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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 D. t3 {$ h) }$ u architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider + Y5 y7 H% _1 b$ d$ W% aBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" # ~3 P. T+ ]- n6 `. ^: ^; H2 I/ Hcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. 7 P0 |1 N% x6 y4 C: M- j8 E, SAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,. Z" B) H* A$ l% ]+ ] 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of % v2 {% J p: k5 i/ D6 `Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 8 b, D8 U1 O& [$ Z& ihutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among ' O1 q0 E R8 L7 X: C- Weach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera3 d1 L% R( r2 a( m2 k and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is ) B: | Z3 B, t8 F7 charmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are 3 p" T- c0 N8 C" t7 i/ ]1 h" Ddescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and $ [! ]) q) {2 j- }" U1 Oforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I* M2 z$ O: X- L. x: l5 T0 p- j2 _& G was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great : a) A7 y; z8 E7 ]* }: u* E; dimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, $ l% b* v% s; S! d+ L2 A, D/ fand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong 7 J+ @! p5 s* Y D( Z7 C) N+ Zhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment! h. o) K' _ R1 _1 i1 {* E of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that ; u7 ]% w$ f6 f. h' W! A+ g% V% xno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 9 H) b$ C' ?: _$ F1 o( P& @ tonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a ' k! X& \) J7 _ |sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government3 @3 B: z# U0 L8 N7 R9 R8 |! I" C want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move+ V$ H8 w e3 }5 V6 f; a3 C _! y( X% X to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is2 M9 P1 O- S ~, n- t7 s "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,& S c) M, @; n* c4 Y' n this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are4 y8 @4 _' J* U$ x7 c. W% M 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 2 h0 `0 A2 k* U"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make % g( f+ r8 W+ x8 X; a8 |$ \8 Lmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was - u+ ` t2 r$ p8 i' ma beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a2 c+ [3 e# A @3 N. P parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across ) M' |3 Z4 x7 p* ithe 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) X8 [+ s# n. k+ h6 m5 D importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for; K3 r. w$ e |0 `. X development.

Hutongs8 w8 ?7 Y U v; [ in the old days were residential area where people actually lived ' ^( P8 g( K% T; J9 m+ B' wthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions, _1 z/ y9 l+ V" h3 e# B2 }) l in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not3 \8 N6 U. g! B0 B4 s' i! P have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you) B* A# ]& ]2 ^/ G8 r will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. + }' Q! Z0 Q( d2 D& n$ e6 M' XFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date 2 R# J' e% [* D5 |; g5 @( ~% jto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used & n/ d6 M7 x; c) ?+ K. t0 Wto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses) Y8 L# Z- M$ B3 G* S7 ` support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically $ w# O# A9 Z8 A$ y' r+ Lunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to $ \1 v, k' j. ]& Nlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, + ~* l: b# f7 l* }7 Jhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the6 {4 X- S A8 L. ?0 l balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the1 A6 _3 J' J2 p& d project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be % B( E% O' ^1 v! \! Q/ frenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong , M8 S8 ~* @2 {$ c+ GMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how( R( f( b% A6 Q) L/ g5 H# v people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be8 J+ _7 }8 H4 V torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 7 `! }: B! Y0 {: j' hmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".1 T0 G! O! k9 [+ s$ G/ p! Y Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are$ f' T9 p' n. W! b aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially 1 Z# U1 a1 \6 b! _3 A: j0 Hnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image % V& s1 _4 z' _" M; u, J3 qof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these 7 r" Z9 ]7 c8 LHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those7 ?1 w! t; X- P( l3 z" b4 u# p people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they7 ]+ n j0 o) V Y! } may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some 7 v+ ?, c9 E9 U/ \ V/ o% k6 gof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before5 u4 H$ S7 p# O& F; T: Q, N% I% k "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all* \ i% W7 k; G7 j people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise1 d) |: e8 X8 E+ a! } apartments are the way to go? No. 5 ?1 A# P3 _4 b, D, I V + C2 ^1 x, L7 A$ J. g- h ' ~ ?0 f0 \) x4 t

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the , S! \4 L/ {+ asituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this+ P! l4 A3 u' B, W 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make3 H$ y3 n+ d+ R9 O1 R9 | no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so % V. D9 ]0 i' Q: E1 v0 a0 L* nfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 0 \. B/ |. q7 Rresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless% S9 d$ b$ f& L- b! m Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is 2 p q4 F. X& i- |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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