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Night scene in a traditional Beijing Hutong. Many of these narrow alleyways have stood since the 13th century, the time of the Yuan Dynasty.
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The Hutongs are dotted around the Chinese capital. They are popular attractions for tourists, offering some respite from an increasingly hectic city.
Cancan Chu/Getty Images AsiaPac/Getty Images
The pathways run alongside traditional houses with courtyards, forming close knit-neighborhoods.
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The Hutong neighborhoods have historically supported a communal way of life, with neighbors playing traditional games together.
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The majority of Hutongs have been demolished as Beijing pursues a path of rapid modernization. By some estimates, as few as 500 remain, down from over 3,000 in 1949.
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Many Hutongs have been replaced with new developments, such as this shopping and entertainment complex in one of Beijing's oldest districts.
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Most of the remaining Hutongs are protected, but there are widespread problems with a lack of insulation and sewage facilities.
Peoples Architecture Office
Architecture firm the People's Architecture Office (PAO) is seeking to rehabilitate Hutong homes through the use of a plugin modules, formed of steel and glass panels, which contain insulation, wiring, and windows.
Peoples Architecture Office
The panels can be fitted together on site, and installation takes only a day. The modules cost $500 per square meter, compared with the average Beijing price of $5,000 per square meter.
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The plugin can be installed inside or outside Hutong homes without damaging the original features.
Peoples Architecture Office
The panels allow users to configure the modules to suit their needs.
Peoples Architecture Office
Skylights offer additional light.
Peoples Architecture Office
Doors open outward to save space, and the modules have provision for an outdoor shower.
Peoples Architecture Office
The PAO has completed a government-sponsored trial in the Dashilar district and is now moving on to serve private clients.
Peoples Architecture Office
PAO Co-founder James Shen hopes to install thousands of the plugin units, and believes they can revitalize the hutong neighborhoods.

Story highlights

Multi-function modules installed in ancient neighborhoods

Architects believe the model could serve thousands

CNN  — 

With evocative names such as “Skewed Tobacco Pouch Street” and “East River Rice Lane,” the charming, ancient hutongs of Beijing are always popular with visitors to the sprawling capital city.

Narrow alleyways run alongside walled courtyards, transporting those who wander down them back to the Yuan Dynasty of the 13th century, when many were created, and conjuring up images of a communal lifestyle in stark contrast to the frenetic pace of the modern Chinese megapolis.

03:19 - Source: CNN
Modernising Beijing's historic capital

But time has not been kind to these old neighborhoods.

In the middle of the 20th century, over 3,000 hutongs could be found in Beijing. But thanks to a program of rapid modernization, the vast majority of these have been torn down.

Today, according to same estimates, just 500 remain.

Modern upgrades

Although the government has taken steps to protect the surviving hutongs, they are threatened by degradation.

Many of the homes in these areas have fallen into disrepair, with poor insulation and sewage facilities.

But Beijing architecture firm People’s Architecture Office (PAO) has devised a solution for delivering upgrades while retaining the traditional character of the hutong homes.

PAO is installing prefabricated modules in and around the houses, composed of panels made of steel and glass. The modules include insulation, wiring, doors, windows, and sparkling finishes, and the panels fit together to create accordion-style units that can be adjusted into numerous configurations to maximize space, including a fold-out shower.

The plugin modules cost $500 per square meter – one-tenth of the Beijing average of $5,000 per square meter – and can be installed in a day.

James Shen, co-founder of PAO, says the units offer convenience, and can be installed without damaging the ancient architecture.

“They are small,” he says. “It means that we are able to bring them piece by piece into these very narrow alleys and into these courtyard houses. It also means that we can renovate without tearing any of the old structures down.”

Expansion plans

The modules were initially tested in a government-sponsored trial on a dozen homes, which earned PAO several awards, including one at the 2015 World Architecture Festival.

The group recently performed its first installation commissioned by a resident, in the Guangcai Hutong, close to the famed former Imperial Palace known as Beijing’s “Forbidden City.”

Resident Fan Ke tells CNN the module has been transformative, particularly for the additional light it provides.

“When I lived here a child, it was always dark,” says Fan. “Now after the renovation, I’m bathed in sunlight throughout the day. I no longer feel caged in.”

People's Architecture Office
Construction of the plugin unit.

Shen hopes the first private commission will be followed by thousands more.

The architect says such a program would breathe new life into the hutongs, which are already seeing increased demand in central areas. One couple recently spent over $800,000 on an 11-square-meter home in Wenchang Hutong.

“This kind of solution can help rejuvenate a lot of these older areas,” says Shen. “It can show younger people that you don’t have to move to a brand new modern apartment complex.”

Power to the people

Some analysts believe, however, that the prefab units do not go far enough to address the decline of hutong houses.

Beijing Design Week
Beijing Design Week celebrates China's growing product design and craft industry. Beatrice Leanza, creative director of Beijing Design Week 2016, selects four studios and one brand that are changing attitudes towards products "Made in China". Scroll through to see her picks.

Above is a photo of one of the works featured in a 3D-printed fashion series that included work by WAX Architects, ASW Workshop, Nanjing 3D Printing Institute, Nanjing Fine Art School and designer NE-TIGER at Beijing Design Week 2015.
Courtesy standardarchitecture
Architect Zhang Ke and his design studio ZAO/standardarchitecture recently took on a socially-driven housing initiative to protect Beijing's historic hutong areas.
Courtesy standardarchitecture
Several traditional hutong neighborhoods have been demolished over the last decade.
Courtesy standardarchitecture
The studio conceived the Micro Yuan'er -- a room that can be added on to existing structures -- and a small, stand-alone Micro Hutong, which are inspired by the buildings in traditional hutong courtyards.
www.sichengyi.com
Design studio Zaozuo is often referred to as the Ikea of China.
www.sichengyi.com
It's approach is to provide good design to the affluent, growing market of China's urbanites.
www.sichengyi.com
A startup that was founded less than a year ago, Zaozuo's operations are mostly online.
www.sichengyi.com
The company employs local in-house designers, as well as prominent international names. Italian designer Luca Nichetto is the brand's art director.
DEXLUE
PINWU design studio was founded in 2009.
DEXLUE
The studio is known for its use of traditional materials ...
DEXLUE
... which are incorporated into new products and designs.
DEXLUE
PINWU often uses materials such as bamboo, silk, porcelain, hamdmade paper and ceramics.
DEXLUE
This chair is made using paper.
courtesy studio atlas
Atlas Studio was founded in 2013 by Ahti Westphal, Jenny Chou, and Catherine McMahon.
courtesy studio atlas
The three founders met while studying at the Rhode Island School of Design.
courtesy studio atlas
Their shared interest in history and culture influences their design.
courtesy studio atlas
At Beijing Design Week, Atlas Studio will unveil an interactive exhibition called The Dye Room.
courtesy studio atlas
The Dye Room will hold workshops where visitors can learn traditional, natural dying techniques.
ben wu studio
Ben Wu Studio was founded in 2011 by Wang Hongchao, Ge Wei and Peng You.
ben wu studio
Ben Wu studio has partnered with international luxury labels such as Hermès, Vacheron Constantin and Baccarat.
ben wu studio
One standout item is the Fugu Bag.
ben wu studio
The inflatable, carbon fiber bag is designed to provide extra cushioning and protection for tech products that are used daily.

Michael Meyer, author of “The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed”, says the residents should be given more power.

“Most courtyard homes have already rotted to a state of disrepair due to state ownership and neglect for the past half century,” says Mayer. “What traditional hutong neighborhoods need to survive is not another eye-patch or plaster, even one as shiny and well-intentioned as modular plugins.

“These communities – which are living cultural heritage – will best be protected by the state restoring, granting, or selling homes’ ownership rights to their tenants, who can then decide what improvements need to be made, and how.”