City Chronicles

Over the 10 years it took to write this book, the author interviewed over 50 people involved, collected, reviewed, and compiled a wealth of firsthand historical materials, conducted on-site inspections of important ancient architectural sites in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and Shanxi, and conducted in-depth research on topics such as Beijing's urban development model and cultural heritage preservation. The book, divided into ten chapters, begins with Beijing's current state and unfolds through the narrative of the debates that have characterized the city's construction over the past 50 years. Focusing on the 1950s and 1960s, the book weaves together the life stories of architects and planners such as Liang Sicheng, Lin Huiyin, Chen Zhanxiang, and Hua Lanhong. The book attempts to illuminate the causes and consequences of the "Liang-Chen Plan," the subsequent formation of urban planning, the emergence of so-called "big-roofed" buildings in Beijing, the demolition of ancient structures such as the city walls, and covers historical periods such as the "Transformation of a Consumer City into a Production City," the "Criticism of Retroism," the "Great Leap Forward," the "Rectification Movement," and the "Cultural Revolution."
Equally important as the text are the more than 300 illustrations selected in the book, including private collections of photos and paintings, such as paintings in Mr. Liang Sicheng's work notes and Liang Sicheng's watercolor sketches published for the first time.

2003-10-01

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