服务器里的北京 - 老北京网

 找回密码
 注册老北京网
查看: 6390|回复: 1

A Hutong Discussion

[复制链接]
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 ! L6 w( u8 Q+ i: }) H8 yarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider! Y, {" L9 R/ h+ t Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"! t- t, R- k8 Y$ n city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture., M# n$ {4 E4 h/ D According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, 6 \- S7 m) R1 \; x; t3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 2 q4 {; ? T# C# NManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within9 S+ K9 \- p" g, C% f, v hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among% V* Z4 i7 e- q" c" T% f8 a each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera - M( e% e$ e4 w w& ?% xand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is, a( s0 h% X4 l1 h6 G* |) p harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are Y' ]3 S$ i5 j6 M descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and8 j7 B7 f: _, n+ ~( c forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I % j6 ?0 c; R" R8 ?0 U0 rwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great* J' c, a7 j" k, f7 {7 j impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, * o4 U. g- ^& O) t }+ a- Mand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong 1 |, i, x( ^1 N+ p. Ghas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment 9 k, N8 V N7 m9 M: A* u3 Nof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that : F- P# z% P( {: b, n& p: Fno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are; F; N$ r/ @, e* n only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a- r% z O3 Y# | sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government 2 z# k e9 o8 c! ?want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move+ z5 Y2 o8 Z4 P7 F2 M to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 3 y3 H6 z* }: T7 W+ {( Z, u"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, ( R, k; ~ o" P! X' Xthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are1 l$ N3 S5 U9 Q- X 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 . v j* n5 O/ o' j+ z/ t"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make/ u1 N/ J; \% y. g money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was" h' Y* t9 v. O' r a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a, Q) d4 {7 E& R4 M, r+ I parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across. ]% {8 H. A" D( s- Z1 K 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 3 |/ A8 C) ?/ I# Kimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for. V5 I; j {4 e3 X, C development.

Hutongs T3 g+ d$ x2 D+ Qin the old days were residential area where people actually lived# V1 B3 o: A9 ?$ l# y7 V' ~ there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions' K0 A% ^7 _+ r! t5 w in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not 1 b+ E% E [) h. Dhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you d. P% e- {7 b/ Z7 j will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. # r: `# A, _6 hFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date - ?" I+ p \- z& E u" t/ pto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used: Z; g( a8 O* u5 V0 \ to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 4 w& V/ ~. s* W6 t0 zsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 2 Z# A2 m& {7 ^3 Y+ [# \unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to ( ~: u" \; s* j: N8 a1 _live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, % ~. S* v4 ?, ?) bhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the! @! l5 m1 M1 r) C4 A* V2 X) B balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the+ |. m7 \, u. l: b/ w: |9 G. B+ o& d% w% S project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be8 ]' `/ e2 W0 ~, g/ w9 p" a renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong ) A! ? Z5 | B% f R& l7 yMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how ( i/ a' ?5 A$ g; B; `( S# A, J) H8 apeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be5 |$ }7 K; Q9 j" n1 p" n torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished - r( Y. Z0 _! V" z3 dmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". 0 \* d0 D5 q) S, ~ }" L( B) PNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are - l# H ?+ ]1 p- Haligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially3 m% L5 A a" H non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 1 F! q/ x+ v$ c( ^& y: e: Gof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these & L) `- @1 ?( ~+ XHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those S" o1 d( V0 {2 f* v' x8 H- }% s people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they ; z1 Y% \% V; B; c! `+ @$ hmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some( L3 p7 R; [1 G* x8 n2 L) s! i of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before9 k, Q, n5 h8 O% u7 ? "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all3 E" E9 i1 P7 D" z, b' W ? people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 8 `# x0 I/ R! R1 ]& ? Vapartments are the way to go? No. 8 D" g2 f# @" V5 q 8 u8 E0 N- L6 ~1 O) L) B4 q / |+ h, [) z" B' `( b+ X; ~; I+ S

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the " @1 I3 P8 m! k) e) U4 ~situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this ( ~8 L5 a$ h8 ?. Q/ {# q& o/ u'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make & p6 I, T$ e8 Sno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so 6 [' j2 ^8 z; c* v, pfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant% O9 t( `% E4 T3 o% t resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 8 q/ ^7 O! V- jBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is; o4 J3 l3 m, V 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!!
您需要登录后才可以回帖 登录 | 注册老北京网

本版积分规则

2000.11.1,老北京网自创办之日起,已经运行了 | 老北京网

GMT+8, 2026-1-10 17:06 , Processed in 0.117702 second(s), 17 queries .

道义 良知 责任 担当

CopyRight © 2000-2022 oldbeijing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

返回顶部