By Jun Wang

Beijing checklist, the results of ten years of analysis at the city transformation of Beijing within the final fifty years, brings to a longer Western viewers the interior tale at the key judgements that ended in Beijing's current city fragmentation and its lack of reminiscence and heritage within the kind of bulldozing its architectural background. Wang's e-book offers a survey of the most advancements and government-level (both critical and municipal) judgements, devoting loads of consciousness to the Fifties and Sixties, whilst Beijing skilled a severe wave of transformative events.
Shortly after its unique chinese language bestseller version used to be released by way of SDX joint Publishing corporation residence in October 2003, it ignited a firestorm of dialogue and dialogue in a rustic the place public interplay over any such delicate topic hardly surfaces. The chinese language version is in its eleventh print run and used to be translated into jap in 2008. This newly-translated English model has the newest replace at the author's findings within the region. because the basically version revealed in complete colour with approximately three hundred illustrations, the English model powerfully showcases the beautiful structure, tradition, and historical past of China's Dynamic Capital, Beijing.

Home to greater than 15 million humans, this old capital urban - no longer strangely - has a arguable, complex historical past of making plans and politics, improvement and demolition. The ebook increases a few unsettling questions: Why have a necessary old architectural background reminiscent of urban ramparts, gateways, outdated temples, memorial archways and the city cloth of hutongs (traditional alleyways) and siheyuan (courtyard homes) been visibly disappearing for many years? Why are such a lot of homes being demolished at a time of financial development? isn't any one ready to face up for the protection of the city?

For his examine, Wang went via innumerable data, learn diaries and picked up an unparalleled volume of knowledge, gaining access to firsthand fabrics and unearthing pictures that essentially record the city's relentless, unparalleled actual makeover. moreover, he carried out greater than 50 in-person interviews with officers, planners, students and different specialists. Many illustrations are released right here for the 1st time, compiled within the Nineties whilst archival public entry used to be reformulated.

"One decade into the city century, with over half the world's inhabitants dwelling in towns, Wang Jun's masterful account of the fashionable historical past of making plans in Beijing has given us a smart and cautionary story for planners, coverage makers and an individual drawn to place-making. not like the other account, Wang combines his wisdom of the evidence of previous efforts to steer Beijing with the little-known political panorama in the back of the choices. Wang Jun's Beijing list sharply defines the alternatives twenty first century towns all face -- balancing tradition, background and improvement -- in a fascinating and sobering account of this historic city's final failure in awesome that balance." ---- Jeffrey Soule, Fellow of the yank Institute of qualified Planners (FAICP); Director, Outreach and foreign courses, American making plans organization

"Wang Jun is a unprecedented breed between modern chinese language reporters. while he seizes upon a subject matter which he cares approximately profoundly, he delves tirelessly into it until eventually he gathers the entire proof and permits them to communicate incisively for themselves. As somebody who lives in a courtyard condominium at the back of the Forbidden urban for the earlier ten years, i'm a witness to the kingdom of this maintenance of previous Beijing which Wang Jun writes approximately with a robust feel of urgency. He writes passionately with out letting the examine and evidence conquer his experience of private committment. it is a must-read for a person who's attracted to chinese language tradition, historical past and environment." -- --Liu Heung Shing, Pulitzer prize-winning photographer, writer of China After Mao; China, Portrait of a Country

"Beijing checklist is handsomely illustrated with infrequent pictures of Beijing in the course of its destruction within the 1950s."-- --The ny evaluation of Books