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Traditional courtyards, one of the most iconic cultural deposits that Beijing takes pride in, are quickly diminishing as only some 3,000 remain today -- quite a decrease from the 40,000 during the middle Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) heydays.

The dilemma in Beijing's courtyard protection.[File photo]

In a bid to protect the city's antique architecture, Beijing's municipal authorities recently conducted a survey of the existing courtyards, and later published their findings in the "Annals of Courtyards in Beijing."

Results found that most courtyards desperately need maintenance works and look rather shabby as they have been densely inhabited, whereas others, which have been modified for commercial purposes, lack the original atmosphere because residents moved out. According to the annals, many former courtyards have in modern times been reduced to troublesome separate tenements.

The publication's Vice Editor-in-Chief Tan Liefei said that the three-year-long survey, the first of its kind which started in 2011, meant to count the remaining courtyards throughout Beijing's 16 administrative districts.

The survey has followed strict criteria as to which ones could be formally recognized as "courtyards," according to Tan. He said the "extremely strict standards" required the courtyards to have an "intact compound with the principal room (the north room), the wing rooms (the east and west rooms) and the opposite room (the south room)." Also, the courtyards recognized as such should have retained their traditional outlook.

Apart from discoveries in the downtown area, the survey team has found a dozen well-preserved courtyards hidden in the rural areas, a fact previously neglected by researchers.

As is agreed by all that protecting antique courtyards deserves priority, how the actual preservation should be carried out still remains a disputable issue. A number of architectural scholars have shown the acceptance of private funding in the renovation of courtyards when government funds cannot cover all expenses.

"Many people insist that courtyards should be protected as cultural relics, in a sense that no renovations should be undertaken. Such ideas have confused the difference between architecture and cultural relics," Hou Zhaonian, an expert on antique architecture, said.

He said that courtyards, which date back to the nation's agricultural era, no longer match the necessities of modern life in terms of construction materials, structure and function. In 2008, Beijing made a failed attempt to renovate a batch of courtyards by using traditional materials, because those houses, even after renovation, still could not meet the people's demands of energy-saving, temperature moderation and lightening.

According to Hou, preservation through use might do a better job. "Restoration in their original style is an option. After such restorations, the courtyards still look the same from outside yet do contain up-to-date functions for a modern lifestyle."

Professor Xia Xueluan, a celebrated sociologist at Peking University, held a different view. He said the courtyards were part of Beijing's culture. Occupation of any kind, be it for residence or for commercial and governmental purposes, will cause damage to their original intactness.

"In appearance, courtyards occupied by government offices or for commercial use may look protected; but in fact they are not," said Xia, who maintained courtyards should only be used for non-profitable purposes. He then referred to the case of Starbucks selling coffee inside the Palace Museum -- before being asked to leave -- to show his disapproval.

The former residence of painter Qi Baishi can vividly show how the two ways of preservation each have their own disadvantage. Located in Beijing's central downtown area of Dongcheng District, the courtyard is close enough to tourism hotspot Nanluoguxiang (South Drum Lane). The government-funded renovation has turned it into a memorial hall, with the walls freshly painted and trees neatly trimmed. Renovation works do make the courtyard look nice, but not in the way an antique courtyard should actually look like.

"It is completely different from what it was more than 10 years ago," a tourist calling himself Li said, whilst noting how shabby and chaotic the place used to be.

He admitted the place was "more beautiful" with rooms "decorated with objects familiar in a courtyard family" of the old-time Chinese capital. "But now, in here, I cannot visualize the real courtyard life; it does not look real," Li concluded.

Nearby courtyards are either customized theme restaurants and inns or occupied as homes by those whose older generations built the houses.

In any case, the sad fact remains that the original courtyard charm can no longer be found.

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