From Xinhua via China Daily (link):
For the residents of some ancient Chinese cities like Beijing, Nanjing and Xi’an, which are in the throes of redevelopment, memories of their past are fading rapidly.
Hutongs, or narrow alleys lined with traditional Beijing courtyard houses, and place names are being replaced by modern buildings.
Nowadays, it’s almost impossible for a Beijing local to remember that the city once boasted more than 3,679 hutongs in the 1980s, a number that has been cut down by 40 percent to give way to urban roads and skyscrapers.
As a result, old place names have been fading from maps and memories.
See also a special feature on “Beijing Hutong” by BeijingService.com
