Bye Bye Business: Pictures Show Favorite Hutong Haunts Before and After Bricking

Beijing was irrevokably changed this past spring when a city-wide "urban revitalization" project bricked-up the storefronts to lots of our favorite neighborhood hutong bars and boutiques. The explanation at the time was that these businesses had violated local building codes, meaning that the entrances and windows used to welcome customers into their venues were illegal.

READ: Going to the Wall: Fangjia to Get Bricked Later this Week, Jiaodaokou Toutiao Being Bricked Up, Xingfucun Knocked Down

And, now, with many of these renovation completed, we can now see these hutongs the way the city wants them.

Here is a compilation made by WallArt that show the before-and-after changes of a number of hutong small businesses; the first photograph is from before the renovations, and the second is from afterward.

Compare the changes for yourself and see if you can still recognize these these stores and bars:

Ramo Restaurant and Bar
64 Fangjia Hutong

Outside
Fangjia Hutong, opposite #46

Beiping Machine Taphouse
46 Fangjia Hutong (south side)

Hot Cat Club
46 Fangjia Hutong

READ: Bye Bye Beixinqiao Santiao?: Beijing's Favorite Lamb-Leg Street Undergoing Major Remodeling

Beijing 46 (with outdoor movie screen)
46 Fangjia Hutong (interior)

Moxi Moxi
55 Fangjia Hutong

Was Park
Twenty meters in on the east side of Fangjia Hutong.

READ: Hangover Cured: Sanlitun "Dirty" Bar Street Has Been Demolished

Antlers
34 Fangjia Hutong

Fang Bar
61 Fangjia Hutong

White Tiger Village
84 Xiang'er Hutong

Metal Hands
68 Jiaodaokou Bei'er

Fangye Cafe
34-2 Jiaodaokou Beisan

More stories from this author here.

Twitter: @Sinopath

Images: Sohu

Comments

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I'm not sure if colorful bricks would make it any less depressing that you have to climb through a window to get to your beer.

the Beijinger

It'd be more palatable if they finished the job with a coat of render and a lick of paint, but nope just bricks that don't look obvious at all.

Pity the man too dense for satire.

All accents are equal, except some accents are more equal than others.

nice job, beijing

can't wait for everything to be one big brick wall

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