Goodbye, Drum and Bell Tower

A concert refreshes Gulou residents' memories of the Drum and Bell Tower before the area was renovated. Photo: Li Hao/GT

When 32-year-old Wang Xuefei heard the familiar folk song, "Happy Drum and Bell Tower" at the "Goodbye, Drum and Bell Tower!" concert at Zajia Lab near the Bell Tower in Dongcheng district last Sunday evening, the once bustling scene around the Drum and Bell Tower danced before his eyes. More than 50 people attended the performance, and like Wang, relived their fond memories of the Drum and Bell Tower area before its renovation.

"Personally, I miss the old Drum and Bell Tower area, as well as the old Beijing landscape. The Drum and Bell Tower area really represented this city," Wang said. "The renovation project changed the look of this area to make it better, but it drove away the people. The music really strikes a chord with us."

The Drum and Bell Tower renovation project, which kicked off in 2012, led to the demolition of many houses, shops, cafes and restaurants in the area. The project reached completion in late 2014, but many of the locals won't hesitate to share their strong opinions about the renovations, some of which negative.

"Though new courtyards have been built to replace the old ones, there is no liveliness there anymore," said 72-year-old He Yusheng, a renowned sanxian (three-stringed lute) musician who founded The Drum and Bell Orchestra in 2008. "I was born and grew up near the Drum and Bell Tower, so I wanted to have a concert to honor its memory and to allow people to remember the way life there before the demolition."

The concert featured He and nine other folk musicians, who played a dozen songs using traditional Chinese instruments, including the sanxian, the bawu (a single-reed wind instrument) and the dombra (a two-stringed Chinese lute).

He is not alone in using music in a memorial to the Drum and Bell Tower area. Wang Rui, 35, is the founder of Passphrase Agentur, a Chinese electronic band founded in 2010. Wang, who now lives in Berlin, invited musicians and modern dancers to perform at a music festival at Zajia Lab in April 2013 to "honor the place that gave people so much happiness and so many memories."

Wang studied and lived near the Drum and Bell Tower since he was 18 years old. He would sit in the courtyards drinking tea or playing chess every hot summer.

Last time Wang returned to Beijing in September 2014, he found that the area was cleaner and tidier with the renovation being nearly complete, but everything about the atmosphere was different.

Wang said his 2013 performance at Zajia Lab attracted a large audience.

"It doesn't matter what forms of art we use. The point is that we find our own way to express our emotions toward the Drum and Bell Tower," Wang said.

Tan Qin, an art critic and art education research fellow, said regardless as to whether a performance takes place before, after or during the demolition, it is a unique way to encourage residents to think about how to protect and how to approach renovating their communities in the future.

"Although the Drum and Bell Tower renovation project has been completed and cannot be reversed, a performance like that of The Drum and Bell Orchestra might have the potential to develop into a cultural movement, which will serve as a reminder and warning to current decision-makers to be more concerned about protecting buildings and communities in the future," Tan said.