Retrieving Ten Years

Name: Retrieving Ten Years
ISBN: 9787108041074

王军SDX Joint Publishing Company · ChinaJun 2025

4.3

Word count: 252K words
Chapters: 60
ISBN: 9787108041074

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Summary

'Ten years' means a decade — a gathering up of time. In the first decade of the twenty-first century, Beijing underwent a century's entanglements: in 2001 it won the Olympic bid and China joined the WTO, opening the country's doors irrevocably to the world. Beijing then recognized what half a century of urban development had cost — the loss of its majestic walls, and nearly the Forbidden City. The city with the world's most overpasses was also its most congested; a massive master-plan revision launched in 2004 sought to change the monocentric structure transplanted from Moscow in the 1950s and imitated by other Chinese cities, yet the bulldozers kept their momentum. By 2011 the contradictions had multiplied: population passed 20 million, quarterly subway trips exceeded 400 million, the Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin residence in Beizongbu Hutong was demolished, and 969 immovable relics had vanished. Xinhua journalist Wang Jun records all this in journalistic style, also probing property rights and contracts, and telling the stories of Liang Sicheng, Lin Huiyin, Chen Zhanxiang, Wu Liangyong, I.M. Pei, Lao She, Bacon and Xu Pingfang. As he writes, though limited, the record demands presentation 'because all of this happened in such a decade.'

Editor's review

Shinian (Ten Years) is a work of urban reportage by Xinhua journalist Wang Jun, completed over a decade. Taking Beijing's urban transformation from 2001 to 2011 as its thread, it draws on extensive on-site visits, archival research, and interviews to record the pains and rebirth of this ancient capital amid the tide of modernization. The book is not a simple history of urban construction but a deep observation that interweaves urban planning, social change, and humanistic concern. With a journalist's keen eye and a scholar's rigor, Wang Jun presents macro-level policy and micro-level individual destinies in interlocking form—from hutong demolition and old-city redevelopment to the building of Olympic venues, each event is a microcosm of an era in transition.

The book's value lies in its distinctive dual perspective: on the one hand it faithfully records the dramatic changes in the city's physical space; on the other it probes the cultural ruptures and social costs behind those changes. Its tracing and rethinking of the urban-planning thought of predecessors such as Liang Sicheng and Chen Zhanxiang offer a valuable historical reference for understanding contemporary China's urbanization. Reading Shinian, one not only feels the profound transformations of Beijing over ten years but also, beyond appearances, ponders the eternal tension between tradition and modernity, preservation and development. Wang Jun's prose is restrained yet powerful, retaining a journalist's sense of scene without losing humanistic warmth, elevating the work beyond ordinary reportage into an important text for observing contemporary China's social transformation.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Beijing's urban history and cultural change
Researchers concerned with China's urbanization and social transformation
Students of urban planning, architecture, or cultural heritage preservation
Readers who enjoy in-depth reportage and nonfiction writing

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking light entertainment or fiction
Readers with little basic interest in urban issues

Reading tips

Read in chapter order, following the author's chronological thread to feel the cumulative effect of urban change
Consult maps or historical images while reading to strengthen the intuitive sense of space and time
Focus on Chapter 5, "The Liang–Chen Plan," and Chapter 9, "Death of the Hutongs," which concentrate the book's core concerns

About the publisher

SDX Joint Publishing Company China · Founded in 1932

SDX Joint Publishing Company is a publisher known for its humanities and social science titles, covering classics, culture, history, social fiction and politics. Its catalogue of 826 books includes Chinese and foreign literary classics such as The Scholars, Camel Xiangzi and Selected Short Stories of Chekhov, scholarly works such as Studies of Chinese Cave Temples, A Study of the Tuoba History (Revised Edition) and The Nine-Rank System: A Prehistory of the Imperial Examination, and translations such as Red Star Over China and Notes from the House of the Dead. Its authors include renowned Chinese and foreign writers such as Wu Jingzi, Lao She, Su Bai and Chekhov, as well as scholars and translators such as Chen Xiaoming, Wang Benhua, Guo Changbao and Zhu Xiansheng. Its publishing character lies in balancing the popularisation of classics with academic depth, with attention to textual quality and the transmission of knowledge.

版权信息
前言这一个十年
壹守望古都
对宣南士乡的最后拆除
寻找失踪的北京城市史
中国传统与现代主义的决裂
守不住的天际线
保存最后的老北京
贰再绘蓝图
北京名城保护的法律政策环境
改变“单中心”发展模式
贝聿铭呼吁“向巴黎学习”
期待二○○八
首都规划修编的台前幕后
中央行政区与城市结构调整
奥运会的城市遗产
叁十字路口
北京的“人口失控”
拽不住的人口规模
北京式治堵
行政区划调整之疑
旧城保护的最后机会
民生靠保不靠拆
肆重建契约
鼓楼前的镐锹
黄金宝地上的萧条
南池子“吃了螃蟹”之后
四合院存废的讨论
文保区之惑
私有四合院的土地财产权
拆迁条例的“盈利模式”
《清明上河图》与不动产税
价值观是如此有用
城市化，从革命走向契约
伍营城纪事
《城记》的缘起
从“东方广场”说起
白颐路忆旧
下水道的记忆与启示
元大都与曼哈顿
陆岁月留痕
“规划性破坏”
酒仙桥与798
历史的见证
不能再失去的“城墙”
柒梁林故居
请留下中国建筑史的摇篮
闻梁思成林徽因故居获保留之后
旧城保护是法律问题
斥“维修性拆除”
追诉拆毁者
一处典型四合院的生死映像
北总布胡同的哀思
捌此心安处
梁思成的死与生
老舍墓座上的波澜
向埃德蒙·培根致敬
怀念陈占祥先生
徐苹芳先生的底线
后记

FAQ

How does this book differ from ordinary urban histories?

It is based on first-hand material from a journalist's decade of tracking and interviewing, emphasizing a sense of scene and personal stories, tightly linking macro planning with individual destinies. It is more readable than academic works and has greater historical depth than news reports.

Do I need professional knowledge to understand it?

No. The author explains professional concepts in plain language and unfolds the narrative through concrete personal stories, so ordinary readers can grasp the social logic behind urban change. Some background in history or urban planning will help deepen understanding.

Does the book only criticize without offering solutions?

Not at all. While recording problems, the author objectively presents the views and efforts of all sides—government officials, planners, scholars, and residents—and offers investigation-based reflections on balancing preservation and development.

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About the author

王军 Author

Wang Jun is a Chinese author whose works span a notably wide range of subjects. Public information about him is limited, and biographical details are not recorded in the available sources. Judging from the nineteen works currently listed, his writing covers social science, social and cultural topics, architecture, history, management, and Eastern philosophy, reflecting broad interests. Among these works, The Bankruptcy of Old Age: A Nightmare Called "Longevity" addresses the real hardships of an aging society, while Annotated Articles and Practical Guide to the Company Law of the People's Republic of China and The Company Capital System lean toward legal and managerial practice. The planning thought of Yuan Dadu and ancient China in Yuan Dadu are examined alongside architecture, history, and classical thought, while books such as Ten Years and Surviving the Fireline carry narrative and documentary qualities. Overall, his writing combines contemporary issues with historical and humanistic concerns, addresses general readers, and adopts a practical style.