Walk into a time machine

Beijing Design Week is allowing visitors this year to explore exhibitions and events in the city's Dashilar area through interactive experiences by applying advanced technology such as virtual reality. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Besides exhibitions, upcoming events will be shown on the screen, and the detailed information will show up after an event is selected.

The time-travel mode lets you view Dashilar from another perspective.

If you choose the "past" mode, the streets look like they were 100 years ago with people pulling rickshaws, residents walking with their birds and peddlers wandering around.

People can hear the hawks of peddlers in the old time and old photos of the current area.

"The 'future' mode is what we imagine our future hutong life will be like with robots making deliveries and robot dogs to play with," says Jia.

"Mixed reality is getting popular, but most users need to download an app. This program just needs you to scan the QR code, which lowers the threshold to experience mixed reality."

Totally 16 QR codes have been placed in Dashilar, with nine in the hutong area and seven in Beijing FUN, says Jia.

Beijing FUN, which was opened on Jan 16, is a classic of urban and architectural design in Dashilar, in an open neighborhood system.

Seven architects were invited to design eight buildings in Beijing FUN, under Chief Advisor Wu Liangyong's notion "Harmony in Diversity" while keeping its original streets.

The history of the Beijing FUN area is shown in a Visual Reality show at an exhibition in the Urban Revival Pavilion, which is located in Beijing FUN area.