Today’s photo was taken by Céline Lamée, co-founder of Amsterdam- and Beijing-based design firm Lava. It depicts the bricking-in-progress of Wujin, a watering hole in Beijing’s inner-city hutong alleyways beloved by artists and creatives of every stripe, semi-connected to the long-running Arrow Factory gallery space a few storefronts down. Both Arrow Factory and Wujin were recently hit by a concerted “renovation” program Beijing initiated a few months ago, ostensibly seeking to buff out the quirks and oddities of the cultural patchwork of gray-market restaurants, cafes, corner stores and artistic spaces that operate without licenses in the otherwise residential hutong zone. While some artists are seeking creative ways to respond to the forced renovations, many lament the closing of their favorite neighborhood hangouts, with Wujin and nearby restaurant Stuff’d among the latest casualties.
