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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 # X5 t/ I! c9 p& m; P9 \architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider6 g$ i8 j, M& m% g3 ?! Z7 [ Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"* v" Y( F7 m7 V( M- s2 V city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. 9 j% g1 b+ I8 t7 r s9 EAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,$ t6 v1 m0 F5 a1 f* b% J0 ~ 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of ( O) v- G1 M! |7 T. _7 u: {& o$ A EManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within6 e# t# B$ k. B, ?. F hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among- s$ w) y, F; E0 R; D( _ each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera# s+ |& R& z" u* A( V and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is # z% z9 }0 B) t( S4 r% vharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are4 g9 K8 a1 d: H0 a' U descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and * d* }/ `" x4 q9 m1 O* Bforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 3 @% v3 s) `$ D6 j/ ]# l' Owas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great - X, E# T+ |5 l5 F% w+ b2 ~impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, 7 w+ T' F9 b! c& W' J8 a4 m9 band we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong& a, z% g4 |( c9 P has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment . D: I. T& {! ?3 e- W8 b, nof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that! e8 t1 z5 C$ X/ v% z" R no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are: ]# W& L: x, {6 Y) a$ O0 p3 j( g3 D j only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a " h3 p8 Z- [" J: H6 |' R X+ F, v# hsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government% e' c9 g4 \8 j! L% w want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move5 Z/ q' i7 B- a4 A- X8 M$ V" G4 p6 g to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is $ b# ?- s/ Q$ s: P) C: d y& s"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,: _6 y3 g$ ~# ]& {6 Y this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are . {3 g- J, z! E# O8 a' @7 f5 u9 ostill 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 + L9 j' K$ d- |* L+ q"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make - v4 G0 p* `; J+ O4 O, c9 u( Ymoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was3 u+ t4 D4 K& q9 _ c# c a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a: l5 X8 P0 ^4 i+ ]6 Z$ D( Q4 i$ v parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across; M$ v9 R- ?+ p z+ X! K: F, x 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 }* a) r) T: y' Y9 H9 O importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for & K, r/ |9 }6 {. O; s" ~# Ddevelopment.

Hutongs" I9 _0 }, C8 B1 p: h7 o3 V in the old days were residential area where people actually lived) n C' k# s9 H" x there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions ' Z j" G. J$ ?6 d. L6 Min hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not 0 s! B" j z* O, ^have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you + d" K5 R2 r2 N) I, K( r3 Uwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs." S2 L! P* [' q( u* L( |5 e8 }- D Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date$ R% o) i+ I5 i to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used" E& S) i( ?' u6 V5 ^ to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses- R) b. T R4 E! P+ _* t: c6 ] support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically * M9 M1 g# Y& c+ j3 Bunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to - D1 ~8 d% A4 W8 P% Z1 Xlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,* V1 y3 i- x; ^+ J# s hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the# L& G2 h' R, U balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the & _4 A5 J6 N. b3 @9 i. N1 L, oproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be% ? a+ m' Y# [; o renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong3 Z; ?/ V* Y' A1 P" i Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 9 L) [' u' }8 D |people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be 8 R' _7 v; ~$ q- V& f5 N' }' Otorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished; d/ H( } {, W- m8 G" G; J memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". 6 T* f% D' Y$ R2 A/ R* \( QNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 1 p8 T( N( [2 kaligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially' I, p2 `* t8 o6 x3 D8 N# E( f1 Q6 A# d- b non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image S1 k4 h! ]7 _6 J" m of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these' B$ z4 M- o* Y8 [ @2 m Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those7 t& z t8 O+ n; f0 a people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they ) W9 I' ?4 ~8 m4 u" @0 l6 imay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some m0 \& @: o9 e- K+ }of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before ( F* Q- T% f8 {! I% ]"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 8 k3 L! t* N# \) t$ Jpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise1 J# F/ T" `. |2 z: ~6 B: B apartments are the way to go? No.6 ` J5 w x. W" S0 k: V + g. t( h) A; z- @: [/ g. ]9 {& X, S - c! X7 C6 F8 W

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the, {% p$ `; Y* L3 \5 P u situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this9 J, U9 j# S+ f; W: S9 C 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 1 `' [) D$ r5 c ]no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so ! z* N1 [ q' \/ s6 h0 yfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant4 w% V4 Y& t0 ?8 Q3 G resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless ! X' I' |* D! B' cBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is 7 B3 B4 X, g, _) j0 r+ `+ funlikely 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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