THE startling Chinese character 'chai' daubed in white paint on the grey walls spells out the future for dozens of Beijing's oldest neighbourhoods. Chai means demolition. The houses, the siheyuan - courtyard homes - and the many hutong, the alleyways that connect them, were once typical features of the ancient capital. Now they are disappearing fast.
While young people savour the prospects of modern facilities in new high-rise accommodation beside ring roads, the old folks are not so happy. They see their vanishing neighbourhoods as a sad epilogue in their troubled lives which have already been scarred by war and revolution.
Now disruption is from the so-called march of progress: construction of a seven-kilometre dual carriageway planned to alleviate the city's worsening traffic chaos.
Cultural relics bureaus, architects and many citizens and visitors who regard the hutong and siheyuan as essential to Beijing's character are also upset by the prospect.
'The general ancient outlook that once distinguished Beijing has gone,' mourns Ma Xuchu, an elderly architect whose family for generations renovated and maintained the Forbidden City, once home to 23 emperors and the largest concentration of ancient palatial buildings in the world. 'Unlike Rome, Venice, Paris, it's difficult to tell Beijing apart from other metropolises without the hutong and siheyuan,' Mr Ma says.
'Nowadays, only visits to such renowned sites like the Forbidden City actually convince people they are in Beijing.' Like its citizens, Beijing has seen many changes. A major city, Zhongud or Middle Capital, was first built on the site during the Liao Dynasty about 1,000 years ago. Immediately afterwards, Yanjing took its place.
