Hutong Heart-Picturing the Petite Street

晨曲

◆Text by Yin Rong

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Strolling the hutongs (small alleys) of Beijing, you may come across a particular group of people carrying professional cameras and shooting their surroundings with above-average attention to detail. Any person, animal, thing - even an old door or a plant - may be in focus through their lens. They are the “Old Beijing Photography Group (OBPG).”

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Hutong Marks
Zhang Wei, 29, one of the organizers of OBPG, admits he became obsessed with Beijing’s hutongs in 2000, after his family moved away from a Dongbanbi Street siheyuan (a courtyard residence with houses on four sides). “When we left, we only took the Korean pine window lattice of the old house. Whenever I see a beautiful window lattice, I think of my old house, which stands no longer,” says Zhang. “All these fantastic things disappear in the twinkling of an eye. So I decided I should do something about it, to leave something for later generations.”
Zhang since began to carry his camera to photograph the old hutongs and siheyuans to record them. That same year he also launched a website, www.oldbeijing.net, picturing traditional scenic spots and information on the hutongs of Beijing. The website generated a lot of interest among the fans of tradition and old-style ambience, and soon Zhang resigned from his regular job to become a professional observer of hutongs. “Beijing changes so fast that my spare time was not enough to keep up. When I was engaged in my own work for one or two days, some hutongs and siheyuans were demolished. So I quit my job. To preserve hutongs means more to me than a job. I will never give up,” Zhang says. “Photos can reflect and record the changes of the city completely, truly and objectively. We came together on the website and named ourselves the ‘Old Beijing Photography Group.’ Our campaign is a totally voluntary activity. Each of us photographs the hutongs and records the interesting stories of the hutongs according to our own interest.”

 

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The members of OBPG come from all walks of life. Some are university students; some are retired workers; many are parents who take their children along. “I grew up in a hutong. I have many beautiful childhood memories from that time. Old hutongs are fewer and fewer. I am afraid that my son would never see them, so I bring him here to experience some of what I did when I was a child. I hope the visit can foster his awareness of protecting historical relics and traditional culture,” says Mr. He. Kids are often a part of the OBPG experience, and much that happens in hutongs is new to them. The adult group members say that the expeditions instill in the youngsters an appreciation of these ancient alleys.

 

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While still a junior in the University of International Business and Economics, Wang Long became a charter member of OBPG. “I grew up in Beijing. Almost all the buildings of my schools were ancient structures. When I was in second grade of my senior high school, I studied an article named Culture of Hutong and I was fascinated by the way of life described. Later, my participation in the drama Tea House staged at school further developed my affection for ancient Beijing culture. So at the very beginning of OBPG, I joined in,” Wang tells this reporter. “Photographers usually shoot the beautiful aspect of things. But we want to record what is real and original. What we record may be just the wash on a clothesline, an old tricycle or a piece of tile in the courtyard. They may not be beautiful in the eyes of most people, but they can evidence history,” Wang continues, adding that they in no way alter or pose their subjects. In terms of this principle, OBPG presents not only the whole of ancient Beijing, but also the details which can reflect those former flavors. Subjects may be arches, stairs, handrails, carvings and awnings, and their work is full and accurate.

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Effect and Expectation
There are no restrictions in the membership of OBPG. If one has interest, one can join. Since 2005, about 5,000 people from China and beyond have participated. Foreign members have come from France, Singapore, Switzerland, the US and other nations. Collectively, their lenses have taken in almost all the hutongs in Beijing, besides those that have been demolished. More than 300,000 pictures and millions upon millions of words were conceived in honor of these small back streets. The appeal is broad, with increasing numbers of people joining in and engaging their own specialized ancillary interest. Some net friends established sub-groups to promote interests in subjects like traditional Beijing foods, folk-custom collectables and performing arts.
Most still images of old Beijing before the 1950s were captured by foreigners, and few photos and words systematically depicting the all-round Beijing of the 20th century were recorded by the Chinese themselves. “We are endeavoring to set up a complete database on the changes of Beijing’s old city proper after 2005. The tracking data will be based on the numbers on the doorplates. We’ll photograph them annually and then compare the changes. And we will further promote old Beijing and enable more people to better appreciate the splendid culture of this ancient city,” says Zhang.

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/ }6 I* B* C; l! ?% ^: j5 |  Old Beijing Photography Group focuses on the details. by Wang Long   ) I: h+ Q) i( F5 W2 s5 W" q6 b" P- X