Heroine of disappearing hutongs
Q: Why do you love courtyards so much?
A: A love for courtyards was ingrained in me as a child. I was born in the Wuliangdaren hutong, which is named after a Ming dynasty military official. The garden was filled with trees, flowers and goldfish bowls.
It was my tiny but entire kingdom. I could enjoy the whole day despite being alone, catching dragonflies and butterflies, listening to crickets, playing house, making mud dumplings ... The joy of the small yard seemed boundless.
Q: Is your dedication to protecting Beijing's traditional architecture affected by your family background?
A: My grandfather was one of the first Chinese students to study in France in the late Qing dynasty. He studied civil engineering at the Paris Travaux school. My father followed his path to Paris to study architecture at the age of 14 and became the head of the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design not long after he returned to China in 1951. My mother was a French-language broadcaster for China and she used to do programmes about Chinese culture on things like how peddlers in hutongs called out for their business. I was affected by them to some extent, but most of all, I love hutongs because my life is so much involved in them and also because they are a cultural treasure for every Chinese person.
Q: What brought you back to Beijing again after your family was forced to leave China for Paris during the Cultural Revolution?
A: No matter where I go, I always miss Beijing. From a young age, I considered myself the same as every one of my playmates. During the Cultural Revolution, I wished I didn't look different because it brought me too much attention. When I came back in the early 1990s, I was so excited at the great changes in the capital and could not wait to show how great they were to my French friends.
Q: How did you become an activist fighting for courtyards?
A: One day in 1997 I saw a large area of courtyards under destruction where the Xidan shopping malls are now located. I was then a housewife and busy taking care of my two daughters. I thought it was an isolated incident because I could not imagine that anybody would have the heart to destroy that beautiful and priceless architecture. I was so appalled when I realised the demolition would change the whole face of the city. I could not sit there witnessing the brutality and do nothing.
Q: Are your essays the main way you call for conservation?
A: Since 1997 I have cycled to almost every hutong in Beijing. Whenever I find out that demolition is planned for particularly valuable courtyards I write to the officials in charge, the media, and some influential experts, calling for attention.
Q: Has your writing actually saved areas from threat?
A: Sometimes it works, and the 'development plans' are called off. But more often it is futile. Therefore I am now writing more legal reports than essays. I try to teach people how to use the law to protect their private property rights against misappropriation by developers and governments.
Q: Do you ever feel you are battling powerful opponents alone?
A: I am not alone. I believe many Chinese share my feelings for the courtyards. But a lack of co-ordination means their voices cannot be heard collectively. The problem is so many courtyards are dilapidated because they could be demolished at any time and the owners dare not renovate them.
