Beijing Design Week 2013 aims to breathe new life into one of Beijing's oldest hutong areas. Chen Nan reports.

An elderly man sips tea in front of his courtyard gate in the Dashila'r area near several birds in cages. Such birds are popular pets for old Beijingers.

Dashila'r, one of the oldest hutong areas in Beijing, will be charged with creativity during the Beijing Design Week 2013, which began on Sept 26 and will run until Oct 3.

Residents are curious about the installation works under preparation for the Beijing Design Week.

Located south of Tianan'men Square, the area has long been an icon in Beijing, which is home to Chinese time-honored brands, international shops, traditional teahouses, hutong and courtyards. Formed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the area became the most prosperous and civilized corner of the city.

According to Beatrice Leanza, the new Creative Director of Beijing Design Week, since UNESCO designated Beijing as a City of Design a year ago, the event is hoping to reinforce the capital's role as an active provider of infrastructural and cultural systems.

"Dashila'r has traces of the imperial past, the traditional courtyard houses, and abounds in a richness of stories. We want to follow the revitalization scheme to give the area a new life," she says.

She also hopes that Beijing Design Week will be more "Beijing" than a "design week". "Though it's called 'design week', we want to make it last throughout the whole year," she says.