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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, its2 E1 y/ X u' T$ Q: H2 A architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider/ Y7 `7 H7 f7 T* t" P, t Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" . W& J3 C! B5 A) F4 Kcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.& x- o& a5 ]9 _7 h' D4 Y5 I According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,5 P# f$ l, S- d7 j5 ? 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 2 ?( A! x; i0 p) k" h# u' cManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within5 G S3 O! C4 m hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among4 e( P0 @( C. l. E each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera 4 w" W: s b1 y* R6 Vand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is$ ^$ b2 P1 d' G: X% O( T harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are+ U/ `. ?0 X+ t7 `0 I& o descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and7 O8 P3 ?+ {8 ?/ E% U% P" o% I$ _ forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 0 ~7 O8 v) `! r1 v# bwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great ' m7 c, q" _- iimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,/ M9 L$ _8 h7 _7 G# { and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong* L3 g8 D+ a4 U! k has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment2 y# E' m0 y+ F6 u of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that 9 u5 T0 Q, _! i5 ~0 k4 O3 A; n' Vno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 5 G* s2 b; f) x: v% f# gonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a" _# H( b$ t7 h, I3 N sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government# k( x _2 f6 N+ }8 Z6 U% W want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 1 Y& y4 L/ t+ ^( fto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is9 }( O4 R$ }% ~ u) I8 A& R# _ "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 3 X: C2 L7 j: h/ `, ethis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 7 E2 v& R8 J& f% Y$ ]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- Q% D! Y3 ~# T+ S0 m "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make) V+ U# S/ N$ ]7 b- z# M* v money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was7 [; D0 @) t- a O a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 1 X/ I6 K. `1 Z/ D) A: v* i2 W) \: gparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 2 _- h6 N1 l+ f3 w: rthe 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- u: `0 [3 G) I& n2 J! f: A3 a importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for & A% x5 F7 @3 [# F6 c: ^; ^# bdevelopment.

Hutongs J* K; q, o) S3 ~ in the old days were residential area where people actually lived 1 x! E! \4 [: v8 p& E) Pthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions ( W0 z' A1 t0 z1 D! H( k" U8 min hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not7 P8 y; k1 O# c; W have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you ; L7 g. g8 T* @, a) |. ^6 {- \will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs., ~% L) R( ` J6 S/ ] Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date + q4 `! e" X' w9 b' A5 @) Jto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used ( { c Y B! D8 \) Mto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 8 Y; B2 \7 @! o! ]' c0 B- isupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically ; C/ g3 y/ _+ H* ^: D1 e/ Punfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to - w/ E6 o7 z& b9 o' U9 Zlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 5 Z4 r9 O; V; P" Whutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 4 b0 w4 f6 a6 x, M7 s9 h4 ^balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the7 Y5 D0 H4 j. d0 u project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be0 i, T* l0 u$ c renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong c. v. T. q& C A: hMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how , K Q% G5 d8 l( s, Z& M9 Y" Kpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be . a+ Q8 W/ r) A% vtorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 2 J8 ~; S f$ Z5 G# M% q0 Pmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress"./ K4 i7 I+ A4 Z Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are1 ?& N0 h+ g; b1 R& h aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially 3 x% R' h, G' b" _! z/ Gnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image0 a7 y* ]; i+ q1 L$ y! m of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these! t2 s6 Z" T# d Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those: C. l8 d0 ]( J4 [ ^9 F people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they& j4 U ]+ f7 H" n1 N% Q may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some, ]: p7 @3 ]& r* Z% ^% J T% y of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before- ?' t. e" L- @; M- s1 F9 @' j "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 7 w# E( H- S) ypeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise( z3 Y& j& |+ a4 w apartments are the way to go? No. * h' ?* V( x: b " u% z; J6 g3 M5 H. a8 | - r: L; E( @. h- t

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the. i& j# [/ r- K: B1 ?( ] situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this 7 `; V3 u) k. R9 \'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make) S" {1 e7 \' K5 A% x no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so . I3 `1 e2 X* N; ]5 H7 y1 Qfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant- a) M6 W) ]+ Q- S3 w resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 6 ^. n5 M6 Z% e- U5 tBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is" H( ]8 w) s: G( c ]" 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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