2010 Sep 07 Gulou Redevelopment Put on Hold?
Back in January theBeijinger.com broke the news in the English-language media that the area around the Drum and Bell Towers was slated for demolition to make way for an underground “Beijing Time Cultural City,” comprising restaurants, parking spaces, and a museum about timekeeping technology. Since then periodic rumors have surfaced that demolition was about to commence, and there have been various attempts to organize meetings and discussions about the controversial project. Yesterday the Chinese press reported the project may now be on hold.
This vaguely worded piece published yesterday (Monday, September 6) states the original proposal for Gulou is now “outdated.”
The Global Times this morning carried a more specifically worded article that claims: “Controversial plans to redevelop the historic Gulou Drum Tower hutong area into a tourism attraction have been placed on hold after the merger of Dongcheng and Chongwen districts into a combined new Dongcheng district government. Extensive plans to ‘restore’ Gulou into something dubbed ‘Time Cultural City’ by the former Dongcheng district director Yang Yiwen have all been shelved, according to a government insider who requested anonymity.”
Both articles note that living conditions for residents in the ancient area are generally poor, and that local authorities will work to improve this situation. It remains unclear, however, what this means in terms of the development of local infrastructure and preservation of the area.
For the time being, however, it seems that the bars and hutongs around Gulou will remain standing.
You look back on theBeijinger.com’s coverage of the controversial Gulou project since January here.
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