Beijing: Past & Present| 4 min read
People say that the real culture of Beijing is “the culture of hutong” and “the culture of courtyard”. Hutong is a typical lane or small street in Beijing that originated during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). “Hutong” is a Mongolian word, meaning “water well”. During that time, water well is the settlement around which people lived. There are tens of thousands of hutongs surrounding the Forbidden City. In the past, Beijing was composed of countless courtyards. Hutongs were formed when people left a passageway between two courtyards to make entering them more convenient.
The Courtyard, a traditional unique folk house in the hutongs, has a long history in Chinese architecture. It is called “Siheyuan”. In Chinese, “Si” means “Four”, which here refers to the four sides: east, west, north and south. “He” refers to the surrounding, meaning the four sides circle into a square. Due to its special layout, it is compared to a box with a garden in the centre. There is only one gate leading to a hutong, so when the gate is closed the courtyard loses touch with the outside world. Therefore family members can fully enjoy tranquillity and share the happiness of a peaceful family union.
Hutong has its own layout and structure. When taking a bird’s eye view of Beijing, you will find the combination of hutongs and courtyards just like an orderly chessboard with delicate gardens, fine rockeries, and ancient ruins.
Today, Beijing is the political, educational and cultural centre of China as well as a centre of international activity and an important socialist base. Great changes have taken place since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The city walls were demolished to facilitate transportation and allow for general expansion. Today, the population exceeds 16.95 million, and the total municipal area has increased to over 17,800 km2.
Beijing is divided into:
- Four urban districts – Dongcheng District, Xicheng District, Chongwen District and Xuanwu District
- Four suburbs: Chaoyang District, Haidian District, Fengtai district and Shijingshan District
- Eight outlying districts: Mentougou, Fangshan, Tongzhou, Shunyi, Changping, Daxing, Huairou and Pinggu.
- Two counties: Miyun and Yanqing
The Olympics has propelled both economic and infrastructural development in Beijing. Since Beijing won its bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games, the city has had an annual growth rate of 12.1 percent according to statistics available between 2002 and 2008. As at 2007, Beijing’s GDP per capita exceeded US$ 8000, more than double the amount in 2001 when it was US$ 3262.
The face of Beijing has changed dramatically over the past few years, putting Beijing more on par with the world’s top-tier cities. Various central business districts, new and high tech parks, postmodern architectural sites, residential quarters highlighting the graceful, charming and colourful metropolis that fills modern rhythm with the verve of this historical city.
Significant resources have been invested in the infrastructure of the city including but not limited to: water and heating systems, information systems, environmental protection, and massive construction projects such as the new airport terminal. CBD – The Central Business District – occupies more than 400 km2 area, has attracted 117 Fortune 500 businesses with many companies and luxury hotels being funded by overseas investment in Beijing in the last eight years.
And the future is still promising, as the Beijing economy will continue to be developed with emphasis on the high-tech, financial, culture, tourism and service industries. Beijing’s cultural industry had a growth rate of 23% last year. As for civil construction, 200 kilometres of subway and light rail track were constructed to complete the Olympic Development Program. Another 50 kilometres of track will be added annually until the rail system comes to completion in 2015. Industries such as tourism, conventions, sports recreation, telecommunications, financial, and real estate industries are positively impacted.
Now, life in Beijing is becoming more modern and fashionable as Beijing strides to be a modernized international metropolis.
