MODERNIZINGBEIJING
AthesisbyRutgerKuipers
�Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
AbstractandAcknowledgement
Introduction
1 History
�.� China’s ancient architectural history
�.�.� General features
�.�.2 Imperial architecture
�.�.3 Residential architecture
�.�.4 Hutongs
�.2 Periods of Modernisation until �978
�.3 Rising China (after �978)
1.4China’s future development and goals
2 ReconstructingBeijing
2.� City planning and architecture of Beijing
2.2 Architectural debates on Beijing
2.2.� Discussing Koolhaas’ CCTV
3 Theoreticalframework
3.� Regionalism
3.2 Supermodernism
3.3 Critical Regionalism
3.4 Defamiliarization
4 CaseStudiesinBeijing
4.� Wu Liangyong: Ju’er Hutong
4.2 Steven Holl: Linked Hybrid
4.3 Andreu: National Theatre
5 Conclusions
Additions
References
Pictorialreferences
Content
3
4
7
8
9
�0
��
�6
�9
20
23
26
28
29
32
33
34
36
37
39
40
I Thesis ‘ModernizingBeijing’
2Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
II Impressions of Beijing
III Analyses and precedents
IV Location
3Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
Abstract
By modernizing the city, Beijing is upgrading to a
higher level of prosperity. At the same time though
we see the reverse side of a global development,
the interventions in the city ruin parts of the city by
destroying its traditional architecture, in particular the
traditional hutong-areas, which are one of the main
characteristics of this city, and which carry a long
history of Beijing’s ancient life and architecture.
My interest is mainly concerned within a dilemma of
upgrading Beijing to a modern wealthy city on the
one hand and on the other hand destroying part of
its tradition. How could an architect operate within a
dilemma like this? Does the architect need to choose
the one or the other position or is there a possible
solution to a new architecture which embeds the local
traditions? My goal is to find the last solution: a new
architecture that embeds local tradition.
I will discuss the interventions in Beijing according
to a few theoretical themes; globalisation, critical
regionalism and defamiliarization.
Special thanks goes out to Karina Moraes Zarzar,
Marc Koehler and to the mentors of the ExploreLab
Studio for supporting me on this project.
Thanks to the founders of the ExploreLab Studio at
TU Delft for providing the possibility of a graduation
project based on personal interest. And of course
thanks to my current team of students at ExploreLab2
for the valuable reflections on each others projects
and having a good time during the process.
Acknowledgement
4Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
We live in an era of globalisation, it takes less time
then before to get from one point in the world to
another –in travel of speech, written words, images
or physically-, the world becomes one, or doesn’t
it? A definition given by Wikipedia (which in itself
is a product and process of globalisation): “an
umbrella term for a complex series of economic,
social technological, cultural and political changes
seen as increasing interdependence, integration
and interaction between people and companies in
disparate locations” (Wikipedia, 2006). The effects
of globalisation reflect in the vision
Introduction
society (in fact they originate from America, the
world’s hegemony). One of the problems or critique
on globalisation is that it happens mainly between the
rich countries in the world, who try to dictate capitalist
principles to the rest of the world. A lot of poor
countries do not get the benefits from globalisation
-meaning here: becoming a wealthier society-, unless
there is any profit to make for Western investors and
the country is willing to cooperate with the capitalist
market system. On the other hand globalisation helps
developing countries (that are of interest and willing to
cooperate) to become more prosperous.
China has been confronted with globalisation, since
Deng Xiaoping introduced the ‘open door’ policy to
China in �978 and changed the planned system to
a market system, which resulted in a tremendous
economic boom. Beijing has since then started
developing towards a modern city in a rapid pace.
At the moment ‘starchitects’ from all over the world
imprint this city with amazing designs, Beijing has
become the platform of the next architectures,
of architectural and urban debates.� The world is
following closely what is happening to China and how
it is dealing with this rapid change, since there has
been such a remarkable big economic transformation
for this country and its cities. The government of
China seems to be eager to profile itself in the world,
the reserved position the communist China had
towards capitalism has made place for an embracing
of it. One of the results is the 2008 Olympic Games
in Beijing, which means an acceleration of the
that everybody drinks Coca-Cola, eats McDonalds,
wears Nikes and listens to the same pop-music.
The one thing that seems peculiar in the effects of
globalisation, is that all these trademarked items
come from the rich part of the world, the Western
�.`McDonaldization`
2. An old foodstand in inner Beijing wears the Coca Cola advertisement.
1. Given the example: on october 17th, 2006 TU Delft organizes a forum
in Beijing on its urbanism in cooperation with the Tsinghua University,
NTU Taipei and the Berlage Institute. (www.ifou.org). The Netherlands
Architecture Institute organised an exposition in the summer of 2006 on
Contemporary China, in which Beijing and Shanghai are the main cities
of subject (www.nai.nl). In Beijing, the dutch architect Neville Mars (a
former associate of Koolhaas) founded the Dynamic City Foundation which
arranges several debates around the transformation of Beijing.
�Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
building program. It means a new deadline for
Beijing that shows to when the cities facilities should
be upgraded to a higher level of prosperity. At the
same time though we see the reverse side of global
development, the interventions in the city ruin parts
of the city by destroying its traditional architecture, in
particular the traditional hutong-areas, which are one
of the main characteristics of this city, and which carry
a long history of Beijing’s ancient life and architecture.
My interest is mainly concerned with a dilemma of
upgrading Beijing to a modern wealthy city on the
one hand and on the other hand destroying part of
its tradition. How could an architect operate within a
dilemma like this? Does the architect need to choose
deal with the phenomenon of globalisation and the
local identity of the place. An important theory comes
from Tzonis and Lefaivre, who introduced the Critical
Regionalism, where they propose a new vision of
architectural approach, with a critical view towards the
products of globalisation as well as local potentials.
I presume that with the research on this theory I
can formulate a design task that will help to find
the solution to a new architecture with local identity
embedded.
I will discuss the interventions in Beijing according
to a few theoretical themes; supermodernism,
regionalism, critical regionalism and defamiliarization.
Supermodernism is discussed by Hans Ibelings,
who found a new ‘ism’ to grasp the architecture of
globalisation from the last decade of the twentieth
century in words: Supermodernism, according to
Ibelings, covers architecture with decreasing value for
“symbolic or metaphorical references” (Ibelings, �998,
p.�33). Regionalism on the other hand is a rather
conservative way of reviving past architectures. Its
main critic towards sorts of Supermodern architecture
like Ibelings describes is the loss of local identity.
Critical Regionalism is introduced by Tzonis and
Lefaivre and presents a discourse on Regional and
Global architecture. It attempts to critically combine
these into a new approach on architecture. Despite
its progressive ideas many still wrongly reflect to it
as a conservative theory. Defamiliarization (originally
used in linguistics by Victor Shklovsky) is a theory
discussed by Tzonis and Lefaivre. The theory
presents a way of how to deal with the re-use of
(fragments of) precedents.
The purpose of this graduation thesis in MSc3 is to
form a basic knowledge to support me in a design
task in the last semester, MSc4. I have written most
part of the thesis from my home in the Netherlands
(globalisation provided me this possibility) in addition
the one or the other position or is there a possible
solution to a new architecture which embeds the local
traditions?
My goal is to find the last solution: a new architecture
that embeds local tradition.
To research this I consulted architectural theories that
4. Destruction close to the Zhengyangmen Gate at Tiananmensquare
3. The planned olympic field for 2008
6Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
I spend three weeks in Beijing the summer of 2006,
examining and photographing parts of the city as well
as collecting verbal and written information.
The first chapter starts with a brief overview
of historical moments where I will try to briefly
describe, from history till present, China’s traditional
architecture and the influences from the Western
society. The chapter provides a general insight in
the nation’s development, its architecture and its
politics. As Beijing is the primary goal I will attempt
to focus on Beijing. In this historical part of the
thesis is introduced how certain architectures have
derived and how the Chinese reasoned on urban
planning and architecture. There is a differentiation
between ancient architecture, the period before �978,
(turning point in late history) with the influences from
modern societies and the period after �978 until
now. Sometimes history is discussed according to
dynasties, the dynasty chronology can be found as a
supplement at the end of the thesis.
In the second chapter I will discuss the city planning
and architecture of Beijing itself. I will discuss past
and current interventions, the future development and
the discourse on Beijing’s architecture from a Western
point of view and from that of Beijing architects.
In the third chapter I will digress upon the theories of
Regionalism, Supermodernism and mainly on Critical
Regionalism and Defamiliarization.
In the fourth chapter three case studies are discussed
according to these theories; Wu Liangyong’s Ju’er
Hutong, Steven Holl’s Linked Hybrid and Paul
Andreu’s National Theatre.
Attached to this thesis are � books containing;
an impression of the city, analyses of precedents,
location study, programmatic content and design
concepts.
7Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
This chapter provides an overview of Chinese
architecture and the influences from the West.
It is not an attempt to rewrite Chinese architectural
history, but to point out certain architectural
approaches, styles and influences, which could
contribute to a discourse on the traditional
architectures of Beijing and its ‘global’ architectures.
�.� CHINA’S ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE
This section will present an overview on China’s
ancient architecture, divided in; the typical features of
China’s architecture derived from history, the imperial
architecture and the residential architecture. It will
present knowledge of some of the basics in ancient
architecture that nowadays still have their traces in the
architecture of China, including Beijing. Still a lot of
modern architects use traditional features, sometimes
in an intelligent way and sometimes in a (disneyfied)
esthetical way.
timbers could be laid. One of the oldest examples
of ancient wooden architecture still remaining, is the
Foguang temple in the Shanxi province (picture 8),
dating back to the Tang dynasty (8�7).
1 History
�.�.� GENERAL FEATURES OF ANCIENT CHINESE
ARCHITECTURE
Materials
According to Lou Qingxi, author of the book ‘Ancient
Chinese Architecture’, the Chinese built constructions
of wooden frames in the earliest days, dating back
to about 6�00 years ago. Wooden pillars supported
wooden beams and crossbeams where upon the roof
Clay was used to make bricks and rooftiles, and is
still a very common material used in China. In Beijing
you will find the bricks are all grey and together with
the grey stones and tiles, this provides the city with an
overall grey appearance.
For the foundation pounded earth was used,
sometimes this was also used for walls.
Lattice patterns
A traditional Chinese window has lattices that form a
6. The Foguang Temple
7,8. Fabrication of rooftiles
�. Modern glass building with traditional shaped roof
9. Lattice pattern near Forbidden City, Beijing.
special pattern. These derived from the application
of rice paper for windows. The paper needed to have
8Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
many points of attachment, so a pattern was designed
for it to enlarge the surface. Numerous of these
designs have been found in China and nowadays
Chinese windows have the same kind of lattices for
glass-windows, a more modern type would even have
the pattern painted (or stickered up-) on the glass.
(In the additional Mapping booklet there is a photo-
shows the all the specific features of Chinese palace
architecture from layout to appearance of structures
and decoration. “The Forbidden City concentrates
the highest technical and artistic achievements of
ancient palace architecture.” Qingxi asserts that
traditional Chinese buildings are always grouped
together, whether they are residences, temples or
palaces. In the Forbidden City there are about �000
halls which are all grouped around a large or small
courtyard. All the courtyards are connected, lanes
provide circulation between them. The structural
layout is very similar to that of a courtyard house
complex, which will be highlighted in the next section.
Qingxi notices that traditional architectural complexes
had “decorative archways, pillars, screen walls,
ands stone lions and tablets beside small buildings”,
those were of major importance to arrange the
space around it and set the scene. Most traditional
architecture was formed in a simple rectangular
structure, “and it is the complex of single structures,
rather than the single structures themselves that
expresses the broadness and magnanimousness of
ancient Chinese architecture” (Qinxi, 2002, p.8).
Temples
Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and other tenets
collage of lattices in Beijing)
�.�.2 IMPERIAL ARCHITECTURE
Palaces
Qinxi mentions about that in the feudal history of
China the emperors had palaces that exalted them far
above the populace. They were impressive structures
which expressed the “architectural techniques and
aesthetic aspirations of that epoch.” According
to Qinxi the only extant imperial palaces are the
Forbidden City and the Imperial Palace in Shenyang.
The Forbidden City is built in �420 according to the
ancient regulations of Chinese palace architecture; it
�0. Top view on the Forbidden City.
or religions provided the architecture of China with
beautiful temple complexes and pagoda’s as well
��. Round openings create a pictorial view of the environment.
9Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
circle of wooden pillars (picture �3), later rectangular
shapes would be made (picture �4). These houses
were all found in the Shaanxi province, west of Beijing.
as imperial gardens; all will not be addressed to
here in detail. The importance of this architecture for
this project is that it possesses features that show
the class of Chinese architecture, ancient high-tech
structures (pagoda’s), beautiful gardens and their
architectural elements, e.g. shown in picture ��.
Military structures
In the Bronze Age (2�st to �th century BC) massive
structures on high platforms represented the
architecture of that time. One extant example is a �3
meters high platform of a Song-Jin palace that is later
used for a building of the Qing dynasty. The traditional
type of these so-called high-platform buildings were
built on big scaled platforms, they represented power
and wealth and were also used as a military tool to
frighten the enemy. It was the most monumental
expressive form of architecture in China. The gates
of Beijing show a similar arrangement, a big platform
the Yangzi River, in the south of China, where the
ground was marshy, while cave dwellings were to
be found near the Yellow river, in the north on “plain
or loess tableland.” This may have resulted in the
different house typologies found there later, the
northern typologies exist mainly of one storey houses
while southern typologies show multiple storeys. The
earliest houses (dating roughly from around 4000
BC) by archaeological research were formed in a
with a structure on top and gates peering through the
massive base.
�.�.3 RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE
In ‘Chinese Architecture and Planning, Ideas,
Methods, Techniques’, Qinghua Guo argues that
the earliest forms of Chinese dwellings “emerged
from two different physical environments”, resulting
in nest type, pile dwellings and a cave type, earth
dwellings. The pile dwellings were to be found around
�2. Zhengyangmen Gate, Beijing
�3. Circular arrangement �4. Rectangular arrangement
The houses were situated around a central square
(picture ��). Main building materials used, were earth
and wood, that are still being used frequently today.
��. Archaelogical site in Shaanxi Province
The oldest courtyard house Guo asserts, is the Erlitou
Palace (from around 2000 BC) (picture �6). Courtyard
�6. Reconstruction of courtyard house, Erlitou
�0Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
houses were built for protection; they exist of roofed
walls or inward facing buildings on each side. The
courtyard houses are orientated north-south, as
most houses in China are built traditionally facing the
south, so to make good use of sunlight, according to
Guo this could have been the reason why the south-
side later became so respectful in Chinese building,
and for instance in Feng Shui thinking (Guo, 200�).
Beijing’s courtyard houses are also called
quadrangles or siheyuans (meaning quadrangle
compound with rooms on its four sides). In A
Guidebook to Alleys in Beijing Zhengyong and
Mingde describe their unique
features. The rooms
facing the
south
amount of decoration and the scale of a compound
were confined by the status of the inhabitants. “Those
who exceeded the according standards would be
punished or even executed.”
In the larger complexes between the principal rooms
2. I experienced the courtyard house for myself in the hotel I stayed in
Beijing, it was an old courtyard house turned into a backpackers hotel.
It had a courtyard which had a very calm and relaxing atmosphere, you
wouldn’t notice anything from outside, it is a totally different environment,
the trees presented a natural feeling together with the old stone
architecture. The only thing that was added was a big roof over the
courtyard to protect you from the Chinese rains.
side
are called
the ‘principal
rooms’, the ones
facing the north are called ‘reversely-set rooms’. The
gate to the compound is usually set at the south-
east side, this, in combination with a screenwall, is to
maintain privacy since one cannot look directly into
the compound. There is also presumed that this is
the case because the people believed that evil spirits
could not travel around a corner. Because of the
feudal hierarchy in a family, the difference between
juniors and seniors, men and women masters
and servants of a family, there was a need to have
different standards of the rooms. It would not work if
all the rooms had the same standards, and it would
cause trouble to the family management if they lived
scattered in different places. The architectural form
would show clear distinction of people’s positions,
the building facing the south was of high importance,
while the one facing the north was mostly used for
the servants of the family. The architectural styles, the
N
�7. Traditional courtyard house layout.
and the reverse-set rooms there is a “Chuihuamen
or Dropping Flowers Gate” separating them, in most
cases there is another screenwall behind this gate.
Behind the principal rooms there are posterior rooms
or buildings for storage. In large courtyard complexes
you would find beautiful gardens, artificial hills and
fishing pounds, showing the good taste of the master.
No matter the scale, the courtyard complex is always
enclosed by the rooms and low walls, enough for
preventing people to peek over. Inside the court the
rooms are linked by a roofed canopy, which is like the
rooms raised a few steps from ground level (as well
as the gates of the compound). The walls prevent the
people from wind and sandstorms and from the noise
outside.2 The residence has become a quite place for
the people to relax from the exhausting life outside
(especially during those days). Rooms had thick and
solid walls which would give warmness in winter and
coolness in summer (Zhengyong and Mingde, 200�).
�8. Dropping Flowers Gate (at the right is an entrance screenwall)
��Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
The houses were made government property and
people had to provide space to migrants. The number
of alleys would increase from 3000 before liberation
to about 6000 after. This was crucial to the state of
the areas, they would fill up with people and their
qualitative living space would decline. Until now there
are still hutongs which are in a dilapidated state.
Nowadays these hutongs are under enormous
pressure of modernisation, which will be digressed
upon in the second chapter.
�.2 PERIODS OF MODERNISATION UNTIL �978
This section discusses the Western influences on
China. It is significant to have an understanding of
former periods of modernisation in Chinese history
to understand where China is today. Mainly because
of colonial influences China has met and sometimes
clashed with modernity before today’s process of
modernisation.
The Catholic Encyclopaedia argues that the first
contact with Judaism was already in the 7th century:
“They seemed to have reached China in the seventh
�.�.4. HUTONGS
Beijing’s houses were built around the Forbidden
City, the houses closest to it would contain residents
that were related to the Forbidden City, like the
servants and guards. The houses were all arranged
people to gather together and live, used as the centre
of tent compounds. By �944 there were 2300 alleys in
Beijing and after liberation under Mao’s regime Beijing
witnessed a fast development in urban construction.
3. Arguably it could also be derived from the Mongolian word ‘huotuan’,
which means passageway.
in a rigid grid which was divided in rectangular
divisions. North-south and east-west directed streets
would provide the routing in the city. In the divisions
smaller passageways would provide the routing
for the people between their houses and it would
function as isolation belts against fire risks. In the
Ming dynasty an avenue would be 24 bu (about 36
meters), a street would be �2 bu (about �2 meters)
and an alley would be 6 bu (about 9 meters). In that
time there were about 400 alleys in the city. They were
called hutongs, which derived from the Mongolian
word ‘hottog’3, meaning ‘well’, which was a place for
�9. View on two courtyardhouses in a hutong area
20. View in a contemporary hutong
2�. Transformation of the courtyard house
�2Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
century, according to the Si-ngan-fu inscription”
(Catholic Encyclopaedia). China’s oldest known
synagogue is situated in Kaifeng, dating from the
Northern Song Dynasty, when Jews settled in Kaifeng,
refused to treat the Europeans as “cultural or political
equals.” Russia was the first European power to reach
a treaty with China in �689: the Treaty of Nerchinsk.
The other nations were seen as inferior, and their
efforts to reach a trade agreement were “rebuffed” by
the Chinese, “the official Chinese assumption being
that the empire was not in need of foreign - and thus
inferior - products” (Shinn and Worden, �988).
Peter G. Rowe and Seng Kuan provided for the main
source for this part of the thesis on modernizations in
China, with their book: Architectural Encounters with
Essence and Form in Modern China. Rowe and Kuan
argue that “Traditionalism versus modernism in China
emerged strongly as an issue of cultural development,
though not for the first time [as seen above], in the
aftermath of the Opium War of �840 to �842.” To
reach peace China was forced to sign the Treaty of
Nanjing, a ceding of the Treaty Ports (Rowe and Kuan,
2002). Five port cities were opened to foreign trade
and trading nations were allowed to build settlements.
According to Layla Dawson, who wrote China’s
New Dawn in 200�, “The first western, imported
architecture was built in the �842 Treaty Ports, which
became the seedbeds for China’s modernization”
(Dawson, 200�). There was an extraterritoriality, which
meant that people in these cities were subject to the
laws of their home nation, to avoid any conflicts which
Chinese laws. The British had the best conditions of
all nations in the Treaty of Nanjing, they would get
Hong Kong as their colony and would be treated the
most-favoured, which meant that they would receive
every trading concessions that the Chinese would
promise to other powers in future agreements (Shinn
and Worden, �988). Dawson asserts, “To this day
German building regulations still apply in Qingdao
(picture 24), where an Anglo-German company
began brewing ‘Tsingtao’ beer … The architects were
German and designed accordingly in Jugendstil
and Neo-Romanesque with hipped, red-tiled roofs,
22. Model of the Kaifeng Synagogue
which was then capital of China.
In a Country Study for the Library of Congress in
Washington, Rinn-Sup Shinn and Robert L. Worden,
argue that from the thirteenth century there have been
Roman Catholic missionary attempts to establish
their church in China. “Although by �800 only a few
hundred thousand Chinese had been converted,
the missionaries--mostly Jesuits--contributed greatly
to Chinese knowledge in such fields as cannon
casting, calendar making, geography, mathematics,
cartography, music, art, and architecture” (Shinn
and Worden, �988). The first contacts with the West
by trade are described by Shinn and Worden, who
note that the Western pioneers of China were the
Portuguese. They reached China in ���7, at Macau
23,24. Portuguese architecture in Macau; German architecture in Qingdao.
(picture 23) and were followed by the Spanish, the
British and the French. Except for Russia, “the most
powerful inland neighbour”, the imperial court,
�3Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
rustic granite plinths and corners with plastered
walls, sometimes with half-timbered upper storeys.”
(Dawson, 200�) “Eventually these ‘Concessions’
or ‘Settlements,’ as they were called, in places like
Shanghai, became the centres of modern cities from
which contemporary Western ideas and technologies
were propagated” (Rowe and Kuan, 2002).
“The rude realities of the Opium War, the unequal
treaties, and the mid-century mass uprisings
caused Qing courtiers and officials to recognize the
need to strengthen China.” Since that time (�840)
schools started examining Western learning. Under
the direction of Han officials Western science and
languages were being studied. “Students were
sent abroad by the government and on individual
or community initiative in the hope that national
regeneration could be achieved through the
application of Western practical methods” (Shinn
and Worden, �988). Since that time China seemed to
adapt itself to the West albeit under the pressure of
with countries for that time new to the Treaty Ports of
China; Austria-Hungary, Italy and Belgium. They built
their own prisons, schools, barracks and hospitals.
Five miles in total were covered by the European
Settlements and the riverfront was governed by
past confrontations.
In Tianjin, situated south-west of Beijing and often
referred to as the port city of Beijing, there were
eventually 9 concessions in the city. According
to Wikipedia, the first concessions were British
and French, between �89� and �900, then Japan,
Germany and imperial Russia joined them, together
2�. American Barracks in Tianjin built by Germans
foreign powers (Wikipedia, 2006).
The result for Beijing was a legation quarter in
DongCheng district where �� legations were to be
found, situated southeast of the Forbidden City. With
the Xinchou Treaty in �900 the Qing government was
forced to turn the area into a legation quarter. This
introduced some Western architecture in Beijing (see
picture 26). There was a patriotic Catholic church built
in �890 by the French mission, which is said to be
the largest church in Beijing. It’s built in a neo-Gothic
style with brick and cast iron and the facade is of grey
marble (picture 28,29)
Before the ‘Unequal Treaties’ as they were called,
the Chinese had always felt superior towards
26. Former Belgian legation (2006).
27. Plan of the Legation Quarter, �9�2. (This picture is in large format with content, added at the end of the thesis)
�4Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
foreigners. These treaties however gave foreigners
special treatment compared to the Chinese. In the
eyes of the Chinese this was seen as damage on
their prestige. Such “feelings increasingly resulted
in civil disobedience and violence towards both
foreigners and Chinese Christians” (Wikipedia,
2006). It eventually resulted in the famous Boxer
movement that had a strong aversion against
foreigners. The Boxers peaked at �900 when they
attacked foreign compounds in Tianjin and Beijing.
In Beijing the legations were besieged during 2
months, the legations almost tripled in inhabitants
because anxious foreigners sought refuge at the
compounds. A German minister was shot to dead
and a Japanese ambassador was killed in violence.
Part of the area (on the west side) was set on fire
and burned down. Wikipedia mentions the following:
“Chinese Christians suffered even more greatly, as
there were more of them and most were not able to
seek refuge in the legations, having to seek shelter
elsewhere. Those that were caught were raped as
well as tortured and murdered. As a result of these
reports, a great deal of anti-Chinese sentiment was
generated in Europe, America, and Japan.” Eventually
international forces with troops from 8 nations, Japan,
Russia, Great Britain, France, U.S., Germany, Italy and
Austria (accompanied by Chinese anti-Boxer forces)
started a march of �20 kilometres from Tianjin to
Beijing. There they “engaged in plunder, looting and
rape.” Eventually the Qing court signed the peace
agreement in �90�. (Wikipedia, 2006)
The Catholic Church was besieged during the
Boxer war and the facade was renewed in �902. It
later became subject of attack during the Cultural
Revolution.
According to Dawson, “China’s second
‘modernization’ took place after the fall of the Imperial
Court and the founding of the Republic of China in
�9�� with Sun Yat-sen as the first president.” The
new “nationalistic semi-democratic government”
existed of Chinese who had studied in the West, but
they still remained the feudal structure. (Dawson,
200�) Rowe and Kuan mention that in treaty ports
like Shanghai, there raised a new style, known as the
“compradoric style”, which emerged out of colonial
and Chinese architecture. (Rowe and Kuan, 2002)
Chinese architecture was clearly getting influenced by
the colonialism. Western style buildings with Chinese-
style roofs were and still are a common sight in the
architecture of China.
In �949 the communists under Mao Zedong took
power. Mao put an end to the collaboration with the
Western colonialism. In his famous public speech
he said: “Ours will no longer be a nation subject to
insult and humiliation.” Rowe and Kuan mention
the almost immediate Russian Soviet influence
equally to the ascendance of the communists. About
��.000 Russian advisors came to China and brought
28,29 Xishiku, Catholic church in former Legation Quarter
��Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
especially technical expertise and some 37.000
Chinese went to Russia for education or training
“primarily in technical areas.” “These changes
affected the study of architecture,” Rowe and Kuan
assert, they mention a merging with the technical field
revolutional ideas meant to industrialize the city and
maintain a political centre in the city. The focus on
industrialization resulted into housing shortages,
and therefore the government turned to the “Soviet
model of potential relief,” a system that “emphasized
construction speed, low cost, labour savings. ... Basic
features of the system were design standardization,
mass production and systematic construction.”
Standard dwelling units made of standard
components would be the basis for residential areas,
and the influence of the Bauhaus-style.
Linda Vlassenrood, contributed to ‘China
Contemporary,’ a book published aside the similar
named exhibition at the Nai. She discusses style the
change during the Cultural Revolution (�96�-�969).
Most national architecture design institutes and
schools then were closed and their employees were
sent off to work at the countryside. “In these years
anonymous buildings epitomized the absence of
design”, Vlassenrood asserts. Fundamental changes
didn’t appear until the death of Chairman Mao. “After a
ten-year intellectual vacuum, the architectural debate
had to be ignited all over again.” (Vlassenrood et al,
2006)
Liang Sicheng was a vice-director of the Beijing City
Planning Commission, he wished to preserve the
old character of central Beijing and did a remarkable
proposition to the Communist government, to change
the main centre where the government would be
situated not on the north-south axis, but to the west
of the Old City, which would get the pressure of
development off the Old City. But the Communists
were not interested in such a conservative plan, their
30,3� Soviet-Communist style apartment blocks, Beijing
they would form rigid apartment blocks. “Sometimes
an aesthetic program of socialist realism was
employed, as pitched gable roofs and other motifs
were added to the standardized units.” “More often
than not, though, housing was functional, well-built.”
Later there came a growing dissatisfaction with the
Soviet standardized style. Which didn’t mean it was
abandoned but it began to be modified and adapted
(Rowe and Kuan, 2002).
Dawson also mentions Licheng in connection with
the old city wall he wanted to preserve, but his ideas
lost against those of new planners who had the wall
demolished to make way for the Second Ring Road
(Dawson, 200�). A decision of which many still argue
whether it was right or whether it’s a shame the wall
has been torn down.
32 View on the Second Ring Road.
�6Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
�.3 RISING CHINA
In �978 Deng Xiaoping came to power in China, and
he made his greatest achievement for political and
economical reforms at the Third Plenary Session
of the Eleventh National Party Congress Central
Committee in December �978, which was considered
a huge turning point in Chinese political history. The
policy that was conducted until then – that meant
basically to support whatever policy decision Mao
made and to follow whatever instructions he gave
– was abandoned at this Third Plenum and gave way
to the open door policy (Shinn and Worden, �988).
Deng introduced a refreshing idea to the public,
which was the contrary of Mao’s ideal of the poor. He
wanted China to become rich. The, until then detested
capitalistic system, was embraced and gave way to
the market principle (Van der Putten, 2003, p.�8). The
new goal of China was to achieve the modernization
of industry, agriculture, science and national defence.
Deng repudiated the class struggle and reformed
the classic party line into one promoting these Four
Modernizations. Success and failure in the future
would now depend on economy instead of politics
(Shinn and Worden, �988).
But politically no big changes occurred, there was
still a strict communist regime at the top. Those who
attended to make a statement against the political
system were still being prosecuted. For instance Wei
Jingsheng, who responded on � December �978 to
the Four Modernizations announced, with a poster
calling for a Fifth Modernization: Democracy. He
became the leader of the Democracy Wall Movement
which started in December �978 alongside the
reforms in the Chinese Communist Party. A long brick
wall on Chang’an Street was the focus of democratic
dissent. But the wall was closed in December �979
and Wei was sentenced to �8 years of incarceration.
In �997 under international pressure and to the
request of Bill Clinton Wei was sent to the United
States where he is now still fighting for Chinese
democracy in the Overseas Chinese Democracy
Coalition (Van der Putten, 2003).
In �989 on the 4th of June, the world was shocked
by the performance of the Beijing army. During two
months there was a protest started by students
against the communist regime, the Democracy
Movement. The leader of the CCP, Zhao Ziyang
was sympathising with the movement, but the old
conservative members of the party under guidance of
Deng Xiaoping decided to dismiss Zhao Ziyang, sign
the new leader, Jiang Zhemin and to activate troops
against the demonstrators. The massacre of Beijing
followed in the night from 3rd to the 4th of June. Only
for a moment the troops were slowed down by the
famous unknown ‘Tankman’.
33 The famous unknown ‘Tankman’.
On the respond of the west to the Human Rights in
China, Jan van der Putten says the following: “In
the field of Human Rights western leaders are easily
satisfied by a gesture. China anticipates excellent
on this. The release of one or more prisoners shortly
before an important foreign visit is a routine.” He gives
an example of Wang Dan who was flown to America
just before Clinton arrived for a visit. But still there are
a lot of activists kept prison (Van der Putten, 2003).
The Open Door Policy meant for the architecture of
China a sudden strong influence from the Western
�7Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
architecture, reacting on and investing in the
inevitable urban growth. Dawson mentions that “China
was to be inundated by alien lifestyles, shopping
fever, youth culture, McDonalds and Starbucks on
every corner, international hotels, new environments
and more foreigners.” She also mentions that 30 % of
Shanghai’s urban development in the 90’s involved
foreign architects, that would later move onto Beijing.
In 2004, Dawson asserts, �40 out of 200 of the
“world’s top design consortiums had offices on the
mainland.” (Dawson, 200�) A growing national pride
of international appearance made China wanting to
further promote itself to the international community.
A reason to have the Olympics in Beijing in 2008 and
the Expo 20�0 in Shanghai.
Linda Vlassenrood, points out some style issues in
the Chinese architecture in this period of time in.
The ‘New Vernacular’ style was led by I.M. Pei in
the early 80’s. He designed the Fragrant Hill Hotel
in ‘77 and tried to set an example by bringing back
traditional building styles in his architecture. It then
evolved in the New Vernacular style. The regionalist
copied without any theoretical understanding,”
questions of materialization and local integration
were never the issue. Pragmatism seemed to be
the leading style at the architecture schools. Lots of
impressionistic en simply trendy images appeared
that responded to the fast process of modernization.
A severe understanding of the architectural style
seemed to be lacking. The appearing style would be
seen as Kitsch by critics. According to Vlassenrood,
the abundance of ornaments, an exuberant use of
colours and the diversity of styles would be typical for
this period. The influence of the property developer
was rising and was overpowering the architect. The
architect was lacking a market directed view and his
work would be underpaid and altered afterwards by a
market consultant. In the early 90’s these developers
embraced “Western national architectural styles as a
symbol of a modern lifestyle”, which led to some very
German, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, American or Dutch
appearing urban districts.
Currently there are three types of architects present
in China, according to Vlassenrood; the ones that
are working for the government, the ones that are
attached to the universities and a growing number
that work in an architectural office.
Yung Ho Chang is the first one to start an architectural
office in Beijing, a long time before it was prohibited
for architects to start their own company. Until that
time national design institutes had a monopoly and
this restrained the quality of the designs at the time.
“The elite of today’s avant-garde,” as Vlassenrood
puts it, is now led by Yung Ho Chang and the
ones influenced by him. The term avant-garde
is mainly used by Chinese, to indicate a small
group of architects that prefer pure modern styles.
The absence of a generation of architects and of
architectural education during the Cultural Revolution,
has been clearly lacking the architecture field. In
the avant-garde most architects have studied or
attempt, however, was contradictory to the eager
embarking of the globalisation. It disappeared with
the new embracing of Western architecture. Due to
a very superficial approach in that time, the outward
appearance became totally detached from any
content. “All manner of architectural styles were
34 Fragrant Hill Hotel, by I.M. Pei, �977
�8Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
have experienced working in the West, mostly in
America and some in Europe. Chinese identity was
an important subject to some of these architects. “It
was clear to everyone, however, that the essence
of traditional architecture had to be sought in its
construction and spatial proportions and not in its
outward appearance.”
Vlassenrood sets out three different approaches;
“first of all a very precise translation of tradition into a
modern architecture with special influences of Feng
Shui and Yin Yang and traditional forms.” Second,
“a more conceptual reinterpretation that integrates
traditional architecture less obviously, and finally a
Critical Regionalism that explicitly elaborates on local
building styles.” (Vlassenrood et al, 2006)
low-cost labour on materials like bamboo, concrete
and cement-bonded fibreboard makes it possible to
experiment and achieve a lot with these materials.
In the last � years, according to Vlassenrood, the
minimalism has become more popular to the public.
The commercial market adopted this image as a
trademark. To people this represented the modern
culture. The Avant-Garde architects clearly developed
an own idiom. Most architects are of opinion that it will
take another �0 years before this style is developed
to its “desired standard.” Vlassenrood points to the
importance of this new development in architecture
but however, she states, “the anti-formalist
architecture of the avant-garde does not yet provide a
critical response to the rapidly changing city and the
socially disruption this is causing. However, the self-
awareness of the Avant-Garde is growing.”
New-coming architects are now more aware
of the problems that arrive with the fast urban
transformations. Most of these new architects have
a Chinese and Western background, they studied
or worked in America or Europe. (Vlassenrood et al,
2006) The Chinese identity nowadays has become
more and more under pressure of the modernizing
city with its progressive demands. Something with
which architects have to deal now.
�.4 CHINA’S FUTURE DEVELOPMENT AND
GOALS
China, with its (former) communist regime and
the adjustment to the capitalist market, created an
almost unique position in this world. It has become
an authoritarian capitalist country, the danger of
such a regime is that it doesn’t need to justify
itself for its decisions, justice is implied in every
decision. The opening to a more intense contact
with the West might change their approach from
the former communist time and it might even lead
Vlassenrood argues that the designs of the Avant-
Garde show a similar minimalism. This inherent in
the aversion of exuberant use of decoration and
colour and in the use of “(inexpensive) materials” like
bamboo, wood, grey slate, concrete and metal.
The “standard of execution” is much lower then in
the West. On the one hand, Vlassenrood argues,
it is because construction companies lack certain
knowledge cause they have been using concrete
as a main material for decades. On the other hand
there are a lot of low-paid and unskilled peasants
at building sites with poor equipment “responsible
for the actual construction.” However, the intensive
InthisthesistheCriticalRegionalismis
notseenasamerepragmaticapproach
(seechapter3),asintheexampleof
Vlassenrood,moreovertheinterpretation
ofthetheoryinthisthesisrelatestothe
secondexamplegivenabove,“amore
conceptualreinterpretationthatintegrates
traditionalarchitecturelessobviously.”
�9Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
to a democratizing of China. It is believed that
China will outgrow the United States as the world’s
hegemony in �0 years from now, will it then still have
its authoritarian regime it could be threatening world
peace. But that are all still presumptions.
In the NRC Handelsblad weekend edition of April
the 22nd Garrie van Pinxteren, who was a Dutch
sinologist and correspondent in China from �982
until 2006, writes about China’s change into the
market-economy. “In �982 as a student, I have seen
how unfree the daily life of most Chinese was then.
Criticism on the government was only held within
closed walls and with the far most cautiousness.”
… “The government told them [her Chinese student
friends] which profession to choose after their study
and where to work.” Then she compares that time
to the current situation: “The personal freedom and
the prosperity have indeed increased strongly, but
still I have noticed that the ones, who cross the lines
of what China allows, still are being prosecuted as
ruthless as before.”
She gives an example of a leader of a farmers protest
who was arrested for years and continues about the
human rights in China: “The care for human rights in
the foreign countries turned into an admiration and
respect for a government that knew how to rapidly
expand its economic growth and so strengthened
China’s position in the world. With that the Chinese
government and thus the communist party has
internationally secured legitimacy…” (Van Pinxteren,
2006)
China is undergoing a fast urbanization, there is a
big shift of people moving from the rural areas to
the urban areas. Currently 38 percent of China’s
population is living in the urban area. By 2020 this
should be over �0 percent. With an annual number of
�2 million people being expected to migrate from the
rural to the urban. 400 New cities have been planned
to support this increasing urbanization, with 20 cities a
year until 2020.
In his book Beyond Metropolis, Laquian quotes an
observation of the United Nations4 to point at an
important view on the relation of development and
urbanization, where they note that “urbanization has
been an essential part of most nations’ development
towards a stronger and more stable economy ... The
countries in the south that urbanized most rapidly in
the last �0-20 years are generally those with the most
rapid economic growth. Most of the world’s largest
cities are in the world’s largest economies, which is
further evidence of this link between economic wealth
and cities...” (Laquian, 200�)
For China the urbanization is a grand project, for the
future it will be of major importance to accurately
coordinate the process of urbanization. For the benefit
of both rural areas as urban.�
4. Quote derived from The United Nations’ Cities in a Globalizing World:
Global Report on Human Settlements, 1996 (UNCHS 1996, xxv)
5. For more information on China’s development, see book IV
20Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
This chapter is focused on
Beijing, the choice for this
city seems interesting, and
it is not a coincidence the
city is carefully studied at the
moment by architecture and urban planning schools
all over the world. The cities’ fast growth, the richness
of architectural typologies, the clash of a traditional
inner city with a growing number of modern high-
rises and the great new projects of prominent
architects turn the city into a subject of worldwide
architectural debate.
2.� PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE IN BEIJING
Planning
Anne-Marie Broudehoux describes the planning of
Beijing in her thesis of Neighbourhood Regeneration
in Beijing (�994). Beijing is located in the northeast of
China, from a Feng Shui perspective the city is ideally
located between mountain ranges on the north, the
than an accretion”. Wu Liangyong, who is the writer
of ‘Rehabilitating the Old City of Beijing’ asserts
that “Beijing, as the most precious piece of Chinese
architectural and planning heritage, should continue
to provide us with inspirations in planning and design”
(Liangyong, �999). Otherwise then the cities that
2 ReconstructingBeijing
west and the east, while the south side is widely open.
Beijing is praised by planners around the world ever
since Marco Polo set foot in China. Beijing’s history
as a capital has started in the twelfth century with
a few interruptions until now. According to Andrew
Boyd [�962; 63], the city evolved of a “creation rather
3� Beijing from above, with mountain range
evolved around a trade centre, Beijing did not start
as an economical plan, but more as a political and
cultural one (Broudehoux, �994; chapter 3.�). In an
interview for this thesis with Qi Xin, of Qi Xin Architects
and Engineers in Beijing, Xin points out that Beijing is
a city designed for one person, namely the Emperor.
Rather then for the purpose to accommodate people,
Beijing is designed as an administrative centre of
China.
The Old City is unique in its symmetrical. The Old City
is developed within a rigid grid of north-south and
west-east oriented directions. The layout relates to the
central axis that runs north to south and contains the
most important monuments of Beijing. Respectively
from the north to the south you’ll find the Bell tower,
Drum tower, Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.
For the upcoming Olympics, the axis will be extended
to the north with the Olympic field.
In every level of scale from city to city-block to
neighbourhood (sub-block) to courtyard house and
36 The Old City, the center of Beijing.
2�Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
its rooms, the symmetrical lay-out of, what Liangyong
calls the “fishbone-structure”, is repeated.
Commercial and handicraft buildings were situated
along the busy main streets, while residential blocks
were planned along the quiet narrow lanes. The
buildings with a limited height. The monumental
architectures were all very precisely planned, as well
as the surrounding space. Mostly these spaces were
to support the visual expression of the architecture.
For instance a large open space would surround
a gate. The residential houses were very limited in
height and would strengthen the visual effect of the
skyline. Another restriction to residential housing was
the colour of the houses, they would all be grey, while
the imperial architecture was brightly coloured and
decorated, the latter also a restriction on residential
houses. “But,” Liangyong asserts, “like green leaves
behind bright flowers, they made the architectural
arrangement of the whole city more colourful and
splendid” (Liangyong, �999).
The Old City was enclosed by a large city wall, which
was destroyed when, under Mao, it was decided to
be destroyed and make place for the Second Ring
Road, which circles around the Old City now. Beijing
has since developed several Ring Roads to primarily
circulate the fast traffic, they count six right now
(although there seems no precise indication of where
the first Ring Road actually is) and a seventh is on the
way. (Wikipedia, 2006)
37 The Central axis.
blocks are all square, fitting with the courtyard house
typology. According to Liangyong, to break the
monotonous stretches of the (main) streets, decorative
structures were designed, like “archways over the
streets, entrance gates, entrance arches, side gates of
government offices and screenwalls.” Main buildings
were carefully located at certain points to “create
splendid vistas” (Liangyong, �999).
According to Liangyong, the architecture of the
buildings of the whole city, palaces temples and
houses, are all composed of rather simple formed
Demolishing Hutongs
In the Old City the hutong areas became subjected
to rapid growth and overcrowding from migrants
in the �0’s when the land became state-owned. It
resulted into an increasing density, by which they
lost their formal lay-outs (as shown in picture 2�).
38 Ring Roads of Beijing (until the �th)
22Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
Nowadays lots of the siheyuans are in a bad
condition, buildings have been neglected. Most
courtyards have been filled with additional structures
pay construction cost of the apartment, and find
themselves a temporary place during construction
of 2 to 3 years. If they can’t, they are “allocated a
rental flat in newly developed housing areas in the
suburbs.”
According to Ying most families affected by the
relocation are of a relatively low status. Their socio-
economical structures get disrupted by the renewal
programs, most people had jobs and a social
network close to their home. Although she points out
that living conditions have improved for these people,
she concludes that most people were not satisfied
with the given compensation (Ying, �998).
The view of Aprodicio A. Laquian has a wider
perspective on this relocation in his book Beyond
Metropolis. He asserts it is a common Asian problem
that mass-migration occurred after World War II and
the people started settling in slums. “Policymakers
saw the colonies of urban poor people as a
cancerous growth on the city.” Resettlement was
the solution to “excise these cancerous growths”
(Laquian, 200�).
Future Plans
To deal with the
enormous
population
39 A new road in a destroyed neighborhood
for living or storage and the facilities in most hutong
areas are very poor. Some of them should obviously
be restored, or upgraded. But the reason of
demolishing is mostly not just because their condition
is bad, cause some are in a seemingly good state, as
Wu Liangyong asserts: “bulldozers continue to roll
over courtyard houses regardless of their quality and
condition.” (Liangyong, �999). The problem is not
mere the condition of the hutongs. The hutong areas
are all in the centre of the city which has become
the most wanted and expensive ground. For that
reason there is a lot of pressure laid on these areas
from real estate owners who are eager to develop
these areas. It is a clash of the old hutong areas
with the modernizing city. They don’t seem to fit to
the modern urban machine anymore. It is the same
thing that happened during the Industrial Revolution.
The siheyuans are currently being demolished at
a rapid pace, some claim there is presently one
siheyuan being destroyed per day. Most of the former
inhabitants of demolished siheyuans are relocated
outside the centre in Beijing. In case there homes are
being renewed, they suppose to have the possibility
to move back to their home. However, in a research
on the relocation of former residents, Tan Ying asserts
that, if they want to move back, they will have to
growth of
Beijing the
government designed
a new masterplan of the
city until 2020. The new plan is called: Two Axes, Two
Belts and Multi-centres. The latter refers to 6 new
satellite towns that are planned around the centre
40 ‘Two Axes, Two Belts and Multi-centers.’
23Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
city to ease the pressure of the centre. Each of them
will be designed to accommodate �00.000 people.
The two axes are the north-south axis that will be
maintained as an important cultural axis and the
east-west axis that includes the Chang’an Avenue,
will be an important traffic vein in the city, connecting
the CBD in the east with the inner city. The two belts
refer to the west ecological belt and the (south-)east
development belt. The ecological belt is an attempt
to create an ecological buffer zone with ecologically
friendly industries such as high-technology and
higher education enterprises. The development
belt expected to absorb people and industries that
are encouraged to leave the downtown area. The
belt runs towards Tianjin, so a stronger interaction
between the cities will be possible in the future.
The infrastructure in Beijing is now a big problem,
as most people will get stuck in traffic jams every
day. The centre city simply does not provide enough
circulation, and the car-usage is high (2.3� million
A last thing to highlight is the fact that Beijing has no
clear city centre. Whereas in a typical Western city as
for instance Amsterdam, there is a central area that
connects all commercial functions with administrative
and business functions. The Old City in Beijing has
decentralized clusters of different functions. The
Tiananmen Square obviously is the geographical
centre, but it takes a long walk to the next shopping
district, and from there it takes even longer to get
to another commercial district. A question of how to
adjust this Old City to become an effective central
area need to be raised.
2.2 ARCHITECTURAL DEBATES ON BEIJING
Modernizing a city this fast raises a lot of questions,
for instance what to do with hutong areas and how to
treat the identity of Beijing. This section will provide
some views in these ongoing debates.
For this thesis 3 architects have been interviewed to
give their view on topics as preservation and identity:
Hui Wang of Urbanus, Qi Xin of Qi Xin Architects and
Engineers and Wei Lu of Studio PeiZhu.
Preservation
Mainly people from the West have a lot of comments
and critique on Beijing’s way of dealing with the
hutong areas. From their point of view such areas
should not be destroyed, because they stand for a
typical Chinese lifestyle and a unique piece of Beijing
architecture. To most Chinese these areas are slums
that should be renewed as soon as possible. Is there
difference in the level of nostalgia between these the
Chinese and the West? It must be said that some
Chinese (mostly academics or intellectuals) do prefer
to preserve these areas.
The Chinese government has seen the importance of
preserving their typical Chinese residential areas and
so they set out a preservation plan. 2� Districts are
on this plan to be preserved for the future. Hui Wang
cars) and even more cars (� million by 2020) will
join in the future. The government is improving its
public transportation network to encourage people
to move by public transport instead of cars. �4 New
subway-lines are planned in the city, which now has
3 lines. For a city of �� million inhabitants that is a
pretty poor amount. Eventually it will have a length of
8�0 kilometres which is twice the length of London’s
underground network.
4� Beijing traffic jam
24Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
is one of the founders of Urbanus, one of China’s
leading architectural offices. In an interview he gave
for this thesis, he presumes that the preservation plan
of the government is subjected to the appearance of
example? It became a reason for me to investigate
what the means of preservation are.
Xin explains that Chinese architecture has always
been built as a temporary form of architecture, while
European ancient architecture has been built for
permanence (e.g. the Greek architecture). Chinese
realize the building will disappear and make place
for a new one. A philosophy that is passed on for
generations, is that one should learn how to copy
from the past. China, according to Xin has a copy
culture. As in the West a good copy would still be a
good copy, a good copy in China means it is similar
to the copied. Somebody that watched the corps of
Mao and is getting told afterwards that it might be
a replica, would be a little disappointed, but for the
Chinese it is just the same thing.
Xin gives the example of the Forbidden City that has
been built in the �4th century. None of its current
structures are really from that period of time, simply
because the buildings are being renewed to maintain
the quality.
Preservation can be divided in 4 different approaches:
the Forbidden City, as to preserve the height of the
buildings around it.
When I walked through one of these areas (Qianmen)
in Beijing it occurred to me that the area was pretty
much deserted. Even further into the heart of the area
the total destruction of hutong buildings was visible.
A road was being constructed in the middle of this
destruction. Wandering around I suddenly entered
a building site and I was amazed that in the middle
of this destruction there were people building brand
42 Preservation Plan (yellow is to be preserved)
new courtyard houses in the old traditional style. (See
picture 43) Does preservation mean to tear down the
old dilapidated building and erect a brand new classic
43 A new courtyard house built in the old style
- The first is ‘hands off’, the aging of the structure
will be clearly visible and it will only be looked
after for to keep the structure standing.
- Secondly, the restoration of the existing
structure, the building is carefully restored as it
was and the materials and construction are kept
as much as possible.
- Thirdly, the replacement of the structure, the
building is torn down completely, to build up a
new structure similar to the old.
- The last is to renovate the structure, the building
is adapted to a new function that fits new
demands.
In Beijing you will find the third option is a common
solution for the renewal of the hutong areas. It
2�Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
is a cheaper solution, because the restoration of
a structure would take much time and skills to
accomplish.
The last option is something you see in for instance
the Hohai area, a famous place with restaurants and
bars, where some of the courtyard houses have been
renovated to serve as bars or restaurants. In other
places the courtyard houses sometimes function
as picturesque hotels. According to Wang, there is
a current question for architects of how to renovate
these buildings so the functional use of the building’s
typology is maximized.
The interviewed architects all agree on the fact that
hutongs can not cope with the density and therefore
most of them should be destroyed. Still some of the
areas in the Old City should be preserved to serve the
cultural image of the city.
Identity
Is Chinese or Beijing’s identity a common issue in
the designs of Chinese architects? The July 2006
edition of TBJ Home, a free magazine on Beijing’s
architecture and real estate, presents an interview with
young architecture students. One of the students, Fox
Yu, comments on the identity of his city and says: “we
need our own culture again but not an old-fashioned
culture - we need a style to represent the new,
modern China.” The Western architects provide the
city with flashy icons and the city becomes a city of
objects. Fox responds sceptical to this matter: “When
you see the Pyramids in the Valley of the Kings, you
feel something inside. You feel amazed, you feel full
of wonder ... But when you see a city full of pyramids,
you feel nothing. But this is a question for urban
planners, not for architects.” (Jager, 2006)
To Wei Lu the relation of the place to the people’s live
is more important then the overall image.
Xin and Wang argue that the question of identity is
not particular a Chinese issue. Xin regards China
as having become part of the world now, the
identity question is a universal question. To Wang
the architectural language is universal and the
architecture is specific for the client and for the area.
There is though a difference between the foreign
approaches and that of Chinese architects. According
to Wang there are many restrictions in the regulations
in China and the market is very competitive. Foreign
architects do not bear this in mind, which is why they
have more freedom in the design then the Chinese
who lose creativity knowing the restrictions.
44,4� Blur Hotel, designed by Studio PeiZhu with the innovative use of blocks of frosted translucent fiberglass. At night the building lits like a lantern.
Wang mentions there are many good examples of
functional layouts in residential complexes designed
by Chinese architects; the problem is the relationship
between the buildings is too emphasized.
Daniel Elsa wrote an article in Architectural Record
on Chinese architects and refers to the same Chinese
architects as mentioned in this thesis. He opposes
their architecture to that of the prominent building
projects in the cities with their grand gestures and
praises the small group of innovative Chinese
architects that incorporate issues of “materiality, low-
budget construction, and local context.” (Elsa, 2006)
26Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
This next generation of architects is very influential
and progressive designers that strive for innovation
and new Chinese identity.
As Elsa puts it: “Instead of putting curved roofs on
top of commercial buildings like big hats or imagining
pagoda-shaped office towers, architects such as
Zhu, Chang, Fei, and Urbanus are exploring more
sophisticated ways of connecting today’s construction
to their nation’s cultural heritage.” (Elsa, 2006)
2.2.� KOOLHAAS: CCTV
This example of Koolhaas does not reflect the style
of his CCTV building but it contains a discussion on
the political considerations of the architect designing
the building for the state‘s television company.
The importance of a discussion on politics is not
directly related to the presented discourse on Critical
Regionalism and related theories, but I believe that
the architect should consider his position in a social
and political matter very carefully. The example shows
a discussion between a famous architect and his
critics. The presented views in the discussion can be
of influence on my design, albeit in a symbolic way.
When other ‘starchitectural’ firms were competing
for New York’s Ground Zero, Rem Koolhaas’ OMA
competed with others, among who were Dominique
Perrault, Toyo Ito and SOM, for the building of the
state television company of China: CCTV, and he
won. But when Koolhaas designed the CCTV tower in
Beijing he also designed a building that is the symbol
of a state’s propaganda machine that still has control
over more than a milliard Chinese.
In a populist article in the Guardian, Ian Buruma puts
a question mark to this wanted assignment. “Unless
one takes the view that all business with China is
evil, there is nothing reprehensible about building an
opera house in Beijing, or indeed a hotel, a hospital, a
university or even a corporate headquarters. But state
television is something else. CCTV is the voice of the
party, the centre of state propaganda, the organ which
tells a billion peoples what to think.” (Buruma, 2002)
VPRO’s RAM made a documentary about this work
of Koolhaas, and they asked him what he thought
about the criticism of supporting a dictatorial regime
with this choice. Koolhaas reacted by saying that is
“an absolute serious issue. We carefully considered
this and we are aware of any risks.” He continues
by stating that their participation “is based on the
assessment that there are forces active in China
that will develop the Chinese politics in a certain
direction, with which I can conform and which I can
support. Firstly there is privatising coming up, they
want to turn the states television into a sort of BBC
as quick as possible. And secondly I think that the
eventual influence of digitalising will be the medium
of liberation and synchronisation of information.” …
“The Chinese state is in evolution, the building has to
be finished in 2007 and it is the intent that the state
will change fundamentally and that there will occur an
autonomisation.” This assumption Koolhaas makes
here is of course extremely dangerous and Koolhaas
is totally aware of that. The reporter asks him if he
would be disappointed whether these changes will
not occur and Koolhaas answers with: “If this would
not be the case, that means our assessment is wrong
and that would be disastrous, also for me. I admit that
it is an assessment and that it could be possible we
would have mistaken us. But if I would have doubts
about it I wouldn’t do it, I am convinced that there
will be a change with the privatising of Chinese state
television and that’s why we participate.” (RAM VPRO,
2004)
Koolhaas is convinced that these changes will
occur and many other foreign firms and investors
have the same conviction. They mostly believe that
these economic changes eventually force China to
democratise. Van Pinxteren says the following about
this conviction “It’s tempting to see the economic
27Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
expansion of China as an introduction of political
change. Maybe China will almost automatically
transform its politics into democracy on the base
of the expansion, since a ‘poly-parties’ democracy
seems eventually to be the best system for a civilized
developed country.” There are Asian examples that
can make a case for this argument, like Taiwan and
South-Korea. “Still I believe that nor the Chinese
government, nor most of the Chinese believe that
China will evolve into a ‘poly-parties’ democracy.
Since my work as a correspondent in China I am
more over convinced that that is just a vision too
rash in its assumption that the Chinese government
or the ‘suppressed’ people of China agree with us
Westerners that the Western democratic system is
the most useful political system until now … We may
see it as superior to communism, fascism and the
fundamental Islam, but China’s leaders have a very
different opinion about that.” (NRC Van Pinxteren,
2006) On the verdict of RAM’s reporter that the system
is abject, Koolhaas replies: “There has never been a
system that pulled people out of poverty on this big
scale. There has never been a market system with
this effect” (Koolhaas, RAM, 2004). Ian Buruma of The
Guardian has his clear-cut opinion about the issue:
“…huge numbers of workers and peasants are being
exploited, thrown out of work or driven out of their
homes. Instead of free speech and democracy, there
is propaganda. That is what CCTV is for. And that is
what our architects are helping to maintain. It is not a
noble enterprise.” (Buruma, 2002)
28Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
In this thesis the basics of Critical Regionalism
are taken as the leading knowledge to develop a
theoretical support of eventual design concepts. This
chapter will focus on Critical Regionalism and related
theories, influenced by the author’s interpretation of
these theories.
3.� REGIONALISM
Aimed at Critical Regionalism, discussed in section
3.3, it is useful to understand Regionalism as well as
Global approaches. Regionalism was re-introduced
by Mumford in �924 as a reaction to the Beaux-Arts
Movement of that time. Regionalism to Mumford
meant architecture “based on the perception of place”
(Tzonis & Lefaivre, 2003). The regionalist interventions
in Beijing show mostly very citationist attempts, a very
common approach is to use the tilted roof on top of a
building as a traditional precedent to give the building
a Chinese feeling. Some of the new courtyard house
projects in Beijing are simply clear copies from the
past (as discussed in section 2.2). They are adapted
to the current modern needs. They show a good
example of Regionalism in Beijing.
3.2 SUPERMODERNISM
There are many attempts to categorize the global
architecture. Not the easiest job with all these varying
styles and attitudes toward design. One attempt is
of Hans Ibelings, former director of the Netherlands
Architectural institute, he called attention to the
new idea of Supermodernism, a new ‘ism’, first
introduced by the anthropologist Marc Augé in his
book: Non Lieux; introduction à une anthropologie de
la surmodernité. (Marc Augé introduced the notion
of place and non-places: If a place can be defined
as relational, historical and concerned with identity,
then a space which cannot be defined as relational,
or historical, or concerned with identity will be a non-
place) Supermodernism is seen by Ibelings as a
reaction on Postmodernism as he puts it: “The rising
of notions as indeterminacy, infinity, and neutrality can
strictly, in history of art, be seen as the prominent path
of the preliminary period, the postmodernism.” To
look beyond architecture Ibelings sees globalisation
as the generic term for a complex of changes.
Ibelings then explains the condition of supermodernity
according to Augé on three profusions: profusion of
space, the profusion of signs and the profusion of
individualisation. (Ibelings, �998)
3.3 CRITICAL REGIONALISM
Critical Regionalism was first introduced by
Alexander Tzonis and Liane Lefaivre, who dwelled
upon the regionalist ideas of Mumford, that they call
‘critical’. They explain why they named Mumford’s
regionalism ‘critical’ in their book on ‘Critical
Regionalism: Architecture and Identity in a Globalized
World’. Lefaivre writes: “since the Renaissance it
[regionalism] has always been critical of an outside
power wishing to impose an international, globalizing,
universalizing architecture against the particular local
identity...” Now she continues with an important part
of the understanding of the Critical Regionalism:
“But Mumford’s regionalism is critical in a second,
more important sense. It is critical not only towards
globalism, it is also critical of regionalism.” ... “For the
first time ... regionalism is seen as an engagement
with the global universalizing world rather than by an
attitude of resistance.” There are a lot of people who
still misjudge the Critical Regionalism as an attitude
of resistance. Lefaivre concludes then: “In this sense
we use the term Critical Regionalism, a regionalism
evolved from an internal, self-directed criticism.”
Mumford rejected the historicism, however, he
supported preservation, but he opposed to the mere
“mimicking” of historic buildings into new ones.
3 TheoreticalFramework
29Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
As what is done for instance in the hutong areas
that are now being torn down and newly rebuilt. To
quote Mumford: “it is a piece of rank materialism to
attempt to duplicate some earlier form, because of
its delight for the eye, without realizing how empty a
form is without the life that once supported it.” A clear
quotation of this past architecture was like a “costume
ball” to Mumford, trying to live the life of others. But
the past is not to be neglected and he argues: “Our
task is not to imitate the past, but to understand it, so
we may face the opportunity of our own day and deal
with them in an equally creative spirit.”
An example of this approach of an in-between the
global and local is seen in Alvar Aalto’s ‘Torre Velasca’
(pic. 46), a skyscraper in the heart of the historic
centre of Milan. The concept of the skyscraper
was very modern for that time (‘�0-’�8) but the
appearance and materiality are clearly derived from
an understanding of the local architectures.
Architectural principles can be precedents like the
courtyard of which the typology should then be
adjusted to fit the modern life-style, with the use of
global as well as local products. Learn from the past
and face the future.
3.4 DEFAMILIARIZATION
Defamiliarization is a term derived from the Russian
writer Victor Shklovsky, who used the term to explain
a technique in linguistics how to intensify the reader’s
sensation by making the familiar look unfamiliar. In
Art as Technique he writes: “The purpose of art is to
impart the sensation of things as they are perceived
and not as they are known. The technique of art is
to make objects ‘unfamiliar’, to make forms difficult,
to increase the difficulty and length of perception
because the process of perception is an aesthetic
end in itself and must be prolonged. Art is a way of
experiencing the artfulness of an object; the object is
not important.” Or as he quotes Robert Scholes: “In
art, it is our experience of the process of construction
that counts, not the finished product” (Shklovsky,
�9�7).
Defamiliarization is taken by Tzonis and Lefaivre to
apply it to architecture firstly in their book ‘Classical
Architecture, The Poetics of Order’. The theory
provides a way of rethinking classical architecture
in new design in a way other then mere copying
or citing it, but to re-use and adapt it to the actual.
Time has exceeded this architecture, and the
Romantic Regionalism and kitsch Post-modernist
copy-cat architectures neglect this actual by copying
or citing. The technique of defamiliarization is
explained by Tzonis and Lefaivre in the light of the
Critical Regionalism, that, as explained in the former
section is a merging of regional and global ideas.
Defamiliarization, in ‘Classical Architecture, The
Poetics of Order’ merges the classical with modern(-
46 Torre Velasca
The principles shown above in Tzonis’ and Lefaivre’s
explanation of Mumfords ideas form the basic
understanding of the Critical Regionalism for this
thesis. The Critical Regionalism is in this case not
seen as the mere pragmatic approach as to use local
forms and materials and adjust the building to its local
ecological environment, but the theory is used to
generate a design formula with architectural principles
derived from the past and combined with the global
products to fit the demands of our modern society.
30Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
ist) ideas. Poetics can be assisting in the use of
defamiliarization, elements or fragments are not seen
as columns roofs or doors, but as there actions;
supporting, protecting, opening, etc. Creating a new
world by using these principles in a way adapted
to the current time and making them strange in the
perception is basically the idea of defamiliarization.
Tzonis and Lefaivre propose three different
applications of the classical precedents in ‘Classical
Architecture, The Poetics of Order’; “The … citing
of classical motives …, Syncretism, and the use of
classical fragments in architectural meta-statement.”
(Tzonis and Lefaivre, �989)
With the proposal of this classification Tzonis and
Lefaivre already mention that it requires a new
study on its own. Karina Moraes Zarzar, professor
at TU Delft and the supervisor on this thesis,
further digresses upon this classification and uses
it not merely on classical architecture, like Tzonis
and Lefaivre, but in the collection of all the (local)
precedents. In her article on ‘Design Precedents and
Identity’, Zarzar explains how these three applications
can be understood. Next is an attempt of how to
understand these application principles by learning
from the theories of Tzonis and Lefaivre, and Zarzar.
Citationism is opposing to the idea of
defamiliarization, it is the approach that familiarizes or
over-familiarizes the sense of the viewer, as in Kitsch
architecture and some Post-Modern architecture.
The typical traditional Las Vegas architecture which
refers to past times and different places uses a citing
in an extreme way and actually it is mere a copying of
precedents. It “alienates the dweller from the reality.”
The surreality proposed by the architect is more a
feeling of sentiment. Zarzar asserts that it “avoids
the confrontation and tries to promote a sentimental
embracing between the building and the consumer,
a relation that is broken in modernity.” There seems
to be a lack of depth in the viewer’s process of
perception.
Syncretism and meta-statement are both applications
that use the concept of defamiliarization. In the
syncretism and meta-statement the collected
fragments of precedents may be mutated and used
in a new design in a new setting, a new compilation
combined with other elements, so they become
estranged in the perception of the viewer. The familiar
is becoming unfamiliar by rearrangement. (Zarzar,
2004)
According to Tzonis and Lefaivre the syncretism and
meta-statement are harder to isolate, but they do give
a distinguishing. They assert that in the syncretism
segments of (classical) precedents are used as to
restore the historic memory. In the syncretism there is
a kind of renewed devotion to the precedent (Tzonis
and Lefaivre, �989). In Venturi’s addition on the Allen
Memorial Art Museum he uses a similar approach.
The column he designed, shown in picture 47, is
clearly referring to the ancient Greek Ionic column.
However it is questionable whether he is or is not
defamiliarizing the column. On the one hand he
cites the literal form of an Ionic capital and on the
other hand he uses a different material and size
proportions.
In meta-statement, according to Tzonis and Lefaivre,
“segments of the (classical) precedent are used
as a medium to state something about itself, in
other words, they become statements in a bigger
statement.
The syncretism differs from the meta-statement which
can express irony and desperation and which can
become a critical commentary on the formal ways on
the architectonic thinking.”6 Both are used to raise
questions about the “dogmatic or quasi-automatic,”
6. Freely translated from the Dutch version of their book ‘Classical
Architecture, The Poetics of Order’.
3�Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
use of the classical order, according to Tzonis and
Lefaivre (Tzonis and Lefaivre, �989). And in this
case about the questions are raised about collected
precedents.
These applications can become a set of tools helping
to approach the new design. By using the syncretism
or meta-statement then we can achieve to enrich the
design with the concept of defamiliarization.
47 Venturi’s column.
32Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
This chapter is focussed on three interventions
in Beijing, chosen on their difference approach
of design. The theories presented in the former
chapter will be used to explain these approaches
and in turn the cases can clarify the presented
theories. Chronologically it starts with the most
Regional example towards and ends it with the most
Supermodern example.
As an example of a rather regionalist approach in
Beijing one project of Wu Liangyong, architect and
teacher in Beijing, is discussed in the first section. It
had several awards, under which the UN’s �992 World
Residential Prize. It is renowned for its attempt to
reintroduce courtyardhouse architecture in a modern
period.
The other highlighted cases are of two foreign (star-)
architects, Steven Holl and Paul Andreu.
The example of Steven Holl might seem Supermodern
in first appearance, but a closer look at the project
reveals the use of local precedents and it is argued
that the project might be classified as Critical
Regionalist. The example of Paul Andreu is in this
thesis taken as the extreme of a Supermodern
architecture.
Whenever analyzing a project, it is a subjective view
on the project. The architect’s intentions may differ
from the output of the analysis.
4.� WU LIANGYONG: JU’ER HUTONG
Wu Liangyong is a director of the Institute of
Architectural and Urban Studies at Tsinghua
University in Beijing. In �978 he developed a new
set of courtyard houses based on the analysis of the
traditional courtyard house typology. He came up with
a project for a modern courtyard house referred to as
the Ju’er Hutong (named after its neighbourhood).
It clearly refers to the traditional siheyuan, only this
one is answering to the demands of a higher density.
It has two- and three-storey compounds and each of
the apartments in them all share an inner courtyard.
The project is a renewal of an area that existed of
old hutong buildings that were quite dilapidated
structures. He maintained the pattern of streets
and the old trees. The structure is aesthetically well
integrated in its environment. It uses a lot of elements
of traditional architecture such as the courtyard and
the typical roofs (picture �2).
4 CaseStudiesinBeijing
48,49 Closed doors in the Ju’er Hutong
traditional Ju’er
�0 Different perspectives on privacy
�� ‘Courtyard parking’ �2 Typical siheyuan roof
�3 Ju’er Hutong from the streetside
33Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
The quality of living space has improved compared to
the former structures. Only a low number of residents
returned to the place, because of the high prices
and the lack of government financial aid. There was
much interest by wealthier families and businesses.
The project’s exquisity is a reason it gained much
attention. Because of this new mixture of people the
intensity of a sense of community is, however, lower
then it might be before. When I walked through the
area the place felt somewhat deserted, no people
were inside the courtyards. Karina Moraes Zarzar
explains (in a yet to be published article) the using of
elements of traditional architecture: “[The elements]
such as the port, the roof and the courtyard ... are
not transferred in the sense of bringing the hidden
principles to reinforce the lifestyle of the inhabitants,
but as a solace.” (Zarzar, 2006) Which she refers to
as a citationist collection of precedents (see section
3.4) The attempt to reintroduce the courtyard as
a typical typology Beijing architecture might have
missed the success because the families living there
are too segregated and keep their privacy in the
apartment. The courtyard misses an interpretation of
the modern life-style, the place is now mostly used
as a parking lot, not as a community space (picture
49). Doors in the old hutong neighbourhoods are
mostly open, while those in the Ju’er area are mostly
closed (picture 48,49). Another comparison to the old
courtyard complexes shows that the Ju’er Hutong has
windows at the street-side (picture �3) while the old
siheyuan kept the privacy strictly to the inhabitants
inside the compound (picture �0). That means
another level of private to public space has been
introduced. A garden in front provides a semi-private
space, however there is no physical connection to
the street. The choice of the placement of these
windows is however understandable as this is the
south-side of these apartments. Whereas hierarchy in
the old courtyard houses created a better setting for
the house in the north than the one on the south, the
Ju’er clearly is designed to provide every inhabitant a
qualitative living space, a modern interpretation of the
typology fulfilling the demands of today.
4.2 STEVEN HOLL: LINKED HYBRID
In 2008 to be completed, the Linked Hybrid building
designed by Steven Holl Architects is now under
construction. It is a grand housing project to
house over 2�00 people. It combines housing with
underground parking, commercial functions and
several services for the inhabitants situated in a top
ring that links all the buildings. A semi-public park
is situated at ground level, the use of integrated
�4 Linked Hybrid
�� Use of bright colours found in traditional Chinese architecture
functions is controlled by the resident’s cards. The
project uses features of traditional architecture, for
instance the bright colours (picture ��) that were used
in traditional Chinese architecture. The way in which
the colours are re-used is in a syncretic manner.
The colours are taken from their original setting and
renewed in the use on faces of the building. The
courtyard concept used in the traditional courtyard
34Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
houses seems to be applied to the complex,
as there are gardens on top of every flat that
are accessible for the residents. This is clearly
defamiliarizing
the courtyard as a concept. A somewhat syncretic
approach is used as the concept is renewed in the
project or maybe it is even a meta-statement. The
hutong could also be seen as a concept used in the
project in the ring that connects all the buildings and
contains all the public facilities. A park at ground level
resembles the Chinese garden.
Overall we could state that the concept of
defamiliarization is widely used in the project, mostly
by using the syncretism approach. The project
is therefore a good example of how to use local
precedents.
4.3 ANDREU: NATIONAL THEATRE
The national theatre of Paul Andreu is probably the
most commented project in Beijing, as it is probably
the most controversial project. Mainly this is because
it is situated close to state architecture around
Tiananmen Square and because of its round shape,
with a skin hanging like a curtain over the immense
construction that is covering the theatre. Dawson
notices the discussions that was raised by people,
mostly attacking it for its lack of concern with the
city, the national identity as well as tradition versus
modernism were discussed all over (Dawson, 200�).
I will argue that Beijing couldn’t have chosen a better
building on a better place, however, I don’t see this as
a good example from a critical regionalist view.
Near all this rigid state architecture, this building looks
alienated. But, situated at the border of the political
zone, it is still subjected to the state architecture,
although it is extremely symmetrical in its appearance
as well as the site plan surrounding it, besides,
Andreu’s building is not politically loaded it is simply
there for the entertainment of the people.
The reason why I think this building is ideally in
place and architecture, is that it is like a manifest for
globalisation, an icon for Beijing that resembles the
new capitalistic society (with a twist of communism,
or the other way around…), an extremely modern
creature. Costing about 260 million euros on itself can
be an indicator for the economic explosion in China.
It is a perfect reflection of the undergoing change for
Beijing as well for China, symbolizing the prosperity of
the country.
�6,�7 The contrast of the hutong with the theatre gives both buildings a stronger appearance.
Though prosperity doesn’t reach every citizen of
Beijing, poor people mostly don’t get the benefit of
the economical success. For instance the habitants
of hutongs get relocated and loose their socio-
economical structure, which eventually draws them
even further back behind.
I will argue that the National theatre of Beijing
symbolizes the present transformation of the Chinese
culture, a symbol purely for the wealthy China serving
3�Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
the rich inhabitants of Beijing (who can afford a ticket
for the theatre), ignoring the backside of modern
Beijing.
One thing that needs be commented on Paul
Andreu’s building, seen from the pictures (�6 & �7)
is that it provides an immense contrast to the hutong
area next to it. That contrast is strengthening the
appearance of the old hutong as well as the theatre.
It is a good example of how modern architecture can
enforce and strengthen the aesthetic appearance of
the old architecture. Concepts of defamiliarization
can hardly be derived from this project. Because of
the very supermodern approach it does not make
much sense to judge this building on the use of
defamiliarization.
36Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
5 Conclusions
Modernizing Beijing is a project of many different
faces, different opinions and different approaches.
Beijing has a long history and some beautiful
remnants of past architectures, like the old hutong
houses. Those can not simply be ignored and
swapped for a modern infill.
On the other hand you have to be honest and look at
the present demands that the modern Beijing asks
for. These old structures simply can’t cope with the
modern Beijing. They occupy a lot of ground space,
while the inner city needs more density. And they are
simply neglected over time and now lacking several
basic needs such as a toilet or water supplies.
The preserving of the hutong areas is done in a way
- as discussed in section 2.2 - that raises questions
on the authenticity. Presently these areas represent
a unique - but poor - life-style. As they will clean this
area and turn the current overcrowded dilapidated
buildings into expensive courtyard houses, the life-
style will be obviously disappearing. The hutong
will then turn into a tourist attraction that exlusively
represents the old architecture. The houses become
simulacra, inauthentic representations of the past that
once was. For the sake of the nostalgic minds.
I am pro-preservation of the hutong areas. ‘Hands
off’, that is, because these areas, like Dazhalan, will
otherwise lose their typical life-style. I would like to
see parts of the hutong-areas preserved and some
demolished and modernized. All in order to make
a composition in the Old City with high contrasts,
amazing the visitor of the different settings. From out
of the hutong areas modern architecture will stick
out in the skyline, like the setting of the National
Theatre (pictures �6 and �7). And walking through a
modern part, turning a corner, you could surprisingly
find yourself at once in an old hutong-area. This
is one of the pleasant surprises I experienced on
my visit to Beijing. Beijing without its old hutong
architecture would be as boring as Beijing without its
new modern architecture. This mutual reinforcement
of architectures is one of the most important urban
lessons from this city.
Defamiliarization has provided me a theoretical
basis to approach a new design. Preservation of
‘precedents’ is important, but more important for
architecture is to learn from these precedents. The
Critical Regionalism to me is not a conservative way
of dealing past, but a progressive way of dealing with
the future demands and learning from the past local
architectures. The different applications (discussed in
section 3.4) in the concept of defamiliarization help to
understand how to approach a design task.
With the use of these theories I try to create a
design which embeds the qualities found in the local
precedents. Therefore I analysed the hutongs and
the layout of courtyard houses, to be found in book
III. With transposing the concepts and elements of
the traditional architecture, according to the used set
of theories, I hope to design an architecture which
enriches the context and not ignoring it. On the other
hand, the design has to face the current modern
needs and has to fit into our post-modern paradigm.
37Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
DynastieTimeline
ca. 21st-16th century B.C. Xia 1700-1027 B.C. Shang 1027-771 B.C. Western Zhou 770-221 B.C. Eastern Zhou 770-476 B.C. Spring and Autumn period 475-221 B.C. Warring States period 221-207 B.C. Qin 206 B.C.-A.D. 9 Western Han A.D. 9-24 Xin (Wang Mang interregnum) A.D. 25-220 Eastern Han A.D. 220-280 Three Kingdoms (San Guo) 220-265 Wei 221-263 Shu 229-280 Wu A.D. 265-316 Western Jin A.D. 317-420 Eastern Jin A.D. 420-588 Southern and Northern Dynasties 420-588 Southern Dynasties 420-478 Song 479-501 Qi 502-556 Liang 557-588 Chen 386-588 Northern Dynasties 386-533 Northern Wei 534-549 Eastern Wei 535-557 Western Wei 550-577 Northern Qi 557-588 Northern Zhou A.D. 581-617 Sui A.D. 618-907 Tang A.D. 907-960 Five Dynasties A.D. 907-979 Ten Kingdoms 916-1125 Liao 960-1279 Song 960-1127 Northern Song 1127-1279 Southern Song 1038-1227 Western Xia 1115-1234 Jin 1279-1368 Yuan 1368-1644 Ming 1644-1911 Qing1911-1949 Republic of China 1949- People’s Republic of China
in‘China’,byJanvanderPutten,Novib2003
Information taken from the Country Study for the Library of Congress in Washington
38Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
27. Plan of the Legation Quarter, �9�2. (large format)
39Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
References
Blaser, W. Chinese Pavillion Architecture, Niederteufen, Arthur Niggli Ltd., �974.
Dawson, L. China’s new dawn: an architectural transformation, München, Prestel, 200�. �76 p.
Frampton, K. Moderne architectuur een kritische geschiedenis, Nijmegen, sun,�988 (4e druk 200�), 477 p. Deel
3, h. � ‘Kritisch regionalisme: moderne architectuur en culturele identiteit’
Guo, Q. Chinese Architecture and Planning Ideas, Methods, Techniques, Stuttgart, Edition Axel Menges, 200�.
Hung, W. Remaking Beijing, Tiananmen square and the creation of a political space, Londen, 200�, Reaktion
Books. 244 p.
Ibelings, H. Supermodernisme, architectuur in het tijdperk van globalisering. Rotterdam, Nai �998. �44 p.
Laquian, A. Beyond Metropolis: the planning and governance of Asia’s mega-urban regions, Washington,
Woodrow Wilson Center Press, 200�.
Lefaivre, L. Critical regionalism architecture and identity in a globalized world. Munich, Prestel, 2003. ��9 p.
Liangyong, W. Rehabilitating the Old City of Beijing : a project in the Ju’er Hutong neighbourhood, Vancouver,Rehabilitating the Old City of Beijing : a project in the Ju’er Hutong neighbourhood, Vancouver,
UBC Press, �999.
Mingde, L. & Zhenyong, Z. A Guidebook to Alleys in Beijing, Beijing, China Tourism Press, 200�
Putten, J. van der, China: Mensen Politiek Economie Cultuur Milieu, Amsterdam, KIT Publishers, 2003.
Qinxi, L. Ancient Chinese Architecture, Beijing, Foreign Language Press, 2002.
Rowe, P.G. & Kuan, S. Architectural encounters with essence and form, Cambridge, Massachusetts, MIT press,
2002. 2�3 p.
Sassen, S. Globalization and its discontents, New York, The New Press, �998.Globalization and its discontents, New York, The New Press, �998.
Shaughnessy, E. L. China: wereldgeschiedenis, Kerkdriel, Librero, 2006. Deel 3, h. ��, Architectuur en
planning, pp. 2�2-229
Shklovsky, V. Art as Technique, first published in �9�7, translated by Lemon and Reis in �96�, reprinted in
David Lodge, ed., Modern Criticism and Theory: A Reader, London, Longmans, �988, pp. �6-30.
Tzonis, A. & Lefaivre, L. Critical Regionalism, Architecture and Identity in a Globalized World, New York,
Prestel, 2003.
Tzonis, A. & Lefaivre, L. & Stagno, B. Tropical architecture ‘critical regionalism in the age of globalization’,
Chichester, Wiley-Academy, 200�. 3�� p.
Tzonis, A. & Lefaivre, L. & Bilodeau, D. Klassieke Architectuur, de Poetica van de Orde, Nijmegen,SUN,�989.
Vlassenrood, L. et al, China Contemporary, Rotterdam, Nai, 2006
ARTICLES:
Broudehoux, A.: Neighborhood regeneration in Beijing: an overview of projects implemented in the inner city
since 1990, �994.
Elsa, D. Chinese Architects Look to the Future while Connecting with the Past, Architectural Record, 2006
Jager, M. Identity Crisis, article in TBJ Home, July 2006 edition, Beijing, 2006
MoraesZarzar, K. Design Precedents and Identity. Procedures GA2004, 2004.
MoraesZarzar, K. Hutongs, Precedents and Identity - An Exploratory Essay on the Essences of Design
Precedents in Beijing, (yet to be published) 2006.
Tzonis, A. & Lefaivre, L. Why Critical Regionalism Today?, A+U, edition �, may �990.
Ying, T. Relocation and the people - A research on Neighborhood Renewal in the Old City of Beijing. http://
web.telia.com/~u3�22426�/index.html, �998
40Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
Cover ‘The Hollywood Remains’, copyright of Natalie Behring. (www.nataliebehring.com)
� Copyright by Rutger H. Kuipers, 2006. (Ronald McDonald taken from: www.finishingtouchshows.com
2 Copyright by Rutger H. Kuipers, 2006.
3 From Architectural Record website: http://archrecord.construction.com/china/�_projects/Olympics.asp
4 Copyright by Rutger H. Kuipers, 2006.
� Unknown
6 From: http://www.siu.edu/~dfll/Chinese/index.html
7 Photograph courtesy of Ronald G. Knapp
�988, Shuanglin zhen, Huzhou shi, Zhejiang Province
8 Photograph courtesy of Ronald G. Knapp
�987, Shifuxiang, Zhejiang Province
9 Copyright by Rutger H. Kuipers, 2006.
�0 From Google Earth
�� From: Chinese Pavillion Architecture, Werner Blaser, Niederteufen, Arthur Niggli Ltd., �974.
�2 From: www.drben.net
�3-�6 From: Qinghua Guo, Chinese Architecture and Planning, Stuttgart, Edition Axel Menges, 200�.Qinghua Guo, Chinese Architecture and Planning, Stuttgart, Edition Axel Menges, 200�.
�7 Liangyong, W. Rehabilitating the Old City of Beijing, Vancouver, UBC Press, �999.Liangyong, W. Rehabilitating the Old City of Beijing, Vancouver, UBC Press, �999.Rehabilitating the Old City of Beijing, Vancouver, UBC Press, �999.
�8-20 Copyright by Rutger H. Kuipers, 2006.
2� From: Broudehoux, A. NBroudehoux, A. Neighborhood regeneration in Beijing, �994.
22 From: http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Reln270/LINKS270.htm
23 Copyright by Travelblog.org
24 From: http://muninn.net/pics/qingdao/qingdao.html
2� American Barracks. “The images are scanned from postcards collected by Svend P. Morch during
his time of service in Tientsin.” Copyright �999, 200� by Philip R. Abbey (photographic images are
provided by Mr. Edgar C. Smith) Source: www.geocities.com/Eureka/Plaza/77�0/tientsin0�.html
26 Copyright by Rutger H. Kuipers, 2006.
27 Plan of the Legation Quarter in Beijing. From Madrolle’s Guide Books: Northern China, The Valley
of the Blue River, Korea. Hachette & Company, �9�2.
28 Copyright by Rutger H. Kuipers, 2006.
29 From: www.drben.net
30-32 Copyright by Rutger H. Kuipers, 2006.
33 Copyright by Jeff Widener from the Associated Press
34 Rowe & Kuan, Architectural encounters with essence and form, Cambridge, MIT press, 2002.
3� Copyright by NASA
36,37 Liangyong, W. Rehabilitating the Old City of Beijing, Vancouver, UBC Press, �999.Liangyong, W. Rehabilitating the Old City of Beijing, Vancouver, UBC Press, �999.Rehabilitating the Old City of Beijing, Vancouver, UBC Press, �999.
38,39 Copyright by Rutger H. Kuipers, 2006
40 In BJHGS, planning magazine, Beijing, 2006
4� Taken from Flickr.com
42 In BJHGS, planning magazine, Beijing, 2006
43 Copyright by Rutger H. Kuipers
Pictorialreferences
4�Modernizing Beijing Rutger H. Kuipers TU Delft MSc3
44,4� Blur Hotel, taken from Architectural Record http://archrecord.construction.com/
46 Torre Velasca, taken from http://web.tiscali.it/dammatra/Milano.htm
47 Column Venturi, taken from http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/venturi/add.html
48-�3 Copyright by Rutger H. Kuipers
�4 Linked Hybrid, taken from Stevenholl.com
�� Linked Hybrid, taken from www.skyscrapercity.org
�6,�7 Copyright by Rutger H. Kuipers
Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab
IMPRESSIONS
II
Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab“HUTONG ENTRANCES”
Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab“BEIJING LATTICES”
Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab“PUBLIC SPACE: BIKES,CARS,LAUNDRY AND STORAGE”
Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab“PUBLIC SPACE: DIRECT USE”
Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab“BEIJING ADVERTISEMENTS”
Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab“RED”
Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab“GREEN IN THE CITY”
Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab“HUTONG WASTE”
“MODERNIZING BEIJING”Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab
ANALYSIS & PRECEDENTS
III
“MODERNIZING BEIJING”Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab
2
1 32 courts with backyard
2 courts,1 frontyard, 1 backyard, several sideyards
1 court with frontyard
COURTYARD HOUSEAnalysis of 3 traditional types of Siheyuan
“MODERNIZING BEIJING”Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab
321
COURTYARD HOUSE
Additive form. The Courtyard house is a complex of additive forms arranged in symmetry, and along a north-south axis. Some face eachother, others stand alone. A wall encloses the whole complex.
face to face
spatial tension
Analized by the Ching-method.
Faces
Axis
“MODERNIZING BEIJING”Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab
COURTYARD HOUSEAnalized by the Ching-method.
321
Entrance.The entrance is always at the south and at the east side of the axis. The path is always fenced by a screenwall. The approach to the complex is always side-wards.
Routing.Linear, circular and radial.
secundary routing
primary routing
Configuration of the path
Orientation of units.All the units are opening to the courts. The importance of the unit are given by the thickness of the arrows. The most important buildings are oriented southwards.
Path
Approach
“MODERNIZING BEIJING”Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab
1 2 3
COURTYARD HOUSEAnalized by the Ching-method.
Spaces.The units in the complex are linked by courts. The spaces in the courts are open and semi-open, low and raised level. The picture shown beneath shows the different levels. The raised part in the court is always covered by a roof. The outer wall brings privacy to the inner court. The sloped roofs allow much sunlight.
raised level
ground level
“MODERNIZING BEIJING”Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab
PRECEDENTS Dong Nan Yuan
“MODERNIZING BEIJING”Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab
LOCATION
IV
“MODERNIZING BEIJING”Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab
CHINA
Population: 1.3 billion peopleArea: 9.6 million square meters
Rapid Economic Growth of 9 % per year due to planned economy changed to market-based economy. Because of rapid growth China planned to built 400 new cities for the next 20 years, some 20 a year. Annually there are 12 million people expected to migrate from rural areas to the urban area. Now there are 38 percent of the inhabitants living in urban areas by 2020 this should go up to 50 percent.
copyright by: www.dynamiccity.org
copyright by: www.dynamiccity.org
Source: Goldman Sachs
2005
1 USA 11,3512 Japan 4,3663 Germany 1,9664 UK 1,6475 China 1,5296 France 1,4557 Italy 1,2128 Canada 7289 Spain 65510 Mexico 642
2050
1 China 44,4532 USA 35,1653 India 27,8034 Japan 6,6735 Brazil 6,0746 Russia 5,8707 UK 3,7828 Germany 3,6039 France 3,14810 Italy 2,061
Top ten countries in Gross National Product 2005 and 2050
Europe and China compared
Urbanization
“MODERNIZING BEIJING”Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab
BEIJING
Population: 14.930.000 approx. 7.5 million in urban areaArea: 16,808 km2
Density: 888 /km2
GDP: € 41,8 billion Per capita: € 2802 Growth rate: 10 %
Ethnicity: Han (96%)Language: Mandarin
Ages: 0-14: 13,6 % 14-64: 78 % 65+: 8,4 %Median age: 34.4 years
Industry: IT, Real Estate, Automobiles
Time-zone: UTC+8
Central City 8 Central Districts 5 Ring Roads
Beijing Municipality
Metropolitan area
Inner cityDensity
Mean Temperature: Jan Feb Mar April May Jun July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
-4.4/-2.1/4.7/13.0/17.2/18.9/23.6/25.6/24.0/19.1/12.2/4.3
Images of Jing Zhou
“MODERNIZING BEIJING”Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab
Beijing has expanded in 50 years to about 20 times its size. In the 60’s and early 70’s, after the WW II, Beijing had a dramatic high natural birth-rate: 2 - 3.5 %.In the 70’s it decreased to 0.75 - 0.93 %, because of the One Family One Child Policy. From the 90’s the city started expanding due to the increase of the economy with the migration of people from the countryside.To support further expansion and to ease the pressure on the city centre, the government planned new towns in the suburb. 6 Satellite cities will be built that can accomodate 500.000 people each.
BEIJING
Images by: Jing Zhou
“MODERNIZING BEIJING”Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab
BEIJING
In the process of modernizing, Beijing has set its self a goal: upgrading the city for the 2008 Olympics. The next goals are already planned for 2020. “Two axes, two belts and multiple centres”, is the main idea of the new plans. The two important axes that will be enforced are the north-south axis along tiananmen square and the forbidden city added with the Olympic field and the east-west axis which will connect the CBD with the inner city. The belts include a development (busi-ness) belt along east Beijing and in the west a ecological belt to draw back the pollution of the city. Several new centres are planned, such as the CBD and new satellite towns circle around the city, to take the pres-sure off the centre city.
DEVELOPMENT
A lack of good infrastructure in the city leads to lots of traffic jams. To ease pressure off the roads, Beijing is ex-panding its subway network with 14 new subway-lines. Currently the city has only 3. New roads are planned in the city to improve the circulation in the city. Currently Beijing has 6 Ring Roads to circulate the fast traffic around, and a seventh is planned.
2 Belts
2nd - 5th Ring Road
2 Belts +multiple centres
“MODERNIZING BEIJING”Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab
city block subblock courtyardcompound
house room
BEIJING CHARACTER
The Old City is developed within a rigid grid of north-south and west-east oriented directions. The layout relates to the central axis that runs north to south and contains the most important monuments of Beijing.
In every level of scale from city to city-block to neighborhood (sub-block) to courtyard house and its rooms, the symmetrical lay-out of, what Liangyong calls the “fishbone-structure”, is repeated.
In the Ming dynastie an avenue would be 24 bu (about 36 meters), a street would be 2 bu (about 2 meters) and an alley would be 6 bu (about 9 meters). In that time there were about 400 alleys in the city. Due to the overcrowding smaller alleys appeared.
In the Old City the hutong areas became subjected to rapid growth and overcrowding from migrants in the 50’s when the land became state-owned. Itresulted into an increasing density, by which they lost their formal lay-outs.
To preserve the cityscape, the government introduced a building height regulation on the city centre area. Although corruption lead to the ignorance of the regulation.
Typical to Beijing is its low-rise city centre. The resulted cityscape is under pressure of modernisation. The density is too high in the center, the answer could be high-rise, which will destroy the cityscape.
From RingRoad to alley
Building Height Regulation
“MODERNIZING BEIJING”Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab
BEIJING PRESERVATION
In order to preserve the old hutong areas, or at least some of them, Beijing introduced the Preservation Plan.The yellow areas indicate the 25 areas listed for preservation.
“MODERNIZING BEIJING”Thesis by Rutger H. Kuipers TUDelft MSc 3 Studio: ExploreLab
BEIJING POSTMODERN PRESERVATION
Despite this preservation policy, still a lot of buildings get torn down and their inhabitants are being relocated to the outskirts. The buildings that are torn down are being rebuilt in their old original state. The state in which they were before they became victims of overcrowding and dilapidation. They are being adapted to the modern demands, added with good facilities like; toilets, bathroom, electricity etc. The result is a kind of postmodern replica of the courtyard house. The new buildings are then being sold again. The former inhabitants should originally be able to move back, as the government stated in their policies. But in reality the building is now so expensive that they can not afford it anymore. Moreover they will be encouraged to move to the outskirts, so there is more profit to make on the buildings. These buildings are now very popular in wealthier population groups. The combination of a traditional styled courtyard house and a prime location in the city center appeal to many people. This gentrification is a solution to the density in the innercity. It’s likely that the government doesn’t want to expose the ‘poor face’ of Beijing to its visitors and thus relocates poor people to the outskirts, ashamed as it is for their appearance.
Top Related