The Christian Science Monitor writes about the families facing the demolition of their homes in Beijing’s historic Dongsi Batiao neighborhood:
The conflicting interests of renters crammed into slumlike corners of the old yards on one hand, and owner-occupiers seeking to protect their patrimony on the other, makes a common front unlikely among the 90 families facing eviction from Dongsi Batiao street.
But if recent experience in Beijing’s 600-year-old hutongs is any guide, neither side can expect much satisfaction from the developer who wants to raze their homes. [Full text]
Also related see “History reduced to rubble” from New Statesman magazine, and the Old Beijing website which is dedicated to preservation of the city. Jottings from the Granite Studio also has a post on this subject.
