Beijing Postcards BookClub: The Last Days of Old Beijing

Michael Meyer lived for two years in the Dashilar area only 100 meters from where our gallery is today (what is the odds of that?!). He interviewed residents and conducted research in many ways related to the Beijing Postcards project of today. “The Last Days of Old Beijing” is an extremely interesting peek into the world of the Hutongs around Dashilar around the times of the Olympics.

Episode 1: The Last Days of Old Beijing

Episode 2: Michael Meyer’s Dashilar

Episode 3: Brothels of Bada Hutong

The area of Bada Hutong dates back to the Mongolian Yuan dynasty more than 800 years ago. The brothels area were originally operating in a legal grey zone , but in 1905 they were legalized so that the Beijing government among other reasons were able to tax them. The Bada Hutong or Eight Great Lanes are mentioned several times in Michael Meyer´s book “The Last Days Of Old Beijing”.

Episode 4: Why is it so difficult to preserve historical neighourhoods in Beijing?

In Michael Meyers book “The Last Days of Old Beijing” he outlines the challenge of preserving small low income but historical communities in big cities from New York to Beijing. It seems to be an eternal battle but there is hope.

Episode 5: The Public Space of Beijing

Episode 6: Is it true that Chinese historically do not care about old architecture?