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A Hutong Discussion

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发表于 2007-4-24 05:08:00 | 显示全部楼层 |阅读模式
The following is a hutong discussion promoted by me on a Chinese history oriented forum:

Me:

As Beijing has been the capital of China for more than 800 years, its % C4 D" \ f# u1 e- barchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider : M$ z' A% u( r$ v J! P( cBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 1 f! H% Q+ Y. Y* wcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. \7 L4 G# I3 u/ H2 U$ jAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,) _ c8 ?4 Z. r$ ^, K 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of . P# t/ z* X# t3 b4 ]Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within $ @7 `) w7 w* e% g4 a1 ?* zhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among# _. x( _ H, I( g- P5 Y) _ each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera* E. M# X, t, L- S- s& D and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 8 D! N/ v% P" q0 Fharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are$ e' D/ J U8 J* N descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and 0 c- W4 m7 r* L# U' mforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I , J/ I r9 ]4 Z J; xwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great , w3 F- d6 c, I+ f" a8 _2 F# simpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,# G4 j' l( W6 q and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong5 R+ E) A, k0 ~7 U has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment' G3 V* H& Z ^) [7 M of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that , P) o, g5 V. T7 n5 ~no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are , q y ?2 O4 B, bonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 2 f& `6 d! F# Z& ^7 Q# N1 rsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government & S/ j- y6 j9 E7 F6 T7 u! Nwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move3 G1 r" k! U, a% T to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 5 ~, l, q! x& Q' Y"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 8 f2 T/ J7 o* F( m: D! Zthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are * y/ `0 _9 j5 d0 n3 ~' ~still living in compact apartment cells, Olympic Games will still be held in Beijing if four-combinations still stand.

Kimchee:

I think it's ashame how historical sights are destroyed due to( X( ~* ], r4 x9 q% l: |3 J "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make& d+ m; u" h9 Y( M- c8 v) k) k money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was - j; X8 V$ v6 _ ^$ @5 Oa beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a $ ~2 [% v: {9 P) bparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across r% [. V4 F% \5 U the street is still there, but I thought it was a crime to do this.

Ashura:

While I do agree and support the perservation of properties of cultural / l1 p' O! s4 h/ fimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for. u, b. R' J/ D: [& t- c+ p development.

Hutongs 7 d1 m# t9 m. l' Xin the old days were residential area where people actually lived * S5 i( i, L" k' T( R0 F( D2 Kthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions) S) r* a; n# g$ _! k- `, D in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not+ }0 s# F# _2 j7 E. L9 \ have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you& G7 q/ h) N: A/ J1 w4 ]7 U- A will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. ! d7 b, c1 {1 e# F! d$ L, \Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date5 h2 U- ?, q7 n/ `3 W% \ to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used 2 U/ [8 r" h; g7 v1 \to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses / c( v. i4 F, @( ^' V$ Csupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 4 o2 T/ [* E$ C& M. z2 _6 Lunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to 5 e' \# c- L- L0 X* t9 T- p' Z x1 jlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,( D. x" L/ R2 b0 Z' H D hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the0 X+ n% D6 ^' M1 z6 [9 P balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the' q C% ^3 Z" o8 w1 Q) C; @/ F7 H project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be ' M, ]' _% ?* `& F" erenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong0 T$ Z. o# C3 D; _ Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how " ^; m9 l8 y/ ?1 e# l0 j7 dpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be$ l! }+ ~# {" }7 d. N torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished3 E" i, [" y- N1 m6 m* C5 q$ W memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". 5 t4 c* a; `/ b) i2 D" s( RNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are . `4 R* {/ q8 _* T; Q4 ialigned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially 1 g) c$ `$ d) x* k4 [; K. R& ~non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image + t, @1 E8 s8 \6 n% T) @; ?# gof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these : E! J" ~1 y2 k+ I& x/ S& c9 tHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those2 D1 O( m4 u% T* O) J people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they7 b* L# w l6 M/ A. A2 q may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some - @8 m7 U1 ^5 z% ^# Dof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 4 U7 d1 `5 [) R! ^! s7 g"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all " r# v0 f' _' p! p% @people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise : B8 l4 t I7 B' F; b5 ^% c4 Xapartments are the way to go? No., ]! I6 ~6 f Q3 x/ a7 E3 D ; p: U9 w# D; t3 V8 D2 _! I I* m; u . w; n$ r' Z& ~2 C7 n

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the % r, `! C% i# }/ o& usituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this+ M+ S3 K, P% l 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make" J$ S8 G/ Y2 b no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so : B+ h$ N& P: \" w' l* Zfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 9 c9 E7 I1 L% _0 I, N2 E8 z5 t4 Aresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless " @* A8 ~3 l5 A2 f6 xBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is% T0 e9 G1 L' c3 o unlikely to happen too. Sad!
发表于 2007-5-22 20:37:00 | 显示全部楼层
Excuse me. May I use ur discussion in my dissertation about Beijing Conservation?
Thx a lot!!
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