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A new look for Dashilan

September 23, 2011  Filed under Center Stage  

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By Chu Meng
Whether to build a new or demolish the old is always a big question for Beijing.
Many of its aging hutong and courtyards have gone unprotected, weathering away amid a thickening forest of skyscrapers. Many have been subjected to abrupt, blind commercial development imbuing them with a kind of spiritual rot.
The Dashilan-Liulichang historical and cultural protection area has somehow escaped such decay.
This year’s NOTCH Nordic Art Festival and the first Beijing Design Week will be held in the renovated hutong to show off the results of a three-year project to protect the area’s heritage.
Li Shu, planning director of Beijing Dashilan Investment Limited, is a keen-witted and capable man in his 40s. Unlike most of his peers at the Xicheng District government’s Dashilan Street Committee, he dresses and behaves much like an artist.
Last Saturday, Li visited the hutong, courtyards and shops of Dashilan-Liulichang historical and cultural protection area, which have been the focus of his six-year restoration effort.
With him were a group of Nordic artists, participants in the NOTCH Nordic Art Festival that opens tomorrow. A larger group of Chinese and foreign artists will soon descend on the area for the first Beijing Design Week, which will open the same day.
“It is the first time the renovated Dashilan-Liulichang has hosted fashion and design events. It is an opportunity for us to present our achievements and test this new method of protection, which we call history- and resident-friendly renovation,” Li said.
The area is home to 20 homes of historic celebrities, 20 temples, 60 Peking Opera stages, 40 historic brothels and 150 courtyards. It stretches from Qianmen West Avenue, south from Zhushikou West Avenue, west to Nanxinhua Street and east to the current Qianmen Commercial Street.
Dashilan-Liulichang became a major distribution center during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). But like most ancient buildings throughout the country, many homes have fallen into a state of disrepair. Local residents coped with extreme population density and outdated infrastructure.
“It is the only residential area in the city that had remained virtually unchanged since the Ming Dynasty,” Li said.
“Preserving this was extremely important, especially after the demolition of historic neighborhoods in the Xianyukou area and rampant commercialization of Nanluogu Xiang.”
After many rejected plans, Li and his team settled on a preservation model in 2008. It required 30 percent of the residents to vacate to preserve certain historical and cultural relics. However, the remaining residents had to stay.
“Only when an old area remains inhabited can it stay alive. Evacuation and demolition kill history and culture,” Li said.
After restoration of the abandoned courtyards, commercial groups will be allowed to move in. Some may be turned into designers’ studios, artistic spaces and coffee houses.
“New commercial patterns will link the ancient area to the younger generation, which will keep it alive,” Li said.
The project’s ultimate goal is to raise living standards in the area and improve housing conditions. Balancing that with historical protection was a complicated but necessary task.
As Beijing’s most important renovation project of the 12th Five-Year Plan, the Dashilan-Liulichang renovation program began in 2008. All renovation maintained the original architectural style, making it blend in with the larger Qianmen Avenue area.
Yang Lei, organizer of the NOTCH Nordic Art Festival, is among the first people helping to test the pros and cons of the new protection method.
During the festival, themed “Recycling Creativity,” young designers, architects, musicians and artists from Denmark, Iceland, Norway and China will gather in the area’s hutong to examine its cultural and historical resources.
Artists will then use their findings to create works of art in a studio at an abandoned electronics factory as part of “Open Studio Camp.”
“Artists from completely different cultural environments can help locals notice something precious that they might be overlooking. The aim is to leverage the vivid new Nordic cultural scene to stimulate the growth of the local creative scene,” Yang said.
Li introduced NOTCH to Dashilan as part of the “Dashilan New Alley” program under Beijing Design Week.
Yang said that Nordic designers and artists view the program as a rare chance to get involved in daily life in a traditional Beijing hutong.
“It will give them fresh inspiration to create using daily social interactions. They are excited to explore local life and get to know more about its connection to history,” Yang said.
The creative events will also attract young, creative people to revisit the historical area – something organizers hope will refresh the area by injecting it with a vibrant and energetic atmosphere.
Gudrun Kristin Arnadottir, an Icelandic artist, has been engaged in the “Open Studio Camp” for one week. She collaborated with two Chinese artists to finish a mural installation using volcanic ash from Iceland and shattered glass collected in the Dashilan area. Her work is based on blending modern waste with nature.
“I think NOTCH and Design Week will help protect a lot of these aging compounds. The artists are bringing to the old factory a new breath and a new life,” she said. “Many local people have gotten involved in the creative process. They helped us collect a lot of materials.”
Arnadottir said there are similar protection efforts in her country, where artists are involved in protecting aging local buildings. Many are being renovated and turned into studios for modern and contemporary artists.
Wang Shiren, chief researcher of the Beijing Municipal Institute of Ancient Construction, said the the new approach to historic street protection differs greatly from relic protection.
Wang said it is impractical to protect historical streets and areas without development, because it is the culture – not the houses – that requires protection.
“Historical streets are places of human activity. The only way to maintain the original appearance is to relocate all the residents and build these areas into museums, just like Zhouzhuang in Jiangsu Province,” he said. “Unfortunately, Beijing has a large population and cannot afford to give up any space. Any protection method used here has to keep these homes in use.”
But Fang Yong, a professor of architecture at Peking University, said even the most careful renovation fundamentally changes the original style of an ancient building.
“We have to protect the old hutong and courtyards, but we also must develop Beijing and improve the people’s living standards,” he said.
“In theory, no one opposes hutong protection – of course, reality is different. The sad fact is that whenever we knock down an ancient building, we lose it forever.”

By Chu Meng

Whether to build a new or demolish the old is always a big question for Beijing.

Many of its aging hutong and courtyards have gone unprotected, weathering away amid a thickening forest of skyscrapers. Many have been subjected to abrupt, blind commercial development imbuing them with a kind of spiritual rot.

The Dashilan-Liulichang historical and cultural protection area has somehow escaped such decay.

This year’s NOTCH Nordic Art Festival and the first Beijing Design Week will be held in the renovated hutong to show off the results of a three-year project to protect the area’s heritage.

People are coming back to the hutong in Dashilan-Liulichang historical area to rediscover the hutong's heritage. CFP Photo

People are coming back to the hutong in Dashilan-Liulichang historical area to rediscover the hutong's heritage. CFP Photo

Gudrun Kristin Arnadottir, an Icelandic artist, collaborated with two Chinese artists to finish a mural installation using volcanic ash from Iceland and shattered glass collected in the Dashilan area. Photos by Yin Sisi

Gudrun Kristin Arnadottir, an Icelandic artist, collaborated with two Chinese artists to finish a mural installation using volcanic ash from Iceland and shattered glass collected in the Dashilan area. Photos by Yin Sisi

Li Shu, planning director of Beijing Dashilan Investment Limited, is a keen-witted and capable man in his 40s. Unlike most of his peers at the Xicheng District government’s Dashilan Street Committee, he dresses and behaves much like an artist.

Last Saturday, Li visited the hutong, courtyards and shops of Dashilan-Liulichang historical and cultural protection area, which have been the focus of his six-year restoration effort.

With him were a group of Nordic artists, participants in the NOTCH Nordic Art Festival that opens tomorrow. A larger group of Chinese and foreign artists will soon descend on the area for the first Beijing Design Week, which will open the same day.

“It is the first time the renovated Dashilan-Liulichang has hosted fashion and design events. It is an opportunity for us to present our achievements and test this new method of protection, which we call history- and resident-friendly renovation,” Li said.

The area is home to 20 homes of historic celebrities, 20 temples, 60 Peking Opera stages, 40 historic brothels and 150 courtyards. It stretches from Qianmen West Avenue, south from Zhushikou West Avenue, west to Nanxinhua Street and east to the current Qianmen Commercial Street.

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Not just a feast – Caledar Restaurant explores connection between food and life

September 9, 2011  Filed under Community  

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By Annie Wei
Not long after this year’s Country Fair in Beijing was declared a success by Weibo users everywhere, photos of another interesting dining concept popped up online and got everyone abuzz.
A photo was posted showing a group of young, free-spirited people cooking and dining together at a courtyard. But this was at no regular restaurant.
Calendar Restaurant is open only once a month, and those who want to partake in its cook-out need to apply ahead of time for a seat. Everyone chips in with the cooking, then they all dine together over lively conversation.
It’s more like a home party, but participants don’t need to know the organizers. Instead, they invite themselves.
Founders
The concept of Calendar Restaurant was started by Uemura Emi, 32, the Japanese co-founder of Country Fair in Beijing, and Fang Danmin, 34, a local magazine editor.
Uemura was majoring in anthropology in Canada when she began cooking, while Fang has strong interests in China’s new countryside constructions.
Influenced by Wen Tiejun, a leading professor of China’s rural issues, and Shi Yan, founder of Little Donkey Farm, a community-supported agricultural farm, Fang sought to rent land and needed a partner.
Uemura, who had experience farming in Hokkaido before moving to Beijing at the end of 2009, was just in the process of finding a place to do some farming.
Through a mutual friend, the two women connected.
Before launching Calendar Restaurant in a hutong courtyard in June, Uemura envisioned the project to be an artistic relationship between food and lifestyle. Uemura began pursing that project at Vitamin Space in Cao-changdi last September.
The original idea
Back in Canada, Uemura founded a bakery and worked in the food industry. She worked at a farmer’s market there and was interested in workshops involved with food and art.
The idea she instituted at Caochangdi was a place where people could order food that would be grown on the spot. It would, of course, take three months, but diners could watch their greens and sprouts flourish in the restaurant’s yard.
The purpose of dining in the restaurant would be shifted from the meal itself to the relationship between people and their food.
The idea didn’t work as Uemura planned. Items on the menu such as snow pea mint and cucumbers failed to grow in a timely manner, she said. Part of the reason was timing: she kicked off the restaurant in September. “I didn’t know that all outdoor vegetables die in Beijing in December,” she said.
But people who took part in her project were not disappointed. “Actually, I found they really enjoyed the concept,” she said.
Moving downtown
The Calendar project in Caochangdi was also limited because the only participants seemed to be artists living in the area. Uemura wanted to involve a wider circle of people.
After she joined a shared work and life space founded by Elaine W. Ho in a hutong courtyard, she and her friend, Fang Danmin, decided to re-open Calendar Restaurant.
“People like us, who work in the city but actually spend time farming on weekends for fun, have special feelings toward vegetables,” Fang said. Unlike real farmers who farm to survive, Fang and Uemura feel that land and vegetables are “like our babies,” Fang said.
They feel that food should be seasonal, just as vegetables are.
“That’s the meaning of our restaurant’s name – every vegetable has its own calendar,” Fang said.
The restaurant is a way for them to “communicate with the outside surroundings,” Uemura said.
Slowing down
After Fang posted photos of the first Calendar Restaurant event, mainly a gathering of their friends, she got calls from people who wanted to make reservations for dinner.
“It’s not what we want. We are not just a restaurant,” Fang said.
The founders hope participants understand their goals and share their appreciation for food. It’s not about fast consumption.
And their restaurant’s rule is “please don’t come if you just want a feast. Come if you want to hear stories and learn from others.”
“People in China grab things really fast but leave quickly,” Uemura said. And there is no commitment to the community.
After three Calendar Restaurant events, the founders learned that Weibo has spread their restaurant’s message far and wide.
Fang began thinking more critically about their project.
“We thought maybe we didn’t approach our agenda the right way and we should improve the way we communicate with the outside world,” Fang said.
Finding a right topic or theme was the key to a successful event.
At the second event, they decided to invite an analyst from the China Meteorological Administration to explain why there was so much rain in July compared to previous years, a topic of concern for those interested in agriculture. They also invited a Mongolian woman who is studying organic technology in Japan. Neighbors partook in the meal.
Each event, Uemura does a lot of cooking, but they’ve begun inviting rotating chefs. At the last event, the chef was a retired man surnamed Ge who used to look after the Calendar Restaurant’s courtyard.
“Many plants here were planted by him,” Fang said. “It was an meaningful experience.”
People interested can contact the founders through their Sina Weibo account: rilicanting.

By Annie Wei

Not long after this year’s Country Fair in Beijing was declared a success by Weibo users everywhere, photos of another interesting dining concept popped up online and got everyone abuzz.

A photo was posted showing a group of young, free-spirited people cooking and dining together at a courtyard. But this was at no regular restaurant.

Calendar Restaurant in a hutong. Photos provided by Uemura Emi

Calendar Restaurant in a hutong. Photos provided by Uemura Emi

Calendar Restaurant is open only once a month, and those who want to partake in its cook-out need to apply ahead of time for a seat. Everyone chips in with the cooking, then they all dine together over lively conversation.

It’s more like a home party, but participants don’t need to know the organizers. Instead, they invite themselves.

Founders

The concept of Calendar Restaurant was started by Uemura Emi, 32, the Japanese co-founder of Country Fair in Beijing, and Fang Danmin, 34, a local magazine editor.

A weatherman was invited to talk about why there was so much rain in July.

A weatherman was invited to talk about why there was so much rain in July.

Uemura was majoring in anthropology in Canada when she began cooking, while Fang has strong interests in China’s new countryside constructions.

Influenced by Wen Tiejun, a leading professor of China’s rural issues, and Shi Yan, founder of Little Donkey Farm, a community-supported agricultural farm, Fang sought to rent land and needed a partner.

Uemura, who had experience farming in Hokkaido before moving to Beijing at the end of 2009, was just in the process of finding a place to do some farming.

Through a mutual friend, the two women connected.

Before launching Calendar Restaurant in a hutong courtyard in June, Uemura envisioned the project to be an artistic relationship between food and lifestyle. Uemura began pursing that project at Vitamin Space in Cao-changdi last September.

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Get closer to a hutong dream house

August 5, 2011  Filed under Shopping  

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By Annie Wei
Last Saturday, Lost and Found opened its second store at the west entrance of Guozijian Jie, the same street as its first store that opened in 2008.
But unlike its first store, which is packed with 1980s-style furniture, clothes, home accessories and kitchenware, this new one is more spacious and has an altogether different feel.
The store is a two-floor hutong house with glass walls, a glass rooftop, wooden floors and garden. All in all, it’s more like a home than a shop.
On display are furniture and well-made ceramic products from different designers and linen work from Japan.
Visitors can even ask for a cup of fresh-brewed coffee and enjoy it while resting on a sofa.
Yuan Yue, media executive of Lost and Found, said the store aims to be an “experience space,” as well as a platform for consumers and designers to share their passion towards the beautiful things in life.
The store mainly sells its own brand products, but also displays independent designers’ work, as well as a place to host some themed events in the future.
Lost and Found II
Where: 57 Guozijian Jie, Dongcheng District
Open: 10:30 am – 8 pm
Tel: 6400 1174
Ceramic artist Han Yunfei, a graduate of the China Academy of Art, said his work is simple and practical. “I enjoy the creation process and the tender changing of the shape of clay in my hands. I try to turn every line and little decoration into simple and gorgeous shapes,” he said. His work starts at 150 yuan for a cup.
Ceramic artist Jui-yun Hsu was born in Taiwan and majored in fine art at Kwantlen University College in Vancouver. She sees special high-fire glazing as a challenge and also focuses on creating bolder, brighter and braver under-glazed paintings. She works in limited edition and one-off pieces. Small cups also start from 150 yuan.
Indian fabric, made of cotton, is soft with beautiful patterns. A fabric worker has to carve patterns on a piece of wood and use it to print dye on the clothing. The clothing will then be washed softly and dried. The sophisticated patterns need to be printed several times, then washed and dried each time. Bed sheets start at 358 yuan, and scarves at 138 yuan.
A small garden inside the store, where many plants grow. Photos by Yair/Lost & Found

A small garden inside the store, where many plants grow. Photos by Yair/Lost & Found

By Annie Wei

Last Saturday, Lost and Found opened its second store at the west entrance of Guozijian Jie, the same street as its first store that opened in 2008.

But unlike its first store, which is packed with 1980s-style furniture, clothes, home accessories and kitchenware, this new one is more spacious and has an altogether different feel.

The new store's front door

The new store's front door

The store is a two-floor hutong house with glass walls, a glass rooftop, wooden floors and garden. All in all, it’s more like a home than a shop.

On display are furniture and well-made ceramic products from different designers and linen work from Japan.

Visitors can even ask for a cup of fresh-brewed coffee and enjoy it while resting on a sofa.

Yuan Yue, media executive of Lost and Found, said the store aims to be an “experience space,” as well as a platform for consumers and designers to share their passion towards the beautiful things in life.

The store mainly sells its own brand products, but also displays independent designers’ work, as well as a place to host some themed events in the future.

Lost and Found II

Where: 57 Guozijian Jie, Dongcheng District

Open: 10:30 am – 8 pm

Tel: 6400 1174

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Qianmen to Liulichang Hutong Walk

May 6, 2011  Filed under Community, Yu Shanshan  

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hutong walk

Event information

Event name:Qianmen to Liulichang Hutong Walk

Host:Culture Yard – 天井越洋

Event type: Trips – Daytrip

Time & Place

Date:May 7, 2011

Time:12:30 – 15:30

Phone:84044166

E-mail:contact@cultureyard

Event Description

On this walk through one of Beijing’s oldest neighbourhoods, we will discover the narrowest hutong in town, an old mosque, and where the Forbidden City’s tiles were produced. Our guide will tell you about the Beijing’s hutongs, folk traditions, as well as Chinese art history and philosophy. Meeting point: Qianmen KFC (The opposite of Exit C Qianmen SubwayLine2)
12:30am – 15:30pm / 150 RMB
Reservation required before May 5th! contact@cultureyard.net  or call 010-8404 4166

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Real Hunan flavor hidden in hutong community

December 22, 2010  Filed under Food  

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Bullfrog stewed with bitter melon in clay pot, 68 yuan/Photos provided by Nice Rice

Bullfrog stewed with bitter melon in clay pot, 68 yuan/Photos provided by Nice Rice

By Wang Yu

Like Sichuan cuisine, Hunanese food, also called xiangcai, is known for its spices, though the people from Hunan use more types of peppers. It’s less spicy than its Sichuan cousin, but just as flavorful.

Experienced diners say the best xiangcai restaurants are always small and tucked within communities. The locations may keep some people away, but they help preserve the restaurants’quality and authenticity.

Nice Rice is one of these restaurants. Located at Jiaodaokou South Avenue near the Central Academy of Drama, it has become like a backyard dining hall for students.

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New face for old Beijing – Saving the capital’s old hutong and coutryards

October 14, 2010  Filed under 2010 National Day, Specials  

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By Liang Meilan

The hutong and courtyard homes that dot central Beijing are among the city’s most unique symbols. But the radical modernization policy of recent years has resulted in a leveling of the cultural relics in favor of boring, boxy buildings.

But a real world city must act to balance new development with historic architecture. The rapid loss of Beijing’s face is a serious question for urban planners. People from home and abroad are weighing in on this alarming challenge.

I can see no difference between the new Hengdian World Studio sets for films and Qianmen pedestrian street, because the techniques and materials used are almost the same. - Robin Foo, Bruneian, Principal architect of Arkiteknique

I can see no difference between the new Hengdian World Studio sets for films and Qianmen pedestrian street, because the techniques and materials used are almost the same. - Robin Foo, Bruneian, Principal architect of Arkiteknique. Photo by Yang Yidong

Reviving old courtyards

Local architects and residents love the traditional culture of hutong communities and are concerned about the future of these old buildings.

Even many foreigners like Robin Foo, a Bruneian who has lived in China for eight years, are obsessed with the unique social culture associated with hutong life.

But unlike many foreigners who care about the old buildings only in words, Foo has taken it a step further. As an architect and designer, Foo has dedicated his career to preserving and converting less-known temples and courtyards into spaces with practical use.

So far he has renovated six old temples and courtyards, the most famous of which is the Hongen Temple in Zhangwang Hutong, now a popular bar and event venue.

The project began in 2004 when Foo found the ramshackle temple during one of his days of hutong exploration.

“I noticed it because of some telling details such as its height and size compared to the surrounding buildings. After days of research, I found it used to be a temple frequented by the Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908). But it was strange that no one cared to protect this building with such a rich past,” he said.

Foo set to work renovating the temple with his professional knowledge. To get permission to renovate the temple, he had to rent it from its current owner.

During the renovation, Foo and his partners followed a restoration philosophy alien to most city planners.

“What’s sad is that many of the old buildings in town lose their original face after renovation,” he said. The Qianmen pedestrian street, for example, had buildings which are far too new and lack any Beijing characteristics.

Qianmen today is now more similar to Hengdian World Studio in Hangzhou, which offers empty imitations of ancient spots for film crews, he said.

“I can see no difference between the new Hengdian World Studio sets for films and the Qianmen pedestrian street, because the techniques and materials used are almost the same,” he said.

“For me, renovating an old building is about keeping its stories alive. We repair where necessary, but never attempt to alter its style or looks,” he said. “The temple, as it now stands, remains faithful to the intent of its original builders.”

Foo prefers to describe his work as “refinement” rather than “redevelopment.”

“I try to keep the original style as much as I can. I choose material that won’t damage the original construction,” he said. The thing he adds most often is unobtrusive glass to seal out the elements.

Current Chinese architecture is based on an extremely flawed concept, he said. Because of the rapid pace of modernization, many developers are making cheap structures that won’t last long. Few new developments can be described as anything but temporary, he said.

“That’s why those people can’t see the historical and cultural value of the old buildings,” he said.

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Hutong superlatives – Jaunting little-known hutong and exploring traces of Old Beijing

September 17, 2010  Filed under Travel  

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By Liang Meilan

Visitors to Beijing frequently explore popular hutong like Nanluoguxiang, which are actually just renovated commercial areas. It is a pity that most miss out on the more authentic hutong scattered throughout town, which more accurately frame the lives of old Beijingers.

Walking into these hutong can be a great experience for urban explorers who enjoy digging deep into a city to uncover its cultural secrets, collecting memorable anecdotes and interesting facts along the way.

But since there are 3,000 hutong in the city, a themed walk requires careful planning. Beijing Today recommends a hutong neighborhood just south of Qianmen, formerly part of Beijing’s “outer city.” The area includes a few less-traveled hutong that people can explore within half a day.

Qianshi Hutong, Wall Street of Old Beijing/Photo by Gao Hong

Qianshi Hutong, Wall Street of Old Beijing/Photo by Gao Hong

Getting started

Old Beijing was divided into two distinct parts by a massive wall, an inner city – presently the area within Second Ring Road – and an outer city.

The wall was laid across what is now the commercial area of Qianmen. To the north was a well-planned city for aristocrats, while to the south were disorganized districts reserved for “lower class” citizens.

It’s the outer city that offers the best clues into everyday life for ordinary people. This was where the city’s laobaixing lived out their lives.

The walk starts at Qianmen Walking Street. Toward the west, you’ll find a street called Zhubaoshi Jie (Jewelry Market Street), where vendors hawk traditional snacks you can’t find anywhere else.

Go directly south from here and keep your eyes peeled, because hidden among the two- and three-story wooden structures and old-style buildings is where you’ll catch your first glimpse of Old Beijing.

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Hutong Photography Bootcamp September 4&5

September 3, 2010  Filed under Yu Shanshan  

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hutong photography

Event information

Event name:Hutong Photography Bootcamp September 4&5

Host:北摄 Beijing Center Of Photography

Event type: Education – Workshop

Time & Place

Date:September 4, 2010

Time:8:00 – 22:00

Neighbourhood:朝阳区(Chaoyang) District

Phone:58691383

E-mail:info@beijingcp.com

Event Description

Led by Stefen Chow, adventurer and photographer who have climbed Everest and shot for many international magazines, this will be an intense photography workshop that will push your creative limits. It’s also a great opportunity to hone your photography techniques and sense of aesthetics. Join us in this photographic challenge to capture visual stories of Beijing.

Who: Stefen Chow, Adventurer & Editorial Photographer
Recommended for serious amateurs with basic knowledge in photography

What: Hutong Photography Workshop

When: September 4 & 5, Saturday & Sunday (2 Day – 1 Night)

Where: Hutongs in Qianmen (to be confirmed)

Why: Improve your photography skills and learn the art of visual story-telling under the

guidance of Stefen Chow and our team of professional instructors. Experience non-stop

action of shooting, lectures, critiques, and intense editing over two days.
Details:
2500RMB or 375USD per participant.
Fees include food and light beverages, and hostel (group-sharing) accommodation on night of

September 4.

Early bird discounts applicable, enquire for details.
Membership discounts not applicable.

To sign-up, please email your FULL NAME & MOBILE NUMBER to info@beijingcp.com

For more information, please visit us at www.beijingcp.com or call 010 – 5869 1383.

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Hotel Duxiana comes to hutong

August 16, 2010  Filed under Business  

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By Zhang Dongya

Swedish hotel Duxiana, a branch of Swedish bed-producer Dux, opened its first Beijing location in Shijia Hutong, Dongcheng District last Sunday.

“Dux beds have won the support of Shanghai and Beijing’s elite, which has given us confidence that this arm of our brand will succeed here,” said Kong Tao, the general manager of Dux in China.

Duxiana has 40 rooms in Beijing, each equipped with a Dux bed. The cost of a suite ranges from 1,880 to 3,980 yuan.

“Most hotels pay attention to the customers’ visual enjoyment, but Duxiana values comfort the most. We use Dux beds so all visitors can experience the quality of our finest product,” Kong said.

Duxiana has a franchise to sell Dux beds. Lodgers who are satisfied with the beds can buy one directly at a preferential price.

The hutong location was selected to give the hotel a closer connection to Chinese culture. Its design is inspired by the traditional courtyard, and all furniture and decorations adhere to Chinese style.

Dux beds are owned by many international celebrities including David Beckham and Madonna, and now are a top choice for China’s rich. The most popular model in China is the Dux 8888, which costs 156,000 yuan.

Founded by the Ljung family in Sweden in 1926, Dux specializes in upholstered furniture and beddings. Its beds feature spring coils made from Swedish steel, which is flexible and allows the bed to adapt to the user’s body shape.

Duxiana is used as the brand’s special shop, and its first location outside Sweden was opened in Shanghai in 2005.

The bed giant has eight hotel stores on the mainland, including several locations in Beijing, Hangzhou, Kunming and Shenzhen.

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Last glimpse of a vanishing Beijing – A walk through soon-to-be-demolished hutong

July 23, 2010  Filed under Travel  

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By Zhang Dongya

Beijing has been under construction for close to 800 years, ever since it became the capital of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

Modern man’s voracious appetite for high-rise offices, residential buildings and avenues are devouring the alleys and courtyard homes of ancient times. Next to face the bulldozer is Daji Lane, a collection of hutong, courtyards and guild halls located in the southwest.

Before Daji disappears, 90 Percent Travel invites you to take a walk through the area – a witness to the rich culture and history of China’s last dynasties.

Daji Alley's hutong residents go on with their daily routine despite demolition work around them. It is business as usual for the street barbershop pictured above. Photos by Mockingbird

Daji Alley's hutong residents go on with their daily routine despite demolition work around them. It is business as usual for the street barbershop pictured above. Photos by Mockingbird

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