服务器里的北京 - 老北京网

 找回密码
 注册老北京网
查看: 6669|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 * X3 T$ _: I0 x/ t8 i) b1 P! xarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider, h4 X+ E, w( E+ v$ a% W. l Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 7 Y! P! C4 t M9 U9 i8 n5 O( t5 Vcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.! G Y9 v; \2 J* v) i According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, D& @ C, q& ^6 @- t3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of6 e! l& K2 k) _ Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within3 f, }) j. t E1 o5 n; M9 r. p N% y8 z hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among7 @/ d- |# v# V each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera 9 D/ z, r$ ?) J0 gand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is + x( J9 Y5 g' j9 S$ U* e6 wharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are# Y' k5 s% A+ m% j- F descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and M; \4 y1 z. N/ A! @forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 7 D6 c: p8 e2 d X2 W7 uwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great9 n( r) @; J' L7 C0 v impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, + y' I8 m/ N' Iand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong Z W) I' M3 Q/ nhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment8 \2 ~0 [3 b" i) C; s3 S of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that$ V1 _2 e9 X% p$ R3 D no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are1 Z9 d4 F4 q- r9 e8 R: [0 v only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 3 ^( O9 u! }( Bsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government ( y. ~0 f" i- H& _) g6 Zwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move * b6 u; o* M4 ]1 S% xto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is ! m _ v7 ^/ I! W+ }/ R"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, / d& r9 J: w8 j* b+ k+ A _+ |this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are/ E) I9 v" W% k6 c) p1 P/ t 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$ p6 Q+ |; l3 D- a- { "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make* ~. W4 Z, m6 r" n money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was4 l. V: Q+ F Q a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a% t/ D" [1 N1 i% X parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across + e' _7 {) G$ U4 s7 H$ pthe 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 . n4 K3 ]( Z; y5 [importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for6 S2 y! F( `7 ?% L. Q5 F9 z; o! r development.

Hutongs4 m4 u8 r4 ^4 c- e2 ~4 v: R$ q, p6 @ in the old days were residential area where people actually lived Q2 _" N1 j/ Q& a' H- y there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions$ E$ H w Q% a in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not 9 E+ D* y f0 j9 o2 |, Q) N: f' phave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you O+ E0 k! V* R' l5 T( b will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.9 J! E# @5 L& {3 q Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date$ T2 N% G1 k! ]" L9 f to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used4 A0 P* n$ Z6 b7 f to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses ; q8 y) s8 d+ K! x# _# dsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically2 \5 V6 {; A- _* F unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to $ r5 o! d3 k6 ]7 d8 N' ]live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,8 v% r; f6 e% I hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the ) R2 y' s, X5 r/ n( @: V7 I8 {; Gbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the ' ]* }, H( x; r) i B) S. h$ Nproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be& o. p( ?/ y& z n5 B renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong) G8 [, E3 Y3 k9 Q% A/ m2 m2 t Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how ! D J" s+ P8 s0 ]: Opeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be3 j3 y% S- i! f2 n$ F" s3 u& i torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished- A) t3 Q8 H) o3 [! t6 \ memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". N5 {- D( `& S7 n Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are8 p% a3 A [% C0 b# S aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially/ V( B) d" L1 X1 Q0 g; p$ \6 W7 g% { non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image ~( `/ W. e; M9 ^of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these 4 j) \- G" ^- ` M. f uHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those3 L6 a. x+ h: R6 U; D- ` people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they( v& y+ O {4 C% S# t may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some2 k; b8 j5 S0 C( i of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before " q4 t( _2 E9 [) J2 S"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all1 Z* D9 C# N( h people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 8 F# q4 t; l3 e: rapartments are the way to go? No.3 H' D+ |7 h+ V! U% ?# Z+ w' w 4 e, r6 Q+ b4 z 2 E- k1 w4 p, p% C4 U

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the) q' @0 H" U5 E7 {+ N$ ~ J3 Z situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this 5 x5 n" V" V9 V6 f& w'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make$ J5 I: t( i. v1 J% F+ U no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so4 K! j3 O2 y) `) Z2 U) H! H fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 0 l, V, A( u3 R q3 e# {) nresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless # ]5 o' }5 N2 O$ cBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is }% d4 S2 o* ?7 Wunlikely 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, 2026-2-8 01:34 , Processed in 0.120188 second(s), 17 queries .

道义 良知 责任 担当

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

返回顶部