ABSTRACT
This chapter indicates that the capital Beijing is undergoing a great change, which is embodied and expressed in a very popular symbol, “demolition,” alluding to what is to be demolished. “Dismantling” is a means through which forgotten things in a certain context can be brought back to memories or foregrounds. It is based on the principle of “reverse forgetting recovery.” Beijing's “demolition” is presented precisely as a form of reverse oblivion recovery from the recent or distant past. “Non-comparison” and “being in the middle” rather than “opposition” can be seen as central features of the relationship between tradition and modernity.
