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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# ]; }; u2 J/ s* [& u+ S b architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider / ]: n( U# q8 S$ i. \2 v, @, iBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" + B" R+ F2 y ]9 D% h: i5 [city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture./ g- F7 f0 g" J. w" z According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, 0 z" P8 D1 h$ R4 |; J* ^5 o3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 6 f2 G! V. l* m9 J& {' H GManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 3 d+ l! q* H7 K- V ]& H$ ghutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among' W+ d$ Q. O2 O# J5 s1 r each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera4 _1 J* R* w. e4 S and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is + w6 X+ _7 W& @1 c4 p! [9 r. D9 K$ rharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are0 p9 x+ g, D, O c& s) v' \ descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and & W' t' `: ?4 P( }. \( }9 dforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I ) p* y9 X0 r+ Z) R* X& M. m0 Fwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great% I# O7 c5 k& u7 [ impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,+ a1 P4 _# t5 m! ?, F and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong 4 M4 |4 m7 ?3 Khas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment . y e* B4 ^/ r5 X* n, L0 Mof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that2 P3 i9 m2 D3 V* V6 U1 O& `9 j2 _ no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are" o7 j6 l5 x9 G/ [ only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a ( H9 G3 j# C4 psort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government) N5 I, Y7 E6 _0 ^ want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move6 T0 Q. G/ `9 N5 Y to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is: o R" x* v: i- o "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, & a7 l6 z/ ~+ g( w6 C& wthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are' Q9 ^% \0 O( n2 Q7 E& 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 . I, _- [* T) A9 w `5 d N"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make0 w) H! B Q( }6 r2 F- m money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was5 q3 L1 k& {5 B. |; V2 ], X" H0 X& V a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a0 [; `4 C6 W6 ?4 q/ ^9 d parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 9 a9 h/ [* @) s" q6 T8 _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& z, ?1 C. N# [ importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for / O$ Z7 O, d1 j- {5 m8 kdevelopment.

Hutongs7 _8 P( h' o. i( L( ^) v4 V in the old days were residential area where people actually lived" F& u/ y g9 V" c% m4 s. j there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions* M F8 m2 S+ u in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not ]+ v. ?! ^/ k( ?& t* u have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you0 `( {) t8 @! O# c8 K will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. 5 V o+ m4 ] i/ `! _; aFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date! X6 Y- c R! [! ~" i: D to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used/ H% f0 E) S7 z: r" B* z to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses * D2 e2 P1 U! Vsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically % T# O1 {2 M5 c% [2 C( \) nunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to$ ~: D, S& L0 e+ z6 f live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 7 x) ^3 e$ h9 ~3 Q4 I+ J# u$ I* p. \5 zhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 5 O/ C8 O1 f" K2 bbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the; J. F) s; Q, y( m* ` project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be , f( Y$ _8 x8 [& S; ]( `renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong ?3 F1 v/ }- l# j. xMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how' Q) z& e# Z) R# d) O+ F9 h people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be % M! P4 l! ^8 C; G3 f0 jtorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished + r. ?+ E" U9 N9 I" t, }, umemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". + p8 m' C) Y0 R5 V) rNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are ) J9 k! ?0 g" `: n7 V- g8 @2 c% kaligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially 0 Z& X8 F8 _% n; z# T& u1 v) }/ j' }+ lnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image ; u# m& B; Z. M+ K. h0 J/ C! fof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these6 d3 G- o, k1 n8 v3 g Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those5 ?+ `+ a" d( R3 X8 A" V people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they / k9 s8 K( Z/ i3 Xmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some- p3 J* [2 Y# _/ z of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 0 q8 [1 l* {4 {"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all2 H4 Q3 A) _5 [( j3 E people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise& U# l4 H+ Q9 u. r; A+ j" e apartments are the way to go? No.* _1 a) g/ O- _4 [1 t. a 4 c7 K( T8 A' X3 y: v1 u# u " X. f+ v! O B9 Y' v7 u

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the . b0 A0 z. W/ o: K; @1 ^situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this 9 P& S& d+ i) f$ }( z'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make7 V3 N2 V, m( z. s: R+ \ no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so * }8 {0 e: U3 c' C ^fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant & j9 k( H4 r" A( _7 J$ T. b0 x: hresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless9 [7 w6 c& U- _* b$ O/ n Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is% H; e+ K0 n! O0 B 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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