Beijing’s first Beijing Old City Protection & Regeneration Base, jointly built by BUCEA and Xinjiekou Subdistrict Office was officially established in Xicheng District on October 24. In response to problems and people’s demands in the protection and regeneration of the old city, the Base would set up two institutions, Laboratory for Serving the Functional Core Area of the Capital and New Cube Community Building Workshop, to conduct research and practice in carrying forward and protecting urban cultural heritage, organic renewal of historical neighborhoods and creating beautiful and livable communities, and to provide four types of services for residents: community building, cultural continuity, fine design and project research.

Leaders from Xicheng District People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, BUCEA, Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning & Design, Xinjiekou Subdistrict Office and experts and scholars, residents, teachers, students, and company representatives attended the event.

Cooperation: institute and region work together to explore the protection and regeneration of the old city

The newly established Beijing Old City Protection & Regeneration Base is located in Xinjiekou Subdistrict Exhibition Center. It was an important part of BUCEA’s Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Future Design, an important initiative to implement ideas in General Secretary Xi Jinping’s speech on the conservation of Beijing’s old city and to precisely serve the implementation of the Detailed Regulatory Plan for the Functional Core Area of the Capital, and also an important practice to serve the “big goal” from a “small point” and write thesis that really reflects Beijing hutong.

JIANG Zeting, Secretary of the CPC Committee of BUCEA, gave a speech at the event

ZHANG Dayu, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee and President of BUCEA, gave a speech

WANG Bo, member of Leading Party Members Group of Xicheng District People’s Government and Deputy District Mayor of Xicheng District, gave a speech

SHI Xiaodong, party secretary and president of Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning & Design, gave a speech

CHEN Zhaohui, Deputy District Mayor of Xicheng District, and JIANG Zeting unveiled the plaque for the Base

MA Da, Deputy Secretary of the Party Working Committee and Office Director of Xinjiekou Subdistrict, introduced the basics of Xinjiekou Subdistrict

LI Xuehua, Office Director of BUCEA Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Future Design, introduced the Beijing Old City Protection & Regeneration Base

Contribution: Creating BUCEA Solution for urban regeneration

BUCEA had distinctive characteristics and advantages in architectural heritage protection, and was the first university in China to build a full chain of talent training system from undergraduate, graduate, doctoral to post-doctoral students in this field.

In recent years, BUCEA has built rich research and practical experience in protection and regeneration of the old city, and has undertaken more than one hundred research and practical projects, including quality improvement design of Shichahai Green Trail, reorganization and revitalization of Xisibei neighborhood, conservation planning and revitalization of Xuannan guild halls, renovation and improvement of Fuxiang Hutong in Nanluoguxiang, restoration and improvement of Sanlihe and its surroundings in Qianmen. Through the Big Life in Small Space — Residential Area Microspace Transformation, BUCEA had developed replicable solutions, experience and technical guidelines for renewal and transformation of urban public spaces, which had been promoted and applied in about 100 public space projects in Beijing. BUCEA had also set up the Beijing Urban Protection & Regeneration Institute, which focused on the major strategic needs of capital urban regeneration.

Task: Establishing two major institutions: the Laboratory and the Building Workshop

The Beijing Old City Protection & Regeneration Base would make good use of intellectual and professional advantages of universities to build a bridge between government and residents, conduct basic research and professional practice on problems and people’s demands in the protection and regeneration of the old city. Through mechanism development and project practice of joint consultation and construction, the Base would strive to comprehensively improve the environment and governance of Xinjiekou Subdistrict and the whole old city, support high quality development in the old city and build a city people are happy to live in.

The Base planned to establish two institutions: the Laboratory for Serving the Functional Core Area of the Capital and the New Cube Community Building Workshop.

Exhibition: Sound, light, image and shadow recreated the old days of Xinjiekou

The Xinjiekou Historical Image Exhibition, jointly organized by BUCEA and Xinjiekou Subdistrict Office, was also opened to the public at the event. The exhibition consisted of seven parts, with the help of nursery rhymes, historical maps, old photos and videos, the exhibition recreated the nostalgic look of the old city.

The Exhibition also featured a series of activities called “I do real work to help the people”. On that day, the New Cube Community Building Workshop and the BUCEA Student Photography Club took free portrait photos for senior residents in the neighborhood.

In addition, the Xinjiekou exhibition of Big Life in Small Space — Residential Area Microspace Transformation Xinjiekou exhibition also debuted. The exhibition illustrated and presented the effect of the transformation of two public spaces, Building No. 12 of Yutaoyuan and Dachengxiang teachers’ dormitory in Xinjiekou Subdistrict.

On the same day, the unveiling ceremony was followed by the Old City — New Street salon, where experts and scholars discussed the historical changes of old Beijing. Six experts and scholars, SHI Xiaodong, CPC secretary and president of Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning & Design, JIA Wenjing, former Deputy Director of Xicheng District Bureau of Culture and Tourism, WANG Ruiying, former Curator of BUCEA Library and Vice President of Beijing Historical and Geographical Folklore Society, CHANG Hua, Vice President of Beijing Historical and Geographical Folklore Society, LIANG Xinli, Secretary General of Beijing Historical and Geographical Folklore Society and SHI Yang, Assistant Director of BUCEA Research Center for Urban Big Data Application, gave presentations and exchanged ideas with the participants.