Rare timepiece to be renovated

Tai'anli is one of today's oldest structures in Beijing's South-Central Xiangcheng district. It is a series of six two-storey buildings situated on Renshou Road in Tianqiao.

The buildings can be recognized clearly from a distance. The dilapidated roof, ancient brickwork and broken windows starkly contrast with the structures that surround it.　

Built between 1915 and 1918, it is Beijing's last standing example of a Shanghainese style of architecture known as Shikumen.

Shikumen (literally "stone waterhouse gate") was invented in 1860 and combines Chinese and Western elements into its facades and floor patterns. It was widely used throughout Shanghai in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The two-story structure is supposed to resemble an Anglo-American terrace or townhouse.

The door frames inside Tai'anli typically bear Western-style stone arches, while each residential block has a Chinese courtyard.　

Xiangcheng locals now go regularly to and from Tai'anli to visit its residents, of which "around four or five remain," according to Li Yang, who works at the building's registry office. Others meanwhile were said to have been moved to new residences in the district.

Living conditions inside the rooms of Tai'anli are, according to a construction worker who lives there, "comfortable despite what people might think."

The construction worker, Zhang Lianguo, 41, told Metro Beijing he has lived in a second-story dorm of Tai'anli since June 2011. He said he and others are "taken care of pretty well by the Bureau of Housing Management" to help gentrify the building.

The building's drafty interior led Metro Beijing to ask about how well he and his colleagues are prepared for the approach of winter in Beijing.

Zhang replied, "In the winter, work stops temporarily. We get to go home to our families for a holiday until the March of next year." Zhang said finally he is unable to say exactly when Tai'anli will be completely gentrified.

The rooms in Shikumen buildings are traditionally subdivided between three or four families.

Some of the residents at Tai'anli still live in close quarters with one another, though their dwindling numbers show living space is more generous than ever.

Three formerly occupied rooms in Tai'anli are now used as outlets for companies selling radiators for winter to Xiangcheng locals. A notice pasted on the Tai'anli's entrance meanwhile advertises undisclosed "benefits" to locals who agree to move out by November 9 this year.

The notice is designed to encourage locals to vacate Tai'anli before its full renovation begins.

One resident who refused to give her name to Metro Beijing was asked as she crossed the street why she did not move out sooner to find a better standard of living.

She replied, "It's not time yet. When they tell me to leave, I'll leave. Until then, there's no need. It's too much hassle."

No one on site was able to tell Metro Beijing how Tai'anli would look once its reconstruction is complete.　

Xiao is one 70-year-old local who was seen leaving the gates of Tai'anli. She shared some of her memories of the building with Metro Beijing as she was asked to give her opinion of its unique architectural style.

She said, "Personally I don't know why anyone would be interested in an old building like this." Xiao then noted, "This place used to be a brothel you know? Xiangcheng was well-known for prostitution a hundred years ago."

Would the revival of this historic design nonetheless be a welcome improvement for many former residents?

"They can rebuild it," Xiao replied, "but it won't be the same Tai'anli. A lot of buildings here have gone through similar changes, though none as old as this. It was a beautiful building once, but I'm not sure if they will try to maintain its beauty or simply make it more comfortable."

Jiang Jie contributed to this story