Chapter 7 3. Wearing ill-fitting "foreign trousers and coats"

In January 2010, Beijing Mayor Guo Jinlong stated in his government work report that "building a world city" was set as the future development direction of Beijing, and the specific completion time of this goal was set as 2050.For a while, how far is Beijing from the "world city"?How to go full speed ahead?Become the focus of heated discussions among experts and media.What we are more concerned about in this book is that when Beijing drags its permanent population of 17.55 million (experts predict that it will exceed 25 million by 2020) and strides forward towards the goal of "world city", as one of the 17.55 million Will you be better off?

You may be wondering, what should a "world city" look like?Currently recognized world cities are New York, London and Tokyo. "World city" represents the high-end form of an international metropolis, which has an important influence on the global economy, politics and culture.If Beijing aspires to become a "world city", then she must fully meet the standards in these five subjects, that is, to become an international financial center, a decision-making control center, a gathering place for international activities, an information release center, and a high-end talent gathering center.

It can be seen that becoming a world city is undoubtedly a test of both internal and external cultivation for Beijing.But no matter what she looks like, Beijing should be a "livable city" first, otherwise, what is the attraction of a pile of unpopular reinforced concrete?Even if she seems to have fulfilled the targets in some official figures in the future, it is just a cold specimen of a world city. On this point, Jeffrey L. Soule, national policy director of the American Planning Association and academician-level registered planner, obviously has a more "painful" feeling.He is an American scholar who has been involved in Chinese urban planning for a long time, and he thinks he loves the city of Beijing deeply, but he returned to Beijing in 2005 and walked along Chang'an Street from the downtown area to the edge of the city on the East Fifth Ring Road. , could not help lamenting that Beijing is "wearing tacky foreign trousers and coats".

"Beijing has packaged itself with images of the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City, but the reality of the city today is unsatisfactory: roads are mechanically planned, subway stations are set without regard for connections with communities, businesses and tourist attractions," honorably Isolated' from people's needs, values ​​and daily activities. A distinctive historic city is being systematically reset to an urban form that can be seen everywhere, as in late 19th century America, where developers are self-proclaimed The new emperor, the public domain is only an afterthought. Maybe some people think that the bare squares and symbolic cultural institutions are enough to represent the construction of public utilities. Why does Beijing, which has a civilization of more than 5,000 years, have to look like a teenager? Acting recklessly, and wearing tacky foreign trousers?"?

As an outsider, Su Jiefang pointed out unceremoniously: "The construction of ugly and inhuman buildings strung together by endless and wide highways is fundamentally a result of self-expansion and mutual interests. I believe that every Chinese mayor wants to build a great city, but most Chinese officials lack training in urban planning, respect for academic traditions makes these leaders naturally turn to professors and experts for advice. Many of these academics are earning money by starting their activities as commercial contractors or working with foreign companies to acquire design projects. The resulting conflicts of interest disqualify these individuals from being leaders Consultant."

Also, "the design-related media is shirking its responsibility to inform, criticize, and provide judgmental commentary that cities are for the people, not for the fairies who see them as geometric toys in the sky built. I implore city officials to perceive their cities as citizens do, with their feet in the streets, not in helicopters, in speeding luxury cars, or in front of expensive models.” Obviously, as the capital, Beijing's urban construction lacks "Beijing characteristics" and humanized public areas and facilities. This fact makes a foreigner heartbroken.Among them, a large number of historical and cultural buildings in old Beijing represented by hutongs were destroyed, which is "a sad thing".Su Jiefang couldn't understand, "A country with the greatest urban design heritage can deny its past so systematically. When Europeans were still sharing their dark shabby rooms with pigs, ancient Chang'an had become the largest and most magnificent city in the world. the city."

However, hutongs full of Beijing characteristics are rapidly disappearing at a rate of 600 per year.In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were more than 7,000 hutongs in Beijing, but by the 1980s, only about 3,900 were left.According to the data in 2005, in the old city of about 62.5 square kilometers in Beijing, the area of ​​the traditional architectural features of courtyard houses in the old city and the area of ​​traditional and modern mixed areas accounted for only 43.7% of the total; what has been presented is a completely modern style The area accounts for 36.67%; the area that has become roads and modern squares accounts for 19.63%.These traditional buildings in the old city, which can reflect the original flavor of old Beijing, are dying out at an average annual rate of one square kilometer in recent years.No wonder, Hong Kong writer and photographer Liao Weitang had to sigh: "You can't find Beijing in Beijing."

In fact, as early as 1950, Liang Sicheng put forward the concept of "the old city is the best" for the expansion and reconstruction of Beijing City.He insisted on building a new city in the west of Beijing, making Chang'an Avenue like a pole, and carrying them on the shoulders of the earth. One end is the political heart of modern China, and the other end is the city museum of ancient China. "Battle the old and the new, take into account both the ancient and the modern", "balanced development". However, the "Proposal on the Central Area of ​​the Central People's Government" proposed by him, Chen Zhanxiang and other architects was rejected by the central government.Mao Zedong said: "Looking from Tiananmen, there should be chimneys everywhere." In other words, Beijing should not only become a political and cultural center, but also a huge industrial base. "The working class should occupy a dominant proportion of the capital's population." Beijing's heavy industry index rose rapidly, and finally became the second largest industrial city after Shenyang.Industry has brought great wealth to Beijing, but it has also brought great disasters.Land, water, and housing are becoming more and more tense, and pollution is getting heavier.In his later years, Zhou Enlai once sighed: "When will I be able to see the blue sky of Beijing again?" The most important thing is that the politicians who came to Tiananmen from the backcountry are very determined. They want to destroy the old Beijing and build a new Beijing. .Liang Sicheng's proposal was bound to be rejected.

Then, after a large number of historical buildings representing the well life in old Beijing like hutongs were demolished, what was built in the central area of ​​Beijing?You might have to ask the real estate developers who are making a lot of money. As of 2005, Beijing had about 100 golf courses. Satellite imagery shows that many courses are built on public green spaces and cultivated land in Beijing's urban master plan. "There are more than 300 villa projects in Beijing, which is too many. A large number of urban public green spaces have been encroached on, causing them to serve a few people and some interest groups. This phenomenon is worthy of vigilance." Mao Qizhi, deputy dean of the School of Architecture of Tsinghua University, said.

In 2005, the housing construction area in Beijing reached 500 million square meters, an increase of 150 million square meters compared with 2000, and 80% of the houses were concentrated in the central city and the suburbs.This kind of construction speed will inevitably make the central city expand, which runs counter to the comfort level that residents need to achieve in life. As mentioned before, Beijing’s urban planning and construction have long adopted the model of “spreading big cakes”. This single-center urban development model was determined by Soviet experts in the 1950s based on Moscow’s planning. When Soviet experts guided Beijing in urban planning, Moscow’s overall urban planning centered on the Kremlin and radiated to the surroundings had already shown its drawbacks.In order to solve the problems of transportation and life caused by the overly complex urban functions, Moscow began to formulate new plans in the 1960s, changing the original single-center structure into a multi-center structure, and connecting the wedge-shaped green belts connecting the suburban forests. Infiltrate the city center.This transformation of Moscow is known as the best planned among the major cities in the world.But to this day, Beijing's urban construction is still developing along the single-center model that Soviet experts helped to determine.

In terms of urban construction, no matter how good or bad Beijing's "superficial" efforts are, in short, she has done it, and she has done enough.So, what about the rest?How is she doing other parts that are closely related to daily life? On July 10, 2004, the urban area of ​​Beijing was hit by a torrential rain. Hundreds of roads and residential areas in the urban area were flooded. In some areas, traffic and power were interrupted. Mentougou District also caused mudslides.Niu Youcheng, the deputy mayor of Beijing at the time, summed up the accident in this way: "The main problem in Beijing is the lack of water. Due to years of drought, various departments are very experienced in fighting droughts, but they have not encountered floods for many years." However, Premier Wen Jiabao later issued instructions In the long run, some reflections on urban construction are needed to build the capital better. In fact, the traffic congestion caused by the heavy rain in Beijing this time has a lot to do with the urban drainage system.Premier Wen's words are very tactful, but the media will not be so polite. "China Youth Daily" published an article on July 13, "Strange Status Quo of Urban Planning in my country: Only Building Big Squares and Not Sewerage Roads."The article pointed out three problems in China's urban construction: willingness to build large squares, but unwilling to build sewage channels; inviting experts to do planning is just for show; comparing with each other to make the city bigger and stronger. Zou Shimeng, vice president of the China Urban Planning Association, said: "Nowadays, there are many cities with large squares, but there are very few cities with a truly complete sewage treatment system." This is because, "The square is an 'image project' , 'Political Achievement Project', everyone can see it, and the sewage treatment system is closely related to urban environmental construction and citizens' life, but due to the large investment, high operating costs, and invisible to ordinary people, local government leaders do not pay attention to it." In Beijing, “a lot of planning is still driven by the desire for wealth and power in three dimensions. Even though China’s economic policy has changed since 1979, the stereotype that mechanically treats planning as construction and house-building Perceptions resist change. In the long run, this situation must change, otherwise it will be unsustainable and uninhabitable.” Comparing the before and after, Liang Sicheng's words still ring in my ears: "The city is a science. It has meridians, pulses, and textures like the human body. If you treat it unscientifically, it will get sick. As a modern capital, Beijing City has not yet grown. It is big, so it will not get heart disease, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure and other diseases. Now it will only get some children's colds. But many cities in the world have grown up, we should not take the wrong path of others , now no one believes that cities are a science, but the experience of some developed countries is documented. Sooner or later, you will see that Beijing will have serious problems in traffic, industrial pollution, population, etc. I have so far I don’t think my original plan for Beijing was wrong (referring to the 1950 “Proposal on the Location of the Central People’s Government of the Central People’s Government”). It’s just that there are still many problems to be solved in detail.” Facing today's Beijing, which is dressed in ill-fitting "foreign trousers and jackets", do you know where the problem lies?Perhaps as Su Jiefang lamented: “This is a dysfunctional system, in which architects and reviewers are playing the same game, while people who have to live with the consequences of their choices are excluded. Only the personal accounts of the judges and architects are in the bank, which is not fair at all.” Beijing, this extraordinary city, may never belong to the ordinary you and me. Beijing is not Shanghai, Shenzhen, or Guangzhou. It is the most unique city in China, and it is the capital.In the past, she listened to power; now, she listens to both power and money.When had she heard the words of an ordinary commoner, an ordinary commoner who had lived in the city for generations, an ordinary commoner who was full of longing, and wanted to live in the city through all kinds of hardships? "Compared with world cities such as Paris, New York, London and Tokyo, Beijing still has many deficiencies. This is not mainly in terms of per capita GDP, high-rise buildings and ring roads, but in green, coordinated ecosystems and world exchanges. In terms of key nodes.” said Wu Jisong, a professor at the China Circular Economy Research Center of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics and former director of the Water Resources Department of the Ministry of Water Resources. It is not difficult to make up for the lack of hardware facilities, but Beijing needs to truly start from the people's livelihood, not only with the image of the capital, but with the attitude of a livable city to absorb more foreign forces, but it cannot be achieved overnight. .Because she has been the boss for too many years.