Michael Meyer at the Bookworm tonight
Long-term Beijing resident and journalist Michael Meyer has experienced Chinese traditional life as an insider, living and working in one of Beijing's most well known hutong neighborhoods. In his book, The Last Days of Old Beijing, Meyer documents the colorful characters and unique situations he encounters. Tonight, Meyer will be at the Bookworm to talk about his work and the changing face of Beijing. Urbane editor Alex Pasternack recently caught up with Meyer and below we've include an excerpt from Alex's interview with the author. Look out for the complete interview in an upcoming issue of Urbane. Danwei readers might have caught a recent excerpt from the book. You can read what a New York Times writer thought about it here and listen to the author talk about the book on NPR's On Point here. The Economist also gives the book a mention in a recent review of Beijing-related books.
Aug 5
Book Talk: Michael Meyer
RMB 30 (includes a drink), RMB 20 (members).
7.30pm. The Bookworm (6586 9507)
Alex Pasternack: And in general, what do you think can be done now to best preserve what remains of Beijing's structural and cultural heritage -- and the area around Qianmen in particular? What bad ideas are still out there? Who might we look to for help?
Michael Meyer: In terms of cities with comparable politics, I think Hanoi has the right idea, for now -- let residents determine the fate of the neighborhood. I like the museum there, showing an improved home. Preservation is almost always born from citizen's opposing government/business designs -- involving outside funding and solutions -- and that's not a viable model in Beijing now.
One short-sighted idea in Beijing is to tear down original structures and rebuild them with red brick and beams. It allows people to stay, which is good, but it also erases any historical value, and will make it that much easier for the Hand to come along and say the homes can by destroyed because they date from 2008.
AP: How would you describe the interest you have encountered overseas in the particulars of Beijing's transformation -- and in your book? What kind of an impression do you hope to make on people who know very little about this city?
MM: No matter where I go -- London, Italy, the US -- people's eyes pop when I say, "I live in Beijing." People are interested in Beijing, period. They have to be, for the same reasons we should be interested in New York and Paris. Like those cities, every day here can be a vision quest. There's too much to take in and too many people attempting to. In the end, I hope the book gives a face and voice to this city. It's not a sad book at all, nor a polemic against development. It's a celebration of daily life in a hutong community.
AP: Where will you -- and your interest in cultural and historic preservation and urban planning -- go from here? Is Beijing in the cards?
MM: I'm imagining a book about Manchuria, partly set in a Japanese-designed city, and partly set on a farm. Outside of Sichuan, where I was in Peace Corps, it's the region I've spent the most time in, going on eleven-plus years now, revisiting people and places. I've always been drawn to the northeast's overlapping -- and contested -- history and economy. Plus, they play hockey there.
Links and Sources
Last Days of Beijing: Image
www.lastdaysofoldbeijing.com
Youtube: Michael Meyer living in his Dazhalan Beijing hutong
