Ancient, modern under same roof
Updated: 2013-11-06 07:54
By Cui Jia (China Daily)
|
|||||||||
Families have lived in Uygur-style homes in downtown Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, for generations. Now, most of them are being renovated. Feng Yongbin / China Daily |
Transformation project houses best of both worlds, Cui Jia reports in Kashgar.
Xianu Mijit's house is an intriguing mixture of old and new.
Rebuilt and refurbished, the home in the center of the old town district of Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is decorated in traditional Uygur style, but also features an electronic sliding glass roof and a garage, installed at the family's request.
A bird's-eye view of the old town area of Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Photos by Feng Yongbin / China Daily |
Although a natural gas supply has been connected, the family has retained the old fireplace, one of the original features of a house built more than 90 years ago.
"Our old house needed to be renovated sooner or later because it had become very fragile over the years," said Xianu, 49, sitting in front of the old fireplace, where the white paint has an intentionally worn look.
In June, the nurse and her doctor husband moved back to the house in Artux alley, Kumudarwazha Street, in which they were married 29 years ago.
After they moved out temporarily in 2009, the building was torn down and rebuilt as part of a pilot program to renovate Kashgar's old town.
The project was controversial, triggering concern about whether it would destroy the Uygur features of the neighborhood. The 4-sq-km area has a history of more than 2,000 years and is home to more than 126,800 people.
Funded by the central government, the project, which has a budget of more than 7 billion yuan ($1.1 billion), aims to transform the decrepit houses and render them earthquake-proof. The work began officially in 2010 and is due to be completed in 2014, benefiting more than 49,000 households.
By September, more than 85 percent of the old houses in the central area of the old town had been renovated and the residents have gradually moved back to the "new" old town to continue their traditional lives, albeit with a modern twist.
- US, Russia fail to agree Syria peace talks date
- India launches exploratory spacecraft to red planet
- Taking risks in a firestorm
- Biden to emphasize Asia pivot on tour
- China vows to cooperate in global fight against ivory smuggling
- US mall on lockdown after shots heard
- Blackhawks honored at White House
- Kerry denies tensions between US, Saudi Arabia
Most Viewed
Editor's Picks
Ancient, modern under same roof |
Mining wasteland faces green challenge |
A prescription for danger |
Driving the global road |
Closing the floodgates to disaster |
Paid to be a guinea pig |
Today's Top News
China seeks collaborative efforts on nuclear safety
Alipay partners with UATP
Govt to focus on better service
Canadian province closes debt issue in HK
US media under attack for 'double standards' on terror
Biden to emphasize Asia pivot
Cyber minister proposes security fix
Franchisors look to follow KFC’s lead
US Weekly
Geared to go |
The place to be |