashilar for 1 year. She chose the area because it is close to her work and the rent is inexpensive. She lives with her husband and their young son. She hopes her son can one day study Shaolin Kung Fu, which originated from their hometown. Their family owns an electric car but it is often difficult to find parking in the hutongs. She enjoys planting for decorative and aesthetic purposes, and thinks revitalization efforts in the area have contributed to a decrease in the number of trees.
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This woman has lived in Dashilar for three years. Although her home is small, she says she likes living in the hutongs. She knows all her neighbors and she says there is a good sense of community.
While exploring the narrow and hidden corridors of the hutongs, we met this grandpa. He told us he doesn’t like living in the Dashilar hutongs. He feels like it has become slum-like now. According to this grandpa, the hutong used to be much cleaner and there were not electrical wires everywhere. Now, as families grow larger, it has become very crowded.
We met this gentleman around selling flowers. H near the hutong. He ch in Dashilar because man to the area. He told us re his flowers mainly for th the air.
She does feel like there could be more public or park spaces for people to gather or do activities. She said she would enjoy community dance classes.
He mentioned that the road is higher than the courtyard, and that the courtyard is higher than the room. This is particularly problematic when it rains, as water floods into the courtyards and rooms. But he thinks the renovation program Houhai is good.
Business: Mobile Flower
40
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n as he rode his bicycle He lives in an apartment hose to run his business ny different people come residents in Dashilar buy he purpose of purifying
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She has lived in Dashilar for 60 years and loves everything about the neighborhood. She has been operating her grocery store for 24 years, ans she says that customers that shop at her store are usually local residents from the neighborhood.
This gentleman is from Beijing and has lived in the Dashilar area for half a year. He moved to Dashilar because it is close to his work. He prefers living in the courtyard houses because he thinks people living in high-rise buildings don’t know each other. In the hutong, he feels it is easier for him to engage in conversation with his neighbors.
Business: Grocery Store
He thinks the government should help to improve living conditions in the area, pointing out broken roofs and plumbing/sewage issues. He likes to grow plants, but because spaces within the hutong are small and narrow, he has to put his plants on the roof.
COMMON THEMES Through interviewing local residents and business owners in Dashilar, we gained insight into what these residents valued and what their hopes for the future were. Several common themes emerged:
Community
Cultural Heritage
Public/Green Space
Community was a strong theme throughout the interviews. Many residents said they knew their neighbors and expressed that they felt a strong sense of community within the hutongs. They thought tall highrise buildings did not offer the same type of community found in the smaller scale hutong typology.
Throughout the interviews, tradition and culture often came up, whether it was pride in the history of Dashilar, the sharing of traditional song and ritual, or the desire to pass down cultural forms of artistry and expression.
Several of the people we interviewed mentioned trees and plants and a lack of green space. They also expressed a need for more public space where people could gather to meet with friends or to engage in physical activity.
SITE ANALYSIS
Roadways + Transportation
Dashilar is located in central Beijing, just west of the central axis. The area is served by four Metro stations, as well as many bus lines. Tieshu Xiejie is a busy corridor that connects with Dashilar West into the Qianmen commercial district
Parks + Trees
There are few parks and green spaces within or near Dashilar. Trees are scattered throughout the district, but many are small and provide little shade coverage. A handful of large trees have been preserved and built around.
Historical Sites
Dashilar is considered the birthplace of the Peking Opera, and was home to many famous opera actors. Mei Lanfang, one of the most well-known Peking Opera actors, was born on Tieshue Xiejie. He was famous for his Dan roles (female roles), and later went on to train women opera actors. Peking Opera was first enjoyed in teahouses. As it gained popularity, it grew to have its own unique staging and theaters.
Building Typology
While much of China races to build upwards, the hutongs have managed to preserve a more human scale in their building height and design. Most of the buildings in Dashilar are one story high. A handful of buildings within our project area are two stories, while the Far East Hotel is more than three stories tall.
Street Typology
Hanjia Hutong is a narrow street that carries primarily local traffic. There is a mix of parked cars, bicycles, and mopeds, and can get quite crowded when a car drives through.
Dawailangying Hutong is a midsize street with a mix of residential and commerical buildings. There are many parked cars along the street.
Tieshu Xiejie is a main arterial through Dashilar, and connects people to Qianmen, located just northeast of Dashilar. This street is the busiest of the three streets, with a mix of pedestrians, cars, bicycles, and mopeds.
DESIGN PROPOSAL
VISION RELIC noun / ‘re-lik
• a surviving memorial of something past • remaining parts or fragments • something kept in remembrance
Dashilar is “one of Beijing’s most original historic quarters,” with a long and rich history of opera, calligraphy, literature, and food. As we explored Dashilar, we found all these pieces of a history connected to the Peking Opera, and we chose the word “relic” because there are all these surviving memorials and fragments of this rich historical past interwoven into the current fabric of the community. Our project site stands on what used to be a large siheyuan, or courtyard garden and residence. The surrounding areas have a historically significant tie to the Peking Opera. What’s left now are relics of this past.
Acknowledging its rich past of performing arts and courtyard gardens, our design aims to incorporate these historical relics by creating a space for the creative and communal future of Dashilar.
DESIGN PROCESS
EXISTING SITE The Far East Hotel currently operates on the project site. Through research, interviews, and site analysis, we determined that the site would better serve the community if it were replaced. The current building does not fit the surrounding context, both in architectural style and in height. The hotel towers above the rest of the buildings in the area.
From interviews, we discovered the site used to be a large courtyard garden. Locals also told us the hotel primarily houses Chinese tourists from outside of Beijing, but that it does not really benefit the local shops and businesses.
URBAN DESIGN STRATEGIES The entrances to the project site were strategically determined by a previous study of the existing road conditions and pedestrian patterns of the site. The main roads - Tieshu Xiejie, Dawailanying Hutong and Hanjia Hutong - are assigned to be the visitor entrances. Tieshu Xiejie and Hanjia Hutong are part of an important 5-way intersection in the area. They are an important connection to public transportation. Tieshu Xiejie and Dawailanying are both transitional streets from Qianmen, a busy and touristy shopping corridor, to the Hutongs. The local entrances are located in narrow meandering passageways (example below) within the hutongs and existing residences. While the major roads provide access points to the visitors, narrow paths offer private and direct access for local residents.
SPATIAL AND USER PROGRAMMING The extensive research and site analysis done determined the architectural program and the spatial qualities eventually explored in the design process. Because of the historic connection of the chosen site to Peking opera, the project was designed with the symbolic purpose of creating a space where local residents and visitors alike can engage in art, tradition, and culture.
Academics
The project includes classrooms and studios, designed to encourage new generations to learn old traditions, while at the same time exploring new forms of expression.
Instructors Residences
There are also several instructor residences that would accommodate instructors with different backgrounds, cultures, and artistic expertise. The objective is to create a reciprocal method that would provide free housing for instructors while they freely shared their knowledge with students.
Performance
The project is complemented with a performing arts center, along with a series of outdoor stages, that would allow students to share their art with the community. Additionally, the project includes hostel rooms for visitors that would like to experience the fusion of Peking opera and other artistic disciplines.
MASTERPLAN
Cafe
Hutongs
SITE SECTIONS
Housing
Hutongs
Instructor
Section Elevation A-A- NTS.
Section Elevation C-C NTS.
Tea House
Hutongs
Section Elevation B-B NTS.
Galleries
Theatre
Hutongs
Forest
Longevity
Plaza
Hutongs
Hostel
OPEN SPACE KIT OF PARTS
The open space kit of parts is designed with themes of performance in mind, while also creating open spaces that benefit the needs of the community. The resting programs allow individuals to enjoy the space personally. Other spaces are more public, with raised stages to welcome people to perform, dance, play and observe. A similar program has lowered ground floors which create social pools for people to converse and interact. Incorporating these varying spaces into the design allows users to interact and engage with the space how they choose, whether it be individually or communally.
VEGETATION STRATEGIES
The vegetation strategies are based on incorporating traditional and contemporary planting strategies. The longevity forest utilizes a shaded planting strategy, and is designed to symbolize long life and convey strength of traditional Chinese culture. Contemporary planting strategies like the flowering bosque create a performance of blooming flowers as it changes season after season. These vegetation strategies create an experience of moving through spaces of old and new.
SEASONAL TREE DIAGRAM
This diagram demonstrates the color change in trees throughout the year. The change in color creates a performative landscape. As you move through the space different times of the year you experience something new.
THEATRICAL LANDSCAPE -SPRING
THEATRICAL LANDSCAPE -FALL
THEATRICAL LANDSCAPE -WINTER
NORTH ACCESS The landscape design uses specific planting and pathway spacing strategies to achieve a sense of arrival and mysterious character. The North entry point was designed with a narrow entrance similar to the entrances of the surrounding hutong courtyards. The trees and the buildings are lined up in a directional manner in order to lead the user inside the site without immediately revealing it’s main destination.
HUTONG CORRIDOR ACCESS The existing fabric of the hutongs is made up of narrow meandering passageways that cut across many residences. The landscape design provides secondary entrances for local residents. These entry points are lined up with small-scaled bamboo plants that brush up against the user as they approach the site, creating a real and intimate experience with the space.
HOSTEL The hostel is designed to maintain the function of the currently existing hotel, while bringing it to a scale that matches the fabric of the one-story hutongs and siheyuans. The design intent of the hostel rooms is based on a modular single room size that, when added up, can become double or family rooms. The rooms are contemporary spaces enclosed in a traditional gable roof structure similar to the existing hutong style.
INSTRUCTOR HOUSING The instructor residences are designed based on an exploration and reinterpretation of the existing form of the Hutongs. Two interlocking pieces form the inhabitable spaces, while the two subtracted opposite corners provide outdoor spaces for the residents. When the units are aggregated, their arrangement allows for the outdoor spaces to become sharable patios between two units or individual open spaces.
PLAZA AND LONGEVITY FOREST The Longevity Forest utilizes a shaded planting strategy, and is designed to symbolize long life and convey strength of traditional Chinese culture. The Flowering Bosque creates a performance of blooming flowers as it changes season after season. These vegetation strategies create an experience of moving through spaces of old and new.
FLOWERING BOSQUE
TEAHOUSE Peking Opera was originally performed in teahouses. Guests would come for tea, and opera would be performed on stage in the background. As a nod to this tradition, teahouses sit across from the theater, placed in a way that allows guests to see the lights and hear the music from within the teahouse.
THEATER
The theater was designed to mimic its surrounding buildings by having a variation of heights. The stage is below ground level in order for the total height to be similar to its surrounding context. The programming has been modernized in comparison to the traditional opera so it allows for the characters to engage with the crowd.
Image source: www.pekingopera.eu
THEATER
Elevation (not to scale)
Section (not to scale)
Program floor plan (not to scale)
Roof plan (not to scale)
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSIONS Living Relics aims to create a creative and communal space for the people of Dashilar. Within this traditional hutong district exists a vibrant and tight-knit community that is rich with history and culture. It was the birthplace of Peking Opera, and is home to people from all over China. In an effort to honor and preserve the community and culture of Dashilar, we have designed a multi-use space that recognizes this rich past and also offers opportunities to learn and to build community. Currently, large buildings that don’t fit the surrounding fabric of the community and a hotel that doesn’t serve or benefit local residents and businesses exists on the project site. Our project brings a more human-scale back to the neighborhood through designs that are more consistent with the narrow alleys of the hutongs and the singlestories of the siheyuans. It also adds much needed public and green space to the area. Ultimately, what we’ve tried to create is a space that honors the past history of performing arts and courtyard gardens, and also better fits and serves the existing community. We want the space to be a place that celebrates traditional forms of artistic expression while also creating opportunities for new expression. We want it to be a space where people can learn, create, celebrate, teach, and gather.
REFERENCES Adam Mayer. “An Experience in Contrasts: Redevelopment in Beijing’s Historic Qianmen Neighborhood.” China Urban Development Blog. N.p., 21 Aug. 2012. Web. 8 July 2017. Bristow, Michael. “Beijing’s Qianmen District: Rebuilt for Better or Worse.” BBC News 16 Feb. 2011. www.bbc.com. Web. 8 July 2017. Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. “The Central Axis of Beijing (Including Beihai).” UNESCO World Heritage Centre. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 July 2017. “Dashilar Project.” Dashilar.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 July 2017. Gao, Sally. “A Brief History Of Peking Opera.” Culture Trip. N.p., 14 Dec. 2016. Web. 9 July 2017. “History of Peking Opera.” Peking Opera. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 July 2017. Li Shasha, and Roberta Raine. “Exploring Beijing’s Hutong and Architecture.” PressReader. N.p., 22 June 2017. Web. 9 July 2017. “The History of China - Over 3,000 Years of Civilization.” China Highlights. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 July 2017.
ENV CHINA + JAPAN 2017
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona North China University of Technology