Beijing Record: A Physical and Political History of Planning Modern Beijing by Wang Jun (2003 Mandarin, 2011 English) is a mundane title used to hide the author’s anguish and sadness over the destruction of old Beijing.
Written by journalist Wang Jun after a decade of investigation, it examines the sweeping changes to the city’s historic architecture and urban layout, especially during the 1950s and 1960s.
Why were historical structures like city walls, gateways, old temples, hutongs (traditional alleyways), siheyuan (courtyard houses), and memorial archways destroyed in the name of development?
Why was old Beijing not left untouched, and a new city built in an adjacent area like the old historic medina city of Fez, and the new Fez built by the French?
When the French took control of Fez in 1912, they deliberately chose not to radically alter the historic medina (Old Fez) but instead built a separate European-style “New City” (Ville Nouvelle) adjacent to it.
A substantial portion of the book, Beijing Record, is on the life of architect Liang Sicheng, whose vision for preserving Beijing’s historical layout clashed with political and development agendas.
LWH, 27 August 2025