Four generations

At age 90, Zhang Wenxiang says he's probably the oldest resident of Beijing's drum and bell tower area.

His house is 19 Bell Tower Bay, so his family's address was on the renovation list.

Zhang says he has lived in his home for almost 70 years. He and his wife moved in when they got married. The house was a Bell Tower gatehouse of the in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). His father-in-law bought it in the 1910s. He grew up across the street from his home.

"I never left this place," Zhang says.

"I went to school as a kid and then worked in a foundry around here."

Zhang remembers that the towers were free when he was growing up. He watched movies and local operas there.

The square was coated with temporary shops and canteens. The yard behind the Bell Tower was designated for burning funerary money for the dead.

"The area hasn't changed much aside from that, and it's much cleaner," Zhang says.

Zhang's wife passed away in 1997. Since then, he has lived with his 60-year-old daughter Zhang Li and 58-year-old son-in-law He De'an. Both are retired.

Their 30-sq-m house is divided into a living room – the largest room – and a bedroom separated by a wardrobe and a storage room.

Zhang's granddaughter, grandson-in-law and great-granddaughter live in the storage space on weekends. Her second son, Zhang Jiayu, lives in the first floor of a small two-floor home, while the son's daughter, son-in-law and grand daughter live on the second story.

The house expanded to about 20 sq m, unauthorized, in the 1970s.

So the expanded space doesn't have a property ownership certificate.

The four generations of Zhang's family worry about their future housing situation. They're used to the public toilets and can't imagine life in a high-rise.

"My father could still cook last year, but his health is much worse this year," his 60-year-old daughter Zhang Li says.

"And our grand daughter is kindergarten age at a year and a half."

But the family still supports the renovation.

"The roads here are too narrow, which makes it difficult for cars and buses to pass through," Zhang, the 90-year-old, says.

Her daughter puts it this way: "We just hope the new accommodation can be as nearby and convenient as possible."