Old hutongs are revitalized through creative industry

On August 15, with the curtain taken off the roof of number 46 Fangjia Hutong, a trans-genre art zone in the core of Beijing officially opened to the public. At the same time, Deep Hutong Beijing Summer Art Festival kicked off, as part of a series of activities entitled Creative Yonghe in Dongcheng District. From August 16 to 22, audiences will be able to visit “The Imagery of Beijing,” a classic performed by Beijing Modern Dance Company, and also enjoy many artistic experiences, such as painting exhibits, experimental films, games, VIP cocktail parties, and creative workshops.

Creative artists tour hutongs by bicycle

At the site of the activities, there are green lawns, beautiful lights, and soothing music… Without vehicle and noise pollution, people feel far from the madding crowd. Reporters learned that number 46 Fangjia Hutong was originally a factory building of Beijing Machine Tool Plant, bordering with historic sites like Yonghegong Lama Temple, Imperial Academy, Confucius Temple and the Bell and Drum Towers. Peng Xiang, director of the management committee of Yonghe garden in Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park, the sponsor of the activities, mentioned that the theme of Creative Yonghe is greenery, growth and originality.

In this tour of creativity, the cluster of creative industries in Dongcheng District will be open to the public in an environmentally-friendly way. Visitors are encouraged to walk or ride bicycles during their visit in order to get an insight into the genuine life of a hutong. More than ten creative artists, from China and abroad, have toured the hutong starting from the Imperial Academy.

Reporters learned that number 46 Fangjia Hutong is an art center which defines itself as trans-genre and “future sharing.” Currently, more than 40 enterprises and institutions in the creative industry have set up in the zone, such as Beijing Modern Dance Company, Weiliweisheng Architectural Design Research center, Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center, Beijing Columbia University International Consulting Company (Exchange Center for School of Architecture, Columbia University ) and Hanyutang (Beijing) Education and Technology Co. Ltd, which cover international trans-genre co-operation in the fields of film and television, music and animation, original design and non-profit culture. In the opening ceremony, Zhang Changcheng, head of Beijing Modern Dance Company, said that a performance, along the theme of “Artistic Hutong,” was chosen for the opening ceremony. Artistic Hutong, a presentation of art in hutongs, is an interaction between modern and traditional art.

As one of the districts in central Beijing, Dongcheng is rich in historical cultural resources. In recent years, the creative hutong culture has become beautiful scenery, which is epitomized by number 46 Fangjia Hutong. Currently, there are more than 10 clusters of creative industries in Doncheng District, referred to as factories of creativity in hutongs. The charm of creativity has taken roots in these traditional courtyards, and a good environment for creativity has already formed.

Translated by LOTO