The demolition of a Beijing hutong

A welder at work in the Da Shi Lan hutong Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

A pile of plasterboard outside a boarded-up business Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Residents watch the demolition of a house in one of the area's overcrowded streets Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Small businesses in the Da Shi Lan hutong. Large areas of neighbouring hutongs have been demolished and replaced by a shopping and leisure complex Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

A worker passes an old building. Some premises are being renovated; others will be demolished Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

The nearly completed main street in the Da Shi Lan hutong. The area, one of the last remnants of old Beijing, is being converted into a modern commercial zone, but retaining some of the atmosphere of the old city Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Buildings in the nearly-completed main street in the Da Shi Lan hutong. Some rebuilding in Beijing has been criticised as an attempt to "Disney-fy" the city Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

An electric cart drives along the nearly completed main street Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

The main street in the Da Shi Lan hutong Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian