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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% ^% F1 v5 g" t$ P architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider" j7 N5 R/ |' Y Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 9 J7 t; R) Q" M% ocity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.9 e6 F5 K, S* L$ D+ ?, u* q0 b q/ o According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, 0 \; f0 D3 h4 b8 w9 ^/ x3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of , D% l, E1 d1 t* z: @Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 0 N$ g" }' j+ qhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among 7 v. G8 Z5 m, Z) p! Beach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera 2 d3 E0 d( j* Land Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is - K U2 N/ ^/ Xharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are % Q9 }0 J1 _+ Zdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and. U8 f2 l Q8 A* P: [5 P( `) c( t forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I3 ~: S: N' Z5 y( i, J7 m was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great - t& \; @+ H* [ g+ R+ nimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,! ~3 q s1 t+ ]% Q) L# I+ r and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong ( s! m' v0 d, x9 x7 ~/ ihas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment" K3 K/ J: `) O of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that4 B" x; l- h7 b- U3 V$ R3 y/ n) v no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are0 N$ y5 K/ o' h; z. R9 h" G only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a. T0 C) C- {1 Z sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government & g' g9 d; _+ I/ ]/ Qwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move( r* {9 c0 ~( J4 a to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is$ L+ B8 a1 ?! B; U: @ "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 2 y& V. R& @7 \5 Wthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are' ^. u; c+ x b) U 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 # x/ L9 ^3 Q; e$ L"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make# F3 i) l1 J1 a$ C; f/ j money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was* k, u, I. J+ X6 Z' C' X. q% k a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a ) M& ?- \0 Q* Z6 V# Q u4 m/ ?parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 0 k, w7 z0 R1 Q7 z6 m9 Tthe 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 ( x5 N: N6 G, w* H: u& ~: E# {importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for4 o& X! ^; s. n' y development.

Hutongs ; k* h! Q) m; `0 U$ _+ J Fin the old days were residential area where people actually lived, J8 c; k* C8 K, u there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions/ v% {6 q+ G7 W4 Y% f, j6 c in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not 5 y+ q( U) ]' d6 |% I; shave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you 5 g% B/ }! `2 N) jwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. , e3 ^' b; u0 |% s! ]2 U, ]Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date3 E' Q, S+ H% B to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used% C7 G6 `2 O' o: C) x5 _ to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses2 c6 g) L; e) A! o! f6 C& Y7 X7 U+ n support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 9 q! P: M" S( @& Z; wunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to ' \5 ` H4 d" M7 _live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, ! X. i9 i% \- [+ K; z* a' Khutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the! P: l0 f- d( u9 q balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the ! n( u% [9 P# T% O. `# \1 j* C! Zproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 2 N k5 i, j6 @) z7 Wrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong0 I8 h9 t* a, W6 y1 P Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how0 i% b. d) y2 A5 H6 I( x people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be$ i. r9 r5 l, w' c# Q; f- m torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished3 v" u& o+ Q3 M L/ \ r4 t memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress"., F* B- u* b- D Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are % w& m+ d# y B, T) x! ?aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially3 B$ A# {; i( j non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image & m0 ?0 |* _/ I7 C5 x6 F" pof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these - M9 x* I- ^/ g eHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 0 G. j) j& B" W2 e" r" ^; {people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they * F Y4 u& N: u; O; G$ Emay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some0 S4 s# i9 i+ q( `* ~# L& s of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before2 q, \7 l8 G& P/ N3 { "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all n5 e% u9 ~+ [. h. qpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise Q/ D! }, o7 k, }. ~6 Bapartments are the way to go? No.. a' |- e2 I! M! m- M , |6 b1 U1 e3 F7 t( |& s " Z0 b6 j9 i/ c

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the . L* H0 p7 [- N! i, [; q* Y0 y2 _situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this ' _1 l2 }' D" ]& I2 h( w3 A7 v1 w8 ~6 J'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make/ ~) c- O( F/ Q$ f& H no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so5 x" n& S1 a- Y1 K" @1 b/ ] fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant! H+ W6 U9 Z) C) d+ c& c5 u! N resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless ' y6 ]: T- i# WBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is # F3 ~( N+ l/ N" k7 I" E& a f0 iunlikely 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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