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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 . s O' T C1 K2 iarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider {; Y4 O% x$ p- E$ o6 U& W8 A: YBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" ! `0 l- t9 |0 U8 {city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.5 M! f) G% N0 n! { According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,% j5 l+ @3 S! n' \+ H; u5 n* y) f 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of% B- q8 J7 t) b: {# f$ x$ s Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within : |4 ]+ P& v t ^$ a5 R& i- Thutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among y" t/ @+ ^1 q9 i. k5 `each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera X' e: n4 ]' J- X5 n0 O and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is * d; p* s- _" T6 q6 f9 S0 w) {harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are# z' P2 X; i; A- Q0 N! q descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and 0 }0 f$ s( c/ t7 P( o6 Y nforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I # g& J5 L/ d! _2 ^, xwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great2 w2 Q" ~/ P, B impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, # }- C+ d3 A( O( |7 t9 ]% Mand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong # H6 @6 A# E4 L* _! o( A) ihas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment - [5 \1 | o# y' N) oof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that 8 V, P- F. M; X& t8 B1 d( w1 }no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are- }& \: U- @* {* s9 E only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 1 Q9 L* N% C0 Y9 S9 I9 fsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government ( W; N2 N2 Q5 a! n0 n. |3 |want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move- x: \0 X; `- T; n8 Q/ C to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is5 K: z2 a: U/ K7 M t) L5 I "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, " U/ z6 Z4 {) g- b! Z* uthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are4 D1 L3 S4 F4 @: D 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" n0 \. T1 d3 v) s7 G5 d" e "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make - o" n) N6 p7 y# k9 ^2 Q: d# bmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was 4 D3 M+ \( e( ka beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a) K; u7 P& `5 _' Z- A parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across+ y4 V: h0 }6 w/ \0 {/ N8 Y& E 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 cultural0 T& | h/ ?1 t importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for " R1 O9 u0 ^" u, Z( Ldevelopment.

Hutongs 5 {5 P: ?" C8 I) s( B0 Kin the old days were residential area where people actually lived$ X" b3 W1 [% X5 W. U2 h' C there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions9 v( ^/ j0 M1 e' t# |# a" D% F in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not; v0 E, a K; w, c$ m9 R& K9 J( } have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you7 _2 y/ V1 z& y4 ~+ B will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. / k& e) \$ B2 H, S2 B8 ~2 |# oFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date9 N$ d- e: \+ F" ~( y1 x8 F to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used $ U2 I1 m" J' i, |) jto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses* u5 i. P+ k7 x: Q$ h support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 3 c; ]" ^3 V2 h7 }: `) |" r8 tunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to, {' `" [; x; r% e& q" _% _ live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, & o: H# M0 h6 ?' U) C' M4 \9 [hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the ! N) P3 B [8 ebalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the1 q) ^7 q; M0 ?2 z project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 6 [4 |. Z& ]% N z9 E- k8 Erenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong M% a$ E6 w! V+ a, B1 U Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how7 o) C' f4 K. F* D# X1 W people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be . I+ E; T( f4 {" Ttorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished( u9 e1 C/ x# c8 T9 _; N memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".- ^, E' x2 {1 N) Y Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are* Z9 L3 j9 U" ]1 c6 w* b aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially % s, ?7 @+ \- O P2 @0 q% inon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image q4 @& ^8 x$ n: S# a" N/ hof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these# ~- o! t' U( T4 t9 f2 ^ Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those. Q% I/ i8 |. E; b; w0 d people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 9 B" e$ I! ^: A: C- ?may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some/ R: L4 f- A% g V" W; ` of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before0 U8 ]5 ~! r5 P+ L2 A! u "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all( `% D3 U8 H4 a4 | people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise" X0 V6 U4 P0 n: b3 u4 Z) a- r apartments are the way to go? No. 8 Z( U2 O3 k8 A- L7 ~$ e% I' h, X- ~ - e) q& w$ d! L: O$ P " e- i* j& E* ~+ b8 ` ]

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the$ k/ x0 G3 R9 W" V situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this : J3 X6 f: T3 H" j4 X* k: ]8 ]$ f'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 5 |$ J0 s: ]9 Y; ? y. hno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so s% q1 Y; J; A: j& w( xfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant/ K" c3 u) c& E; p resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 0 z% b8 H0 k) l) w+ }3 Z. OBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is6 H1 U% H, x4 t; p: T5 L 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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