Rene Mcconnell
BSS 121
2/5/14
The New York Times BY Ian Johnson Feb 1, 2014

In China ‘Once the villages are Gone, the Culture is Gone’
This article is based on urbanization and the destruction of villages. In Beijing a village of about 300 households was torn down to build a golf course, a home known to many musicians. The villages lies on what used to be a great pilgrimage route from Beijing north to Mount Yaji and went to Mount Miaofeng, holy mountains that dominated religious life in the capital. Temples on those mountains were great for feast days spread over weeks. The faithful from Beijing would walk these mountains, stopping at a known bridge to musicians call the Lei Family Bridge for food, drinks, and entertainment. It was said once these villages were gone so was the culture. Residents of these villages were scattered among several housing projects, some a dozen miles away, but distance meant the number of musicians to the area of the Lei Family Bridge are dwindling. Rapid urbanization of the Chinese culture is rapidly disappearing with traditions and history. When the Communist took over in 1949, the pilgrimage was banned, but revived in the 1980’s when the leadership relaxed control over society. The temples that were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution were rebuilt. The performers, however are declining in numbers, and increasingly old. The universal attractions of modern life- computers, television, movies- have siphoned young people away from traditional pursuits, but the physical fabric of the performers’ lives was also destroyed. The temple is one of the few buildings still standing. The Communist Party headquarters is another. Do to the weather and windy air in Beijing the wood is cracking and part of the roof is caved in and the walls are crumbling. What used to be on the historic list of preservation, the government says it will be rebuilt, but no one seems to know anything. Like all rural residents, the Leis and their neighbors never owned their land, it was all owned by the state of China. So, when the plans were made to build a golf course, these people had no choice but to move. No one protested because they knew they didn’t have a