Dazhalan: ex house

Some of the theaters and shops (such as Tongrentang Pharmacy) have been operating in the same building in Dazhalan for more than a century.

Until recently, Dazhalan was one of the most interesting hutong areas left in the capital. But there's not too much of it remaining now: the last year has seen much of the area demolished.

Nobody seems too sure what will come in its place, although the story that is most common is that Dazhalan will be rebuilt as a tourist attraction in faux-Qing style.

Since 2005, the designer and cultural critic Ou Ning has been working on a documentary project together with several other artists. It's called the Dazahalan Project, and its aim is to research and document the changes happening in the area. With good results: It is well worth spending some time trawling around the Dazahalan Project website.

Your correspondent spent a few hours wandering around Dazhalan with Muzi Mei a few weeks ago. She shot the video below on a small stills camera. It's low tech, low res and without any narrative, so don't expect anything professional. Nonetheless, the video manages to capture something of the atmosphere of Dazhalan during demolition, and features a manic page-through glimpse of Ou Ning's 1998 book New Sound of Beijing (北京新声) as its closing sequence.

UPDATE:In the comments, from American writer Mike Meyer who lives in the area:

Danwei readers interested in this topic, as well as in supporting the work of a writer relying on the sale of his work, not grants, may want to pick up an excellent history by Zhang Jinqi （张今起）, who lives in a Dashilan'r dazayuan'r: "八大胡同里的尘绿旧事". The text is available at the Dashilan'r branch of Xinhua bookstore, and costs 26.80 yuan.