China Starting to Save its Hutongs

China is increasingly making efforts to preserve its historic places and buildings.

2 minute read

March 19, 2008, 6:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"China's northern metropolis, Harbin, is working to save early 20th-century, Russian-influenced stone and wood buildings, repointing brickwork and reaffixing frieze-work facades. Taicheng, a small city in the Guangdong province, is restoring old family dwellings and ancestral temples. In response to citizen pressure, Jinan, a sprawling agricultural center on the North China Plains, has preserved 18th-century waterfront pavilions and one-story buildings, previously scheduled to be torn down and rebuilt in a pseudo-ancient style."

"The newfound interest in preservation is an about-face for a country that for the past three decades has made economic development its absolute priority. In southern Guangzhou, a major urban center on the Pearl River Delta close to Hong Kong, the city has implemented public hearings on urban reconstruction. In the past, whole neighborhoods were razed for commercial development, with homeowners forced to take sometimes substandard apartments on the edge of town. Now, redevelopment plans can be passed only if 70% of an affected area's residents agree."

"In many cases, these preservation efforts are focused on attracting tourists to historic areas. Harbin's renovated district, for instance, will include a shopping area with galleries and cafes, while Jinan's restored buildings are now home to new restaurants. The restorations also reflect more than two decades of lobbying -- particularly by academics and architects -- to preserve what is left of China's architectural treasures, many of which were lost to its Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and '70s or to rapid building and modernization in more recent years."

Thanks to melissa chow

Saturday, March 15, 2008 in The Wall Street Journal

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 7, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

People biking along beach path with moored ship in San Diego, California.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan

The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

May 2, 2025 - SD News

Front of Walmart store with sign.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network

The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

May 7, 2025 - Inc.

Pump station with blue pipes coming out of concrete wall in Seattle, Washington.

Seattle Builds Subway-Sized Tunnel — for Stormwater

The $700 million ‘stormwater subway’ is designed to handle overflows during storms, which contain toxic runoff from roadways and vehicles.

May 13 - City Observatory

Sign for Deschutes National Forest in Oregon.

Feds Clear Homeless Encampment in Oregon Forest

The action displaced over 100 people living on national forest land near Bend, Oregon.

May 13 - The New York Times

Seeing the Better City

Is This Urbanism?

Chuck Wolfe ponders a recommended subscription list of Substack urbanists and wonders — as have others — about the utility of the "urbanist" moniker.

May 13 - Resurgence: A Journey via Substack

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.