Zheng Xicheng, once an ivory sculptor, has developed his own way to preserve the memories of the ancient siheyuan.

He does so by immortalizing them in exquisite pictures.

Zheng lives in his family's siheyuan in the Xintaicang area of Dongcheng District.

He recalls the courtyard was built by his ancestors in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Five large rooms line the northern part of the courtyard and a kitchen and a small storeroom fill the two corners of the southern section. Between the rooms is a small garden, where the fragrance of Chinese roses and orchids lingers in the air and a century-old jujube tree is still lush and heavy with fruit.

Zheng knows the courtyard, although beautiful and solid, is not on the protection list. Neither is the whole Xintaicang area.

Zheng said he has heard so many excuses to justify demolishing the area, from "the houses are too old" to claims that the narrow lanes pose a fire hazard.

"Beijing's siheyuan and hutong have survived for centuries even through chaotic wars. Why can't they survive today?" Zheng said.

He said local residents do not oppose renovations if ownership of the courtyard is respected and a plan exists for the neighborhood.

"Most residents here don't want to leave. If the policy is clear that the area is protected and will no longer be demolished, I will pledge at least 400,000 yuan (US$48,600) to renovate my courtyard and I have already drafted a blueprint," he said.

Zheng has now finished sketching nearly 100 siheyuan, some of which have vanished under the bulldozers and iron hammers.

"My conservationist friends call me if they hear about some places to be demolished. I take pictures of them for our descendants to see or research," he said.

"Beijing has become the latest arena for the heated debate over the centuries-old question of how China can move forward and still preserve its cultural identity," said Hua Xinmin, a leading conservationist and French writer brought up in a historic Beijing hutong or traditional alleyway.

"Perfect solutions are not so easy to find but at least don't so easily destroy what our ancestors have left for Beijingers," Hua said.

(China Daily August 13, 2003)