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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 . u' r* S8 V+ |- g' s& L; G5 |architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider ) M% [ O/ v$ y1 FBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"0 y1 e2 [8 ]7 D1 \/ u/ R7 ~, _5 E: i city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. 3 W9 ]/ M- V- i8 X/ ?According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, " l* t+ U7 a& ~3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of4 o: I8 \4 H2 ^9 s! c1 v Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within* Y9 S2 x$ M6 j/ i, s1 d" _+ G hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among ) E" B3 _3 k9 n& Ueach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera+ z' R4 ]. h0 H" @. Y+ o and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 9 y, F/ g. j1 Q( w0 Y5 i) a) Y6 |% n6 `harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are * T1 S# t% [: w) E6 tdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and6 d+ h" Z% c5 @ forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I8 F# ^! _, q3 C3 G5 z- A8 W, s was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great # p1 I5 _) ]0 f* d8 i5 X! Nimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, " r5 j4 K7 z, s& Nand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong / _! k+ @; J* u' fhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment % Q5 b5 [1 A4 z* r. _. w9 Bof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that* h5 \) m1 a) T, b3 F' h no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are # e( V. x+ D# {& l9 h3 Q8 donly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a - l) J4 O: I" E+ G# ?# nsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government ) N8 k9 P" r) S0 n+ p1 O3 \want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 1 i& c( f, d+ A; `' wto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is @- \6 T2 ^7 F% Z9 [1 S6 d* E"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,4 R' L. Z: }& F8 ]( Z this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are2 P: o* W3 t' b: p6 m+ i u- j 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+ D4 J6 N/ b: k' m "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 4 {& f8 f' k# m. A0 s6 a9 Bmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was # P( l* M3 R' r% c- A, b4 }7 }a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a # V4 L- q# P p" d- Nparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 4 I5 S' L# q5 w* Jthe 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 2 c* a7 M/ h" D. s( @" O6 ?5 Limportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for : {0 }9 O5 L0 b N& w. Mdevelopment.

Hutongs1 C2 q2 s" P4 U+ N4 |8 S in the old days were residential area where people actually lived- p' q- ?1 k q* F$ w! e$ E0 } there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions1 ^. o3 W2 H5 y0 A) o in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not % I" L# f: n+ X" K$ \8 |( ^- ]0 Lhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you+ `: k+ z9 k6 l3 T+ Y. X will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. % ~! J1 W2 k/ y! r+ n" m0 _Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date$ x7 E6 x: ^6 q. J$ p$ C to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used . ^( k% x& |9 j9 f8 s0 ?to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 2 e3 e3 d/ g+ s, Esupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically * R5 N& n. `, g3 E* r+ c+ x h2 Yunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to ! J- I; q I' V# ]) qlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,5 W' K, A' q& ]: b5 L- } hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the6 e z* G9 Q3 S8 ]; z balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the7 D; W! e* V& g) i m( Y- ] project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be, o: c. _% V. U1 z% V! f/ a; S renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong % q, Z1 F! V# y2 m8 E0 e& j. ZMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 0 z& j C( A0 K6 Npeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be0 g' u# h. W# o4 a* |4 U torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished # n3 U! ]) u8 W" v9 Nmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". % ?7 n* ^" X" ]9 O; n" C" jNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are2 ^3 N( `3 u4 D* |4 S9 u& A aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially ' e9 K; V( @2 F8 _: e/ `# Cnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 4 _3 f# R2 D3 q" Mof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these h" p- M1 T3 v2 I, S# |5 y( EHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those! u8 m$ b0 ] B( L, i people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they3 ^& {4 Y3 m5 K: c# w% u may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some # U& T. |: W9 q6 H2 k' M7 C" hof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before * G7 j4 ^- Z5 j"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all, w; a" |& \- b" B) ?, f, Y people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise1 Q! g' Q2 M3 x% p% K apartments are the way to go? No. - `1 }8 l/ a2 f1 F0 x ) |8 g+ h W1 g W4 P+ t % b3 {& P( j# A7 _; ^8 f% y3 S

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the6 ]. i8 ~. b# i1 B! O0 V situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this: W- t+ z3 n" C) x 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make * M2 b$ N# R5 Cno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so, w' G: u- ~% l$ |, b fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant ) j3 `: }8 f& f3 I% Wresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless+ Z+ ^$ D' W) F Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is }' o. \1 X4 O* Y+ y1 a+ u 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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