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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 8 F( ^. T. C1 u! `architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider ) G8 m& ~( A5 r e3 K: ABeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 4 j$ H' h% b5 d* [, b& H0 icity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. + j7 h- g' `. [$ ^+ s- GAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,: P; `: J2 K7 Y: J 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 4 d+ M- h' R1 B4 @9 iManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within ' H$ u1 N8 T6 U- S' K. n* S! {hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among! O* g5 w7 `6 N/ S each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera - W8 p8 j1 _. L, h9 Q& J% W( sand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is" y; f h" [4 r6 J" s& \0 u harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are Z3 e6 Z! a0 B: q* ~ descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and' A) r8 n7 y3 `5 ~( g/ R0 _0 Y$ S7 F forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I" H: n: @0 c2 X& S( s( s was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great * z6 w5 P" c2 himpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, 8 x/ x: @& ~; x; ]0 k gand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong3 R/ T @" Y4 A/ { has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment9 h* m2 y9 m1 o of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that) [4 a J0 e' ]. c& K* v- L4 N no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are3 ?: T4 P/ m1 I+ U L5 I! R only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 0 n/ A$ A4 K# ysort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government/ [/ M. I* q1 V8 ]4 K want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move & T- y E+ E( _$ O' A8 U" Q6 u5 rto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is " b q4 d0 f/ p% D"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,: F" a1 c' O* s1 d8 r; b2 W this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are$ j# M) C* s; 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; a H, c+ e9 H1 w1 O5 N# D "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make/ N/ \ o+ \) E2 |1 I; u0 I. b/ B money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was 3 d/ ?0 r0 o: m7 Z0 |4 \* Wa beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a) |* Z- N% |% S+ z% ?4 N parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across * p. C/ n( [- E& ]9 j A. C" Bthe 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. k; A% H D; b8 w- Q, m importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for - h+ C5 F) a8 z( o edevelopment.

Hutongs/ H; B+ h2 U1 |- u/ |( @9 y2 m) { in the old days were residential area where people actually lived 9 F _8 F; d3 gthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions 0 R8 {# q7 X: i$ din hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not ! T. Q! T0 U9 ihave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you 8 Y! r9 C& v3 w' B8 [' n3 u$ bwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.1 `2 i! ~, _: p" e0 [5 l: `( A: |3 | Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date# ~5 t' d, V- z4 u to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used& |+ m: q3 o/ o: |1 u3 A# c to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 7 r- n4 k3 R; [# d$ j: ysupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically / `$ t& t" F' { x" cunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to 1 u+ d2 I% E" [/ Y, ]% A0 r3 Zlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,8 s. A, H! W" O( `; K* a3 B hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 0 x7 U4 F7 J/ K# Xbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the ! C" B# T/ z8 {$ c9 r" Rproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be6 E- H/ F/ c* r renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong ) ~, O4 @9 b. jMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how _* F+ g z: y3 ^% o; x' upeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be, W, A6 }( G. H; h torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 0 D2 a; F, h T1 ]3 U- A1 j: J; X5 @memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".. ~) C- D8 O3 r1 ` Q9 B; e% N' Z Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are5 s" V$ M' M. E* D& s aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially8 Q% q, C# d' y( e: F! P/ e non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image + C+ ~- g1 j! k4 W3 Jof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these8 }( E: p3 } k8 [9 l+ ~ u Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 4 P% P- M5 @# X/ G# Xpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they D% s) E- M, w* ?' w may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some # I z$ z& X1 Jof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before * L; q- n# ], V' R"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all & L6 t2 J# U @4 |/ \people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise- T# W5 [* H, _, z# m apartments are the way to go? No.! l0 J7 Y/ d' r* ?& C: X3 y+ s" u! G 4 \9 q0 [ m0 } 1 g+ o) N+ j1 t6 O. x# L" B1 R

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the) Y& H n6 `0 Q; x situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this . C& W7 N& u0 K4 N, e" N( Y3 }'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make/ k% D$ I) g G1 Z7 s& o# i ^" t no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so 2 ?. _7 b+ ?" W8 Jfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant : L4 Q! Z7 @0 o) Zresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless ' I9 s" s2 K7 f4 s% nBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is 9 Q. f5 ]" s4 A: L: munlikely 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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