Modern Xuannan

Xuannan is both the area where traditional culture accumulated and the area which is the most sensitive to the modern cultural shock. From the early 19^th century to 1920s and 1930s, modern new city area and building compounds appeared in Xuannan. The New City Area is the first new area founded and independently managed by Chinese people. The New City Area and other building compounds were designed by Chinese, or by foreign designers, mainly in western styles.

Upgrade of the 14 Roads (Pic: Trolley car, station sign, map of the 14 roads, Tai’anli, Xiangchang Road)

In the 4^th year of the Republic of China (1914), the Northern Warlord Government established the Capital Municipal Affairs Office, the first government institution taking charge of city planning in Beijing. According to the Record of the Capital City Planning, the urban area of the Capital began to decline, thus the city area were very difficult to plan. Thus they intended to “establish fourteen roads to facilitate the traffic to Xiannong Temple in the south, Hufangqiao Street to the north, Hufang Road to the west and Liuxue Road to the east,” and to “limit years and styles of buildings,” as well as to “strive for completeness and perfect model.”

From the 4^th year to the 8^th year of the Republic of China, the construction around Xiangchang was started in the new planning method according to the New City Area plan of the Northern Warlord Government. The western-style two-storey residences with commercial function in Dasenli and on Xiangchang Road exhibited the start of modern urban construction in this period in Xuannan.

In 1918, traffic police post and street lamps were established on Xiangchang Road and at the south exit of South Xinhua Street.

In 1921, trolley cars appeared in Beijing, until 1924, there were totally 6 lines running 48 km. This was the only urban public traffic undertaking controlled by national capitalist. Tianqiao was the biggest intersection. In order to convenience the passengers, the routes of trolley cars were marked with both characters and colors.

Modern Buildings（Pic: Other building）

As the urban upgrade furthered, many western-style buildings or public buildings with both Chinese and western characteristics appeared in Xuannan. Some western architects and Chinese architects once studied in western countries cooperated in the architectural engineering design, thus a group of architectural works with higher artistic level were created.

From early 1920s to 1930s, buildings in Xuannan were influenced by western style, new and old styles, domestic and foreign styles coexisted. Traditional one-storey courtyard and western buildings full of the architectural characteristics in the period of Renaissance jointly contributed to the special feature of the architectural culture in Xuannan.

Some small commercial buildings also embodied western furnishing elements on façade, creating combined architectural style of both Chinese and western countries. Typical ones included Rui Fu Xiang, Xi Hong Ji, Qian Xiang Ji, Xiang Yi Hao, Wenming Tea House and Qing Hua Chi.

These new buildings with typical western style and combined characteristics brought new changes to Beijing, some buildings exist until today, becoming the important cultural relics for the research of the history modern urban construction development in Beijing.