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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, its4 Q& z0 b$ l" e2 v, C architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider 2 k' K4 Y- F6 l2 s1 xBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" % h4 Q: n/ y+ }city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. 3 p3 P. }6 h8 @! P' X& V, YAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,# c w$ ~* G' F2 s 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of |$ g9 |1 b3 P. Z% b, d Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within % p7 S! |( `4 D4 {0 C8 s! [hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among% ^2 i2 h" |1 q9 R# j4 S; Q$ C each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera U. H7 d1 K" d8 A+ [% u4 [and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is . I9 v' ]% d4 p( V, H' L0 zharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are) f5 V9 b0 {/ Y descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and# o, q: T! g1 r- _: i forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 0 n" F% T+ X* jwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great3 G8 h( v9 _/ ? impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, # _! e' v9 K. a/ Y4 v4 e% h @and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong; t: g" N$ r1 K! ?8 A" G$ c9 s has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment' J- v/ M( k* T of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that' {' E7 ^) @ K5 o2 `% S3 Q% r no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are# {* K7 G8 P: t0 E/ v- |$ U1 I only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a ( _9 N3 }, ?. N: C1 \1 ?" Nsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government' w" s' v* H$ E5 ^' q3 z want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move" @; R/ \7 g' c* u to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is7 P5 ?1 ?6 I; H/ n% ]% F "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,( A& y$ h, ]5 B& K this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 6 B( \+ N- g! N8 |! g5 b( ?* v7 x/ vstill 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 " r0 X+ ^8 q* p. z"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make % Q# q' g1 Z6 m* G! U) Vmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was 5 L$ |2 b! t: F Ra beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 1 b* W( O. _ jparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across " F# ?% B7 b, Pthe 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 0 U; U( x: u% V: F5 N" Mimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 2 N/ g' C6 G% w' [" x6 R0 hdevelopment.

Hutongs 8 {& P2 t' K. }) o0 Yin the old days were residential area where people actually lived 3 Z$ c, b- C- g5 ]( z3 @there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions! V5 [$ U: a& o& P% j in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not 1 N- S* x/ @' k+ T, g1 Fhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you S8 x3 O; \) ~% s( }) f0 {will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.+ t5 s* a) Z# ^8 n Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date" o X8 I4 O2 [4 o to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used 0 A3 Z0 L5 z4 v! L, Sto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses ( `7 K/ G8 u' A, o% Fsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically / N( N3 E' P" w6 n- d; U4 Y/ Uunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to . s& d: L7 k) e# H. J! U3 l: Zlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,; m8 k3 ~# b( M6 R: x hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the " l& q, d7 w6 s5 ?9 zbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the$ J( `1 k4 c1 L' p# F project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be6 b& I. W% i7 p5 O2 o renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong " \" G4 |. F+ b/ _% BMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 3 A" c2 ~( i, O) n6 Wpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be! g, ~/ p P a& x torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished* L% j- d8 t; F9 s/ |# P memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".' X1 o9 v; Q2 q, {$ W" n Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 5 W- z' o+ y$ zaligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially3 E$ c% f. G1 V* D% @ non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image + Y$ s4 _$ P! g/ J/ h' wof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these, w$ P! e5 ~9 }6 ~3 p, W+ S Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those + f/ P/ T9 f( n1 Xpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 7 q( e9 a, p r3 b2 ~( amay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some 2 R v# \$ T) }: V3 o, a# hof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before w" b5 n; l: b. l. n7 ^& E "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all/ I* E% n6 ~7 t people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise a5 P: u) e( k4 o4 ~, j0 F- r( Xapartments are the way to go? No.7 c! K3 a% J+ @# _: c8 `1 u + P3 R2 h d5 F" v % D' ?! y, s( N

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the& U$ {- n$ b0 } situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this! h) _: n8 L# J0 R, f! \" ~' P 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make ]4 O; I* o% W2 B1 a6 eno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so' E- ~. d8 {! |$ p3 v9 X fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant8 A# F2 X) K/ F1 u, V5 D- N+ T. \ resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless # W. z4 M& F$ C/ a+ t4 uBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is) I! P* G: B, @1 `" p: s- ^6 o: M) K 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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