People's Square is a zine series created for all the wandering tumbleweeds and curious cats who have found themselves lost in the dusty rubble of Chinese demolition and were thirsty to know more. Comprising photography, ethnography and art, it is a snapshot of the transient moments that make up China's rapacious urban development and a dive into the dumps of land expropriation.

Issue No.1 is about Changdian Village/长店村, an urban village on the edges of Beijing where residents are resisting demolition. Issue No. 2 is about Guijie/簋街, Beijing's famous food street and its renovation in 2017. Issue No. 3 is about the hutongs around Gulou/鼓楼胡同, where business have recently had to face widespread demolitions and renovations that have changed the face of the neighborhood.

Hutong tragedy strikes again. All the fun-loving folks in Beijing feel the heat as Fangjia Hutong's outdoor seating is replaced with piles of bricks. Originally zoned as residential land, first-floor commercial spaces were forced to shut down last spring. Doors and windows were bricked up in hutongs all across Dongcheng. In People's Square No. 3, we break down the hutong revitalization with Hemu, a seasoned researcher of Beijing's hutongs, and AhG, a local Gulou 瓷. Their insights help us explore: What does authentic hutong culture and community mean? What is worth preserving and whom are various forms of urban revitalization serving?

Thank you Hemu and AhG!