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600-Year-Old Nanxin Granary: An Old Space, A New Time

You may have seen it by accident when travelling along Dongsishitiao just off the Second Ring Road in Beijing: standing out from the gleaming high rise office buildings, hotels and apartments that surround it because of its antiquity. You may wonder how this 600-year-old former imperial granary has managed to survive Beijing’s ubiquitous urbanization.

You cannot help calling: “Stop; stop!” or “What’s that?”

True, modernization has not been kind to the old Beijing lifestyle in many ways, yet people do tire of endless blocks of cookie-cutter apartments and glass and steel. So this ancient set of structures is pleasing to the eye, but it is also pleasing to the sensibility when you learn more about the history of these structures and why they’ve been preserved.

Dongsi has long been one of the busiest business areas in Beijing. But when you drive by No. 21 Dongsishitiao in Dongcheng District, you will see that modern development and historic preservation can exist side by side. Old structures can be given a new life.

The Nanxin Granary (Nanxincang) was once called the Dongmen Granary in the past. It was used as an imperial granary during the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties. Its history can be tracked back to a time when grain was shipped to the capital by water during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368). In 1409, the seventh year of Ming Emperor Yong Le’s reign, the Nanxin Granary was built to complement the Beitai Granary of the Yuan Dynasty. Nanxin Granary stood at the north end of the Grand Canal. Because of its historic geographic location, the granary complex became very important during the Ming and Qing dynasties. During its Ming heyday, there were 180 granaries in all, sharing historical moments with the Forbidden City and its history as an epitome of China’s use of canals for transport. Nine of the ancient storehouses remain, but the Nanxin Granary is the best-preserved of them all.

But they were not always used to store grain: during the Republican Period in China, they were used to store munitions. And, after the establishment of People’s Republic of China, they were used as storehouses of general merchandise under the management of the Beijing Department Store. In July 2004, the Beijing Nanxincang Trade Company Limited was established, based on the Beijing Department Store, a Zhonghua Laozihao (China Time Honoured Brand). Since a traditional department store can hardly keep up with modern supermarkets and shopping malls, a culture and leisure street concept for the old area was proposed. In 2005, the construction of the Nanxincang Cultural and Pedestrian Street began.

According to the original idea, a cultural street would be created featuring a comprehensive combination of ancient and modern ideas related to tradition, culture and leisure around the ancient granaries. Coincidentally, years later, Beijing re-emphasized its strong support for the development of its cultural and creative industries as such.

A one-kilometre-long pedestrian street, integrating commerce, culture, art, leisure and ancient buildings was completed in 2006. Several million yuan was invested in maintenance and basic facilities for the granaries, such as fire prevention and security monitoring devices.

Without a doubt, the Nanxin Granary is a precious cultural relic, but how best to develop and preserve them was not obvious. The commercialization of these historic legacies, which was considered necessary, aroused some public debate. People worried that human traffic might debase or speed up the natural deterioration of the granaries; they worried about the effects of providing water or using power and heating systems in them. But, in fact, these buildings were constructed using ancient physical techniques that helped them fend off insect and mice infestations for a very long a time. Like a mummy, the old ways have worked well to preserve the structures.

“We also considered these anxieties seriously. According to the cultural heritage protection experts’ appraisal, our  protection and maintenance certainly can delay these granaries’ natural deterioration. Cultural heritage commercialization can allow us to get more maintenance money for these granaries. We have confidence in our plans,” said Wang Xiaohong, the general manager assistant of Beijing Nanxincang Trade Company Limited.

“Protecting our cultural heritage does not have to mean closing it off to the public. We just want to develop it in a more fashionable way, to let more high-end consumers and young people understand the history and culture better. This is the ultimate meaning of cultural heritage. It should take on the double responsibilities of economic benefit and social benefit,” Wang said.

Perhaps, this is a common dilemma for some cultural heritage sites: commercialize them or not? Yet, without commercialization, they must rely upon very scarce government resources to pay for maintenance and preservation.

This is evident with two surviving granaries near this granary complex that are not under the control of the Beijing Nanxincang Trade Company Limited. They are found on the grounds of a hospital. In a narrow corner among some tall buildings and amid some residential housing, we found them in sad shape: with fallen roofs and cracked walls, including some rotted wooden rafters jutting into an open sky. A girl passing by said, “It will also likely be demolished some day to make way for more modern buildings.” She said she knows these two buildings were granaries in the old days.

But those who bring commercial activity to old structures must take great care in doing so: the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics is strict. On the other hand, only two kinds of industries are welcomed: cultural and leisure industries. So far, about 80 percent of the merchandisers involved are engaged in art galleries, music agencies, film cultural clubs, private lounges, jewellery markets and cultural studios. The restaurants, bars and teahouses were introduced at the nearby Nanxin Granary International Buildings and other nearby buildings.

In virtue of the unique cultural atmosphere, some companies located in these granaries gained their market quickly. As for the POLOARTS Entertainment Company Limited, a music company and the first company introduced to Nanxin Granary: it found the right cultural place they had sought for a long time. Since May 18, 2007, The Peony Pavilion, a performance of Kunqu Opera, a 600-year-old art which has been listed as a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity of UNESCO, has been staged more than 100 times in the Imperial Granary, winning a warm response for those who have seen it. Piece of cultural heritage, tangible and intangible are combined here. The nearby Beijing Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant can entertain 300 foreign guests per day. Berlin Olympic Centre signed Nanxin Granary as their Berlin Beijing 2008 Olympic Champion Club on August 8, 2007.

The development of the granaries and their commercialization has been a winner for the Beijing Nanxincang Trade Company Limited. “This has allowed us to spend more on the maintenance of the granaries. But we will also adjust our business invitation plan, to eliminate unsuitable industries and to build up a more serious appraisal standard to protect these cultural relics,” said Wang. She said she knows that its cultural heritage is the soul of Nanxincang Cultural and Pedestrian Street: if there are no granaries, there is nothing. However, only time will tell whether this operational model will benefit the granaries in the long term.

北京南新仓商贸有限公司

文化遗产与艺术价值融汇出的新商机

文/赵迪迪

“原来姹紫嫣红开遍，似这般都付与断井颓垣。良辰美景奈何天，赏心乐事谁家院?”这细腻温婉如小桥流水般的唱调出自北京南新仓文化休闲街的“乐府·皇家粮仓”上演的厅堂版昆曲《牡丹亭》。600年前储藏粮食的皇家粮仓，如今又演绎着有着600年历史的苏州昆曲。这种物质文化遗产与非物质文化遗产交相辉映，体现着南新仓文化休闲街的文化创意与经营理念。

百年古仓变身时尚街区

南新仓在中国成立后被用作北京市百货公司的总部和百货仓库，这家中华老字号国营商业公司在市场经济大潮冲击下，百货批发经营每况愈下。公司领导决定将工作重心从商品经营转向资产经营，2004年公司改制组建了北京南新仓商贸有限公司（以下简称“南新仓公司”）， 并由北京一商集团公司控股，正式转型为文化休闲产业。

南新仓公司领导认为，守着拥有600年历史的皇家粮仓，不进行有效的开发和利用，是对人类遗产的浪费，更贻误了保护文物的时机。经过文物专家的考察和论断，南新仓公司最终推出以发掘古仓文化为载体，以商业运作为依托，以资产经营为突破口，通过物业资产经营、开发文化休闲业，使公司进入经营市场的新思路。2006年初基本完成南新仓街区的硬件改造。

如今的南新仓文化休闲街占地面积2.6万平方米，总建筑面积3.3万平方米，整个步行街呈“U”字型，总长千余米，主要由古仓群、仿古建筑群和南新仓国际大厦底商组成。街内商户分为文化和休闲两大类。其中，文化类商户集中在古仓群，包括艺术画廊、音乐传播中心、影视文化俱乐部、私人会所、珠宝文化市场、文化传媒工作室等；休闲类商户集中在仿古建筑群和国际大厦底商，包括中外特色风味餐厅、酒吧、茶苑等。

新旧交融成卖点

上演《牡丹亭》的粮仓是南新仓街区保存最完好的仓廒之一，现在是一家高档次展示场所。客人走进粮仓，体验到的不仅是古仓的魅力，还融入了现代气息。粮仓的墙体是用玻璃隔开的，不仅保护了建筑原貌，更散发出古墙青砖的韵味。玻璃地板透出白色碎石子铺成的道路，好像踩在饱满的米粒上，提醒来客这里曾是一座皇家粮仓。幻想着身处粮仓，眼见的却是艺术佳品：柔软的沙发、老式的留声机、主人收藏的古董、最新发布的唱片。当确定了身处现代时，眼前的杜丽娘，耳边的昆曲又把来客领回600年前那段凄婉缠绵的爱情故事中……

辗转于历史与现代，往返于旧与新之间，是徜徉在南新仓文化休闲街时最大的感受，也正是商户独具匠心之处。当年灰砖砌成的尖顶粮仓里储备着物质食粮，如今的南新仓传承着精神文化，古老的文化瑰宝碰撞在一起，迸发出空前的吸引力。文物遗产和艺术的价值是无穷的，经营者抓住了这个卖点，打造了品牌并开拓出可持续发展的广阔市场。

文物保护是发展根本

在离南新仓不远的地方还有两座隶属于其他单位的粮仓，但由于保护不善，已有一座被人为拆毁了，另一座空虚废弃着，或许也难逃“灭顶”之灾。

即使不被拆毁，古仓若被置之不管，也无法发挥传承文化的作用。在街区改造以前，南新仓并不为大家熟识，更多的人知道的只是百货公司，而忽略了古仓群。现在的南新仓文化休闲街成为平安大街龙头位置的一道靓丽的风景，观众可进入古仓免费参观展览，时尚元素尤其吸引了年轻人，越来越多的人走近了南新仓，并且有了亲手触摸历史的机会。同时，南新仓公司将资产经营的获利按一定比例投入到对古仓的日常维护中，使以前捉襟见肘的维护发生质的飞跃。

南新仓公司招商有着严格的要求：古仓内绝对不允许使用明火，只允许文化类商户进行画展、商务派对、论坛、拍卖会等创意文化活动，休闲餐饮类商户只可租用仿古建筑和国际大厦底商。管理部门坚决禁止随意性装修仓廒，严禁拆改挪移；商户装修之前，需要经过文物专家和建筑专家的论证，在不触动建筑主体的前提下，进行可逆的改造，确保将装修材料拆下后，古仓可恢复原状；定期检查消防技防器械、消防通道及相应措施，确保仓廒安全；在街区多个角度安装摄像头进行监控，避免人为破坏行为；定期普及文物保护知识，提高商户保护文物的意识等。南新仓公司坚持“文物保护与合理利用相结合，以保护为重”的原则，进行可持续性合理利用和开发。管理部门和商户都十分清楚，南新仓是不可再生的文物，也是街区的灵魂所在，没有了古仓一切全是空壳。

文化创意打造品牌

南新仓文化休闲街主打文化创意牌，曾荣获“2006年度北京商业文化创意品牌”、“2007年度北京商业创新品牌”。街区采取“整体定位，统一形象，集合招商，整合营销”的经营方式，依托文物古迹，积极引导、支持商户从事文化创意经营，开展富有特色的文化创意活动。2006年以来，街区内先后成功举办了名人名家艺术展及音乐界名家的新片发布会，举办了多场影视新片发布会和影视文化信息交流活动等。通过一系列的文化创意经营，南新仓公司逐步树立了品牌形象，赢得了市场份额。如在古粮仓上演的厅堂版昆曲《牡丹亭》，作为一种时尚为国内商务人士和海外高端游客推崇，如今更成为北京市向各国奥运代表团及中外来宾重点推介的新派传统文化项目；2008年北京奥运会期间，德国体育代表团将租用古粮仓成立“柏林北京2008冠军俱乐部”，并作为代表处举办奥运代表团高级官员、德国运动健将和媒体记者的聚会活动。

未来的南新仓公司将继续坚持以文物为主线，以市场为导向，加强文化特色，淘汰一些不符合南新仓整体风格的商户，提高商户档次适应街区氛围，进一步提升品牌影响力，提高企业竞争力，并且正在积极申报“中华老字号”和国家级文物保护单位。伴随着奥运带来的激情，以及奥运后中国人对古都历史更浓厚的神往与自豪之情，会有越来越多的人们走进南新仓，关注南新仓，关注中国的文化遗产。

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