Standing by the East Second Ring Road at Dongbianmen, passenger trains slip in and out of Beijing Railway Station, their carriages almost grazing a brick giant that predates the locomotive by four centuries.
Marvellous, Jingyu. I was ready to read more and more, but the article ended to soon! Would love a new post with more info about this national planning regret.
Another reason I love Suzhou. As early as 1959 Suzhou's urban plan was aimed at traditional industries and tourism; and despite rapid urbanisation and economic development in the 70s and 80s in 1982 Suzhou was listed as a national historical and cultural city, with the aim of preserving the ancient city. Although many of the waterways had been filled in and the city walls destroyed, much remained -- many canals still exist, the old white walled houses are prominent in the old city, and there are still some City Gates in existence. More than any other city (including Xian with its city walls still intact) Suzhou feels like its ancient planning is still alive.
Thanks, Debbie. I’d love to write more about the urban planning of Beijing and other cities during their modernization processes.
While the demolition of Beijing’s city walls is commonly narrated as a pure tragedy and a regretful mistake, recent discussions and newly released historical documents have added more nuance. We can now see the complex trade-offs faced at the time, specifically why the "Liang-Chen Proposal" (by Liang Sicheng and Chen Zhanxiang) to build a new administrative center to the west was rejected in favor of redeveloping the old city center, often due to the economic constraints of the new government.
I share your love for Suzhou as well. I have friends who’ve told me that even as late as the 1980s, people there still relied heavily on boats and water transportation, using canals to access the very heart of the city. It would be a fascinating story to tell, especially since most urban development studies tend to focus on Beijing. I haven’t found nearly as much in-depth scholarship on Suzhou’s transformation.
Economics always is a huge factor. Suzhou's saving grace was that someone had the foresight to build a new town (SIP)outside of the old city so the old city remained intact. I was there when they were renovating Pingjiang Lu, and on the opposite bank of the canal people lived their normal lives, still washing their clothes in the canals. Gradually the opposite bank turned into a tourist area too. But the old city is still alive, and still on the same grid as Wu Zixu's plan, 2500 years ago. It's rather remarkable, and probably the oldest city in China with a similar town plan from so long ago. There are a number of studies on the canals -- dont
have them on hand, looked into it years back -- that show the changes in the canal system from the Ming onwards. It's only comparatively recently that the old city wall and gates were torn down. Xu Yinong's remarkable study of Suzhou ("The Chinese city in Space and Time) is still one of the best histories of the city, going back to when it was first planned.
It's my treasure book! He writes so well about Suzhou from the beginning in the time of Helu and Wu Zixu, then through the centuries . I'm sure you'll love it! Do let me know when you read it!!
Marvellous, Jingyu. I was ready to read more and more, but the article ended to soon! Would love a new post with more info about this national planning regret.
Another reason I love Suzhou. As early as 1959 Suzhou's urban plan was aimed at traditional industries and tourism; and despite rapid urbanisation and economic development in the 70s and 80s in 1982 Suzhou was listed as a national historical and cultural city, with the aim of preserving the ancient city. Although many of the waterways had been filled in and the city walls destroyed, much remained -- many canals still exist, the old white walled houses are prominent in the old city, and there are still some City Gates in existence. More than any other city (including Xian with its city walls still intact) Suzhou feels like its ancient planning is still alive.
Thanks, Debbie. I’d love to write more about the urban planning of Beijing and other cities during their modernization processes.
While the demolition of Beijing’s city walls is commonly narrated as a pure tragedy and a regretful mistake, recent discussions and newly released historical documents have added more nuance. We can now see the complex trade-offs faced at the time, specifically why the "Liang-Chen Proposal" (by Liang Sicheng and Chen Zhanxiang) to build a new administrative center to the west was rejected in favor of redeveloping the old city center, often due to the economic constraints of the new government.
I share your love for Suzhou as well. I have friends who’ve told me that even as late as the 1980s, people there still relied heavily on boats and water transportation, using canals to access the very heart of the city. It would be a fascinating story to tell, especially since most urban development studies tend to focus on Beijing. I haven’t found nearly as much in-depth scholarship on Suzhou’s transformation.
Economics always is a huge factor. Suzhou's saving grace was that someone had the foresight to build a new town (SIP)outside of the old city so the old city remained intact. I was there when they were renovating Pingjiang Lu, and on the opposite bank of the canal people lived their normal lives, still washing their clothes in the canals. Gradually the opposite bank turned into a tourist area too. But the old city is still alive, and still on the same grid as Wu Zixu's plan, 2500 years ago. It's rather remarkable, and probably the oldest city in China with a similar town plan from so long ago. There are a number of studies on the canals -- dont
have them on hand, looked into it years back -- that show the changes in the canal system from the Ming onwards. It's only comparatively recently that the old city wall and gates were torn down. Xu Yinong's remarkable study of Suzhou ("The Chinese city in Space and Time) is still one of the best histories of the city, going back to when it was first planned.
Thank you for the recommendation, Debbie, I’ve added Xu Yinong’s work to my reading list.
It's my treasure book! He writes so well about Suzhou from the beginning in the time of Helu and Wu Zixu, then through the centuries . I'm sure you'll love it! Do let me know when you read it!!
Great as usual.