Tom Luckock's beautifully restored Qing Dynasty courtyard home
instantly betrays his passion for siheyuan, the disappearing style
of traditional housing symbolic of Beijing's heritage.
"My original interest was sparked because the first time I came
to China in 1999, when I was a student here, I actually stayed in
(a courtyard) and I really loved it. It really left a deep
impression," the 32-year-old says.
Luckock is not alone. The recently reported sale of a run-down
courtyard near Houhai for US$14.2million -- twice the value of
luxury apartments in the area -- demonstrated a spike in demand
since restrictions on foreign ownership of siheyuan were relaxed in
2004.
Luckock, an Australian lawyer, believes the rush of interest is
a positive development for the preservation of this ancient
architectural form, which has been largely demolished to make way
for new construction. Just 3,000 siheyuan remain in Beijing.
"I think these courtyards are special. There is nothing like
them anywhere else in the world, even outside of Beijing," he
says.
"I think having foreigners buy them has a number of advantages.
First, there is a lot more international awareness of how beautiful
they are. Secondly, there needs to be a fair bit of capital flowing
in, because a lot of these places are very rundown, and the best
way is from the owners.
"If foreigners can (restore them) tastefully and using original
materials, I think that is really, really great. In other
countries, they look back and say, 'we really wasted an
opportunity.'
"But China still has a bit of an opportunity not to make these
mistakes."
Still, Luckock knows his hutong dream is not immune to the
wrecking ball, despite new laws to protect remaining courtyards.
"It is still a risk. This is China. It is changing very, very
quickly, but that is part of the excitement of China," he says.
Luckock is now immersed in the renovation of a second,
150-year-old courtyard at 43 Dongsi 12th Street, to be opened as a
bed-and-breakfast. The siheyuan emerged as a residential genre in
the capital in the early Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).
(China Daily May 25, 2007)