It's best to think of Beijing, not as a single city or different districts but as four distinct cities squashed together and competing for space.
Loosing the battle for space are the ‘old citys’ or Hutongs. Whilst Hutongs exist in other parts of Beijing they are mostly preserved in a few acres of land close to the Forbidden City. Here, you can take a rickshaw for £10 if you are an easily targeted western tourist or £3 if you have a Chinese person in your party who can haggle. I held out for £2 - so we walked. For the visitor the Hutongs are little more than very narrow streets with Red doors hiding courtyard houses behind. These houses once belonged to the officials and most important servants form the Forbidden city but, after the revolution they were given back to the people so that behind each red door 3 or 4 families may live. Whilst some families still cling to the way of life offered by the Hutongs they now represent prime real estate and it can only be a matter of time before they are gradually preserved as museums and bijou hotels offering ‘a taste of authentic China'.
Loosing the battle for space are the ‘old citys’ or Hutongs. Whilst Hutongs exist in other parts of Beijing they are mostly preserved in a few acres of land close to the Forbidden City. Here, you can take a rickshaw for £10 if you are an easily targeted western tourist or £3 if you have a Chinese person in your party who can haggle. I held out for £2 - so we walked. For the visitor the Hutongs are little more than very narrow streets with Red doors hiding courtyard houses behind. These houses once belonged to the officials and most important servants form the Forbidden city but, after the revolution they were given back to the people so that behind each red door 3 or 4 families may live. Whilst some families still cling to the way of life offered by the Hutongs they now represent prime real estate and it can only be a matter of time before they are gradually preserved as museums and bijou hotels offering ‘a taste of authentic China'.
Then there are the Emperor’s palaces and temples. The forbidden city (the second city) is still a potent landmark of Old China. Unusually, if they are compared with ancient British monuments, signs of aging and decay are not apparent here. Before the Olympics most of the Forbidden City was given a new coat of paint and its dazzling colours mean it could easily have been built yesterday. The Emperor’s palaces and gardens also act as the lungs of the city providing (at a price) the residence with much needed open space and greenery.
Outside the Forbidden City is Tiananmen Square – the third city in Beijing. I can’t help but feel conflicted about this place. On the one hand Tiananmen Square is the source of immense pride for Chinese people – not least Meng and our guide but for me the connotations of Tiananmen’s recent history are difficult to shake off. The square is undoubtedly impressive but it’s still hard to reconcile the instruction not to discuss anything political whilst on the square (and thus in ear shot of the secret police) when you are surrounded by buildings who’s titles are all prefaced by “The Peoples…”. On one side the entrance to the forbidden city displays a portrait of Chairman Mao. This symbol is, presumably, designed to neutralise the influence of the Emperors edifice but instead raises Mao to the status of a deity.
Then to the fourth city – “Modern Beijing” which is gradually winning the battle for impact and real estate. Beijing has all the problems of a modern capital city but on a vastly larger scale to most. It therefore solves them on a much bigger scale. The new railway station, for example, would dwarf most international airports and the bullet trains which serve it could be modern jets. What does a city do when it wants to face the future? Build a another huge square of course and surrounded with landmark buildings. But never forget your past. Place the square on axis to your most ancient monument but dedicate it to new god –Olympus - and invite everyone to the opening party.
Beijing is complex, layered and contradictory with its past and future written in stone. In other words everything a great city should be.
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