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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 & L" B5 O% |* d: |6 Tarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider . ?* t. k n. w+ C# X, d0 \Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" * d( {0 J( E* E! O. Acity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. ( \* D. J& F* k. C E4 ^According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,& g6 y* F. _3 S1 _% D 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of + y: |3 o; q: G) n2 C& ^$ GManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within ( Q' c/ V8 q# F& p5 Z2 dhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among % i L- B0 h! }6 I) V8 r2 Seach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera ! W( _2 O$ c& G/ w3 {3 ^8 Nand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is+ d- u- j9 @4 F% K+ ]* A; `( G harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are , q% v/ q: q% n& Xdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and & m* L5 Q# O& V0 `) H. Vforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I ) h; N% P$ E( `3 Twas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great : M6 b7 l$ M$ d1 V4 f9 k: Cimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, + e' g' [$ ?- I& f3 e! p8 Uand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong ' c* `. Q8 }0 j" U- C% U1 Lhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment8 Q/ _1 Y# F0 ]1 L+ u) O, G, H0 b of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that( w- ]; q z2 `+ Q/ } no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are3 o8 S% J3 B/ A6 g. v$ P$ y only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a- z9 S* G& [5 X9 u sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government; g& p$ c0 f' Y0 ]$ J6 _6 o5 Q9 g want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move + v! @4 {' P$ Q& Q, \' l7 ^- p# yto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is8 J6 B5 s( D0 g z1 c% ? "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,0 ]- @1 o* h2 Z) H- K this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 5 ]% a' S R3 r( K& s* v% pstill 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 ' q- A3 Q/ a: r8 q2 F1 m* e"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make : ^1 l+ i% ]. `: ` x0 C4 m" nmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was- K: g j7 s( d0 X2 X& J1 v a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a8 Y/ e; \4 ?$ H% Z parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across" B* o/ w% S) _6 T 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 * R! Z* t# O' _8 e( Limportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for* Z5 n) n( d) B$ ]& ?4 a development.

Hutongs " K) u" I# o& d3 Qin the old days were residential area where people actually lived* z" e0 @3 A* F) _4 D# L6 l+ | there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions 5 P# v$ I' \* M& j. K# z% hin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not 9 d7 D* b" B: f* Y" h% }0 @5 bhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you4 f) k3 I, Q- [( x will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. 8 l' a) g. u( H% F8 D- Z4 vFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date* V$ V' x- b- {, r" s0 h" m+ K4 J to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used 1 C9 h- Z- _+ r0 F( yto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses , [- O7 N$ Q! B( {6 isupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 1 e: [; N s' Q2 `! f1 ~unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to1 J9 m- ]4 i a& e( {; Q live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 2 ^7 [! V/ p; i% [hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the' Q1 n6 _, Y/ M( Z9 d balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the& K" ^! i( a4 D% o" v project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be . h$ j. |- ^" }! Hrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong 4 V, F! P+ J b. r9 x: [+ hMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how ! \6 f2 B) l0 x4 X) Kpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be6 B! \# @5 d, i( O2 t torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished% m& S( X/ r- E0 V+ e# } memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".: k% A) w3 ^# P. Z3 I* L Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are: \+ x, _ ]' D4 ~+ i, U, U, v& m aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially , h' G& M. R6 r' g' Bnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image! S* Y# }; T" H2 p$ u- }' I of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these 3 j. X; g3 Q6 W$ NHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those5 Z c* `! ]" n; ~! M ?* { people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they $ {5 v- X6 [+ I! t* P5 _: Mmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some! x8 @( e8 B* m+ g& K of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before & z$ \ e O( {% \0 G: f4 v4 y; a3 w"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all( S/ t3 _7 X( Q# ^: L, D people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 3 t6 d0 R9 c, n5 y+ a+ t5 J0 [apartments are the way to go? No. 4 ]' v. B3 }$ l: m/ p; o9 _; h+ E 1 ^) S2 j( k9 v; q- @4 b # @ Y. L J9 \5 v p- t

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the& C* _% v4 b- t- E8 o situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this) J$ b6 g* b- ]" e 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make9 E2 M; ~' I7 b no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so 5 H R4 a/ }4 B0 Sfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 6 w/ J# O& N& Y" v4 Dresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless . o+ N; A$ V e* e& q# uBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is ; Y, k5 w2 G8 m: _$ x' Tunlikely 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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