When sculptor Bai Zheng first stepped into the Changgong Hotel, a two-storey building on Dashilan market street in Beijing, he was completely astonished.

"Totally in wood, the roof is classical and elegant, the railings are dedicate, the rooms are unsophisticated," Bai recalled. "The whole building dragged me back to several centuries ago."

Bai recorded those impressions with his camera, unaware of the enormous project he had unleashed. The "Guizhou Guild" hotel is just one of hundreds of memorable buildings in Dashilan, the oldest shopping area in Beijing.

Used as a hotel for two centuries, it was originally open only to people from Guizhou who came to Beijing either for business or the imperial examination.

Zhang Fengli, today's owner of the hotel, told Bai he spent 1 million yuan (US$120,000) on renovations eight years ago to return the hotel to its original image when it was occupied by more than 40 families.

Today, there are 1,430 shops like the Changgong Hotel that represent the old building style in Dashilan, which used to be one of the most populous areas in Beijing with its 114 hutong.

"Each building, shop and hutong in this ancient district must have its own unique story," Bai realized.

He persuaded two of his friends, Cui Yong and Wang Weiqing, to help him record the old stories of Dashilan.

The three-man work group organized an 8-year project to videotape those stories, with the title "Dashilan Reminiscence."

"It is like old wine"

Dashilan street, also called "Lang Fang Si Tiao," began construction in 1403 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It gained fame because of its central market street area and the entire district that gradually developed around it. Eventually, the entire area was called Dashilan, not just the street.

Occupying about 1.3 square kilometres, the district has changed little since it was built 500 years ago, despite having been destroyed by a fire in 1900 that was set by followers of the 'Yihetuan Movement (known in the West as Boxers Uprising),' an anti-imperialist armed struggle waged by North China peasants and handicraftsmen.

In the ancient layout, the east section of Dashilan District was Beijing's earliest financial area where banks, jewellery, gold and silver shops were located, in addition to 29 official mints.

Venerable shops such as the Tongrentang Pharmacy, Neiliansheng Shoe Shop, Liubiju Sauce and Pickle Shop and Zhang Yiyuan Tea Shop stand in the north section. To guard against thieves, dozens of "Biao Ju" (commercial security firms providing armed escorts or bodyguards) operated in the area.

The western part, called "Dong Liu Li Chang," was known for selling old books, curios, calligraphy, paintings and "Wen Fang Si Bao" (writing brushes, ink sticks, ink slabs and paper).

The southern section includes theatres and tea shops. Most of the famous performers of the Peking Opera got their start in the area. "Ba Da Hu Tong, said to be the most popular brothel area in Beijing, was also located there.

Moreover, 49 newspapers and two broadcasting stations in Dashilan formed Beijing's original media centre.

After spending about half a year investigating the district, Bai realized it would be necessary to change his original plans.

"At the very beginning, we planned to classify the story into several pieces, including people, architecture, folk-customs, opera and Chinese medicine. But when we began to shoot, we found these pieces were so closely connected that they could not be separated," said Cui Yong, 34, a film art director.

"Look at this house," Cui said, pointing to his photo of a little house besides a public toilet. "It was the old residence of Mei Lanfang, the most famous Peking Opera singer."

In Cui's view, "It is the buildings and people together that make up a whole story."

"It is like an old wine.The more you drink, the more you feel its brilliance and sweetness."

"Qianshi Hutong" (money market hutong), is one of the narrowest hutongs in Beijing, an area where old banks and mints were built. This hutong is said to be the birthplace of the earliest money market in Beijing. "The No. 6 room used to be a bank, but the No. 4 room was a mint to monetize gold," said Bai, holding a map he produced which clearly details history about each room.

The narrowest part of the hutong is about 70 centimetres wide, and the widest part is no more than 1.5 metres, which only allows one person to go through. "It was designed to prevent thieves from escaping," Cai said.

"We do it just because we love it"

Bai Zheng and Cui Yong, who both grew up in Beijing, have developed special affection towards Dashilan.

"Five star hotels and modern malls are just one part of Beijing," said Bai, "If you want to see Beijing's past, you should come to Dashilan and ramble around the hutongs," he said.

Unfortunately, further work on the project is limited by inadequate funding, said Cui, who is the only sponsor of the programme, and has already spent 30,000 yuan(US$3,627) to buy a pickup camera and tapes, as well as lunches for the work team. He is hoping that sales from each piece of film can be used to finance the next part.

"We hope it won't be demolished"

Dashilan, with its ancient buildings, is considered a declining commercial centre.

"How to develop Dashilan's commercial potential while protecting its cultural value is a complicated issue. And a detailed implementation plan is under discussion," said Zhao Changshan, the vice chairman of Xuanwu District government in which Dashilan is located.

There are now about 20,000 people living in Dashilan, most of whom are looking forward to a renovation.

"It should be rebuilt," said Liu Zhiyuan, 82, who has lived in Dashilan for more than 50 years. "I hope I could live in a larger and brighter house," he said. "But, at least I no longer have to heat my house with a stove using coal briquettes."

But the three young men hope Dashilan will be rebuilt rather than demolished, as it could be turned into a museum, tour site and a commercial centre featuring Beijing's special folk culture.

"If it is demolished, the last ancient and integrated market street of Beijing will no longer exist," said Wang Weiqing, who is from Henan Province. "What is dying is always the most precious." Wang, Bai and Cui vow to preserve those special memories and record the exciting history of one of Beijing's most popular areas.

(China Daily March 6, 2002)