Changes offer food for thought

Reporter's log: Cui Jia

On July 14, my father and I visited our favorite French restaurant, hidden deep in a hutong, a traditional Beijing alley, to celebrate his birthday.

As we ate, the manager told us the eatery would have to relocate because she had been ordered to brick up the French-style street-facing doors and windows because they had not been officially authorized.

Even though I was aware of the city government's citywide campaign to block unauthorized business openings in the walls of buildings in residential areas, I was still shocked.

"Although it may sound cruel, Beijing has grown out of its 'random development' phase. From now on, every action needs to be clearly regulated and better enforced," my father said, sensing my disappointment.

"Can you imagine someone opening a new door in a house in a historical part of Paris without obtaining planning permission?" he continued, while eating the restaurant's signature souffle (his idea of birthday cake).

He was right. Beijing has developed so quickly in recent years, but the city's urban management regulations and their enforcement always seemed to be one step behind.

However, the urban management department should provide clearer guidelines about what people need to do if they want to alter buildings in traditional neighborhoods and other areas.

It shouldn't be about launching campaigns that are expected to provide immediate solutions to problems that have grown over many years as a result of poor management.

Even before the city government launched its campaign, Nanluoguxiang, a famous commercial hutong, had published a guideline about maintaining its traditional appearance, including regulating the sizes of windows and doors, and asked every business owner to adhere to it. I believe that's the way these things should be done.

Undoubtedly, Beijing changed a lot last year, and the government's actions have clearly shown its determination to deal with some of the growing pains that are preventing the city from becoming a better capital and also an international city.

The process has shown that the city's urban managers need to constantly make adjustments to keep up with Beijing's development, but they also need to learn to handle people's feelings with more care.

My father and I are still waiting for the French restaurant to reopen. Maybe it has gone forever as a result of Beijing's evolution, but my memories of my father having souffle as a birthday cake will always be fixed in that hutong.