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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 2 I( x" @. ]' q. \, y% sarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider ( d/ @: A- f WBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" / s6 h9 a, ]* J" Ccity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. " \) v* j5 s ?* N3 yAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, ~5 j4 @! c% D 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of , }& {% m: c6 N2 }/ e ~Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 6 o E" c% g/ P4 _hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among 3 G' \5 ^& V2 E8 G/ U4 u9 Beach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera * P9 A* K8 ]0 j- p4 Aand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is . B/ ]+ @; ^ v$ q o: dharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are % p9 |9 g; r8 q$ vdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and z* q% p+ ~4 R- U- A* h5 Q: K6 f! rforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I* U0 E7 b0 e* Q was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great & N+ _- P* \9 q* X# P/ v+ ~9 Fimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, # L% j, c3 L- y4 B2 Gand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong# x) R5 d7 b3 |$ q has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment: D) U9 F5 P* k$ x) t0 E6 T5 o5 A of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that# n9 `. b8 a: J$ {! e no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are / ?1 x1 D6 Q3 t. B. E8 @6 jonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 2 H- ~. i7 h0 {sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government 6 f0 i8 w) k7 M) Z' i7 {want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move ; m( t8 O- S9 q/ tto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is l8 D8 P6 J5 [, h2 U "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,& D$ e4 c, z& s4 e s* h8 S this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are$ i* q# ? O+ R# [4 S+ `$ O* }2 _ 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 . c6 x$ _- L; t# Z+ p; V6 o"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make : W; j p5 ^& Q* omoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was / I0 j) h* A, F5 r, F# Ja beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a # h- d, h! C3 _, Aparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across ! {5 s5 y: Q. ?) \- q8 Cthe 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 1 u9 ?# c* p2 B6 y# [5 m% y4 m/ ^importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for+ N" x9 n! x4 j5 G, [ development.

Hutongs % X/ ^% p8 y) k- A5 Tin the old days were residential area where people actually lived 5 s1 {4 e: I( G5 K, S7 dthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions 2 q9 [; ?1 H, |9 d% y+ q. Nin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not$ m9 \4 p8 G* I/ y4 l have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you 2 K+ l+ \2 z' s& y: i5 q/ C1 awill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.( ?- s+ t F, k+ o Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date$ Z3 P, G2 Y; f! M B5 }: r( A/ f1 j to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used , ~6 \+ Q) p/ i9 x4 u$ r; Qto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses ' J; _4 e Q; K: H" s2 C6 gsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically( v& ?" Z$ t. c unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to 5 X) c. P4 g5 u! Q( zlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 0 g p5 R, K3 t r% [( I# }hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 7 c; G/ K. i' a6 X8 }$ `& _! @* Q+ pbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the0 d3 e8 w* g. `5 i, o+ Q( h3 g7 r project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 9 P6 v, g5 v+ Y9 q: i brenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong D( a. ~* h2 t7 n# m: O: qMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 0 w6 |* x, M! g+ ?people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be $ _: K. D8 t/ [' G4 F, ptorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished . s0 D0 x' ]0 u# tmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". 4 Z8 f/ m$ B. j. U4 BNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 9 l" w2 h O$ z' h% }# Saligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially2 ^# I ]$ W4 Z* U non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image + w. g9 I0 I9 W Mof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these , ]3 L/ Z. r+ RHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those( ]' k1 S1 R y: A* B people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 0 k* ^1 ]$ t# L0 J* ^' ~may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some , `. b% c# X i4 E% fof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before . w$ t9 I9 `- P+ B. ]"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all! h& Z- |/ O& F6 O' S people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise * H" w/ y0 v: m" ^9 i3 T- ]! Dapartments are the way to go? No.6 ^' [7 N$ q( w; S1 P& R8 f * N- s! E# I. X* v5 q. L 2 `- N/ }' L) w

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the% d4 s1 A7 S9 l: ?6 E9 \ situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this3 J9 k. m3 R, T$ v7 O! [ 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make! i6 U* ~* O9 p6 T6 g" J& d" F no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so& C! n. s" j7 ]: a fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant" _- x4 t: g b- T# l resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless. ~- z3 D( N3 \6 I ] Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is 6 D* A n, e% c U) xunlikely 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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