In the first chapter Spaces of Everyday Diversity, the concept of ABCs, namely art galleries, boutiques, and cafes is brought up by the authors to refer to a kind of transnational sign of gentrification. While reading it, it reminds me of my experience of exploring Beijing Hutongs, where I think the term ABCs is very well applied.
Beijing is famous for its Hutong, a kind of architecture that has very long history and is well preserved to the present days. It represents a city look that is unique to Beijing and is culturally meaningful. Until now, it is still the living spaces for many citizens in Beijing. I’ve lived in Beijing for more than 4 years and from my experience, I think Hutongs are definitely not merely places for people to reside, but places that can serve tourism and commerce functions, and places where people can spend a whole day walking along and then having a rest anytime they want.
In Beijing, different Hutongs attract different groups of people. For instance, the one that is the favorite of tourists is called Nanluoguxiang. In the four years of time when I lived in Beijing, whenever I went there, that place is always full of people coming from all over China. In recent years, it has become a must-go site when someone travels in Beijing. However, this place is just too commercialized partly due to its booming tourism. It is filled with mediocre food stalls and restaurants, boring souvenir shops, clothes shops where tourists are willing to buy some little stuffs for prices that are not low actually. There is no doubt that this place contains huge commercial values and provides those shops with a great opportunity to make money from tourists, but the crowds and shops that lack personality and characters just makes it an ordinary pedestrian area that is frequented by tourists in any other city.
.
Compared to the never-ending noise in Nanluoguxiang, Wudaoying, another Hutong in Beijing seems to be a bit quieter and more comfortable, and much less crowded. This place is a famous site for “Wenyiqingnian”, which refers to young people who love culture and arts. This place has a lot of great coffee shops that serve much better coffee than that someone buy in Starbucks. At Wudaoying, restaurants specialized in cuisines from all over the world can be found, and boutique shops are also another kind of attraction of the place. Although there are also tourists at Wudaoying, it is more liked by local people who spend their weekends and holidays there to hang out with friends, have brunch and enjoy a cup of nice coffee.
It is true that places like coffee shops, boutique shops, and fancy restaurants can also be found anywhere else in a city, but when they are all gathered in a place where historical atmosphere is as strong as it is in a Beijing Hutong, I think this gives a very different feeling that one can enjoy modern pleasures in a comparatively old surrounding and environment represented by architectures. This is the unique charm that ABCs have in Beijing Hutong.
Leave a Reply