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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 * @* a. { }6 c* I- |3 Z9 _, T7 Sarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider $ P V, @6 N1 P1 N {. f- [Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"# s$ y6 J- e2 U* R7 a$ m4 b city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. # |1 n" o. q0 B& m0 h0 D/ DAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,; T) G/ b+ P/ E4 p2 {+ c$ G! P: T 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of) @+ L0 Q W6 d$ l- n Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within + _% P B7 O8 rhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among/ s6 N8 M% m( O/ d, j* i7 X9 ^ each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera1 \/ D' U0 U( r6 `' i% f and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is ( J. Q- w# t o& Bharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are + O1 q" r7 x" Cdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and 4 N/ N& G. y& y8 g' q" ^1 Z* L" P/ Eforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I - z. E6 r, P7 S# }1 I6 f. Q0 d& N! mwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great: S: w% e( m0 o! x$ b1 v' R impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,; |# J! Z* G! X/ K and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong : `" e( d3 V7 R7 T- D9 p- Dhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment : P( @8 e' B. ]. pof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that " y. o- g W u! o) uno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are ) a" h7 d6 [' R$ ponly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a3 O3 y2 o4 w) v' e sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government , h: W) X* B! S6 C! Rwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move - m( ~+ [( P" ~" mto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is " k0 ^$ W3 ]: m, D* f9 E6 L( u"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 6 n. j5 V: L; [) W" [6 c Ithis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are* ~2 S8 z& p8 h: O 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 |; a ~. g+ [/ K, x"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make # D7 v9 K1 X r- o' A& Gmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was( r# @3 V* h3 f) D: W. L4 Q a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a8 ^6 s5 ?) C: P& f! u, n; k parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across- y* q) n! ]# O& v; y8 \6 G 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* q6 n0 g2 _; p5 B' M; m5 o importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 0 [' H; \( ~! @: E. A% }: edevelopment.

Hutongs0 z- ], }& O" v$ j in the old days were residential area where people actually lived# }: h4 p9 P/ N# } there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions& S( W/ g5 g; D* L6 P# b& m, X7 D$ b. S in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not 3 \5 t0 j# p5 ?have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you * P3 q$ Y0 k# X7 T( _6 I$ ?will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. 1 ?0 z# Q" N* D! G: J+ bFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date ; c/ R) y( `/ \1 yto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used / C# S! E+ ?" H# Q2 M& T9 Mto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses7 [% ~" J0 ~) H3 E7 S* C& i+ L, o9 o support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 7 O, q7 i- [' {4 I4 d7 uunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to + a* w5 k/ }8 k9 c' h6 P& wlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 1 y) g% V2 K8 D) n" j0 R% p8 @hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the " g2 f7 s2 ~1 u6 r5 H1 Vbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the 0 g* I0 ^9 o& H. C! X2 H D% @project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be , f1 t; M. o) D' Frenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong : @; _5 q4 ^4 _' |1 e) v! cMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 5 r+ b2 s! p. \3 i4 L6 I' B Rpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be1 G# E1 M1 g R+ N. u torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished * A' W5 P1 y7 Z' `memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". 0 c: a2 \4 s9 X/ \' m- ~Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are8 c, `3 V& n& i" G, a$ | aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially% ~) P1 }: J" s" ^ non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image, A3 Q* |: p: t0 T of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these+ k* I3 Y. O b! J( s/ P Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those0 J. r" J) @9 J% f9 y3 U" a7 M3 B: H people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they( q. _- Q+ o' ]7 I& ] may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some - `: P. `4 j* v6 W3 p+ wof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before3 F9 m5 n" s9 W "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all . U( Y: B. p# i* V7 Apeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise- e0 R' i* Z4 S- @; T# o( ? apartments are the way to go? No. 5 H4 n5 x. B: B% | . T; E- I8 X( f) ] w & E+ d9 t' s4 X* q

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the% k- {4 _9 }, Q' {" R2 O& m- q situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this4 K2 T! n# P9 X5 g2 X" X 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 1 J" J% d! @1 s |/ dno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so 5 i' n% c: M% ?2 Yfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant' P6 {7 Q, l2 D8 m3 l resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless . F" u3 Z2 ]9 [1 W, e) p: T3 _Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is 1 z8 H8 | H$ _ l; S# G% D) ?4 _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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