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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 C* |( _4 S, z: Warchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider 3 H) `1 n& z& M5 VBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" : w4 y' d( @# \city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture./ k+ v! C. t7 a According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, 4 |% ]3 D# h$ i0 v* j3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of # y. y! T5 A: iManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within; n0 b. ]' K ?8 h7 b8 M5 } hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among 5 @6 z$ X8 j% s& B5 j( f, r3 xeach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera 5 \7 p& U9 r* T9 c5 y! ~ [and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 5 d4 T7 u# P4 Oharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are # z1 |3 D o$ D# ~2 xdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and & w+ w. _6 c n* dforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 2 ^2 H" E) c- u4 `) l; Q+ e& ?was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great " p$ y6 X% a" t9 U. e( o# i% Yimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,5 ?/ |# q4 i ^1 e and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong( s6 t! R2 x: Z has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment8 p' J# c4 ^3 h! ?# p3 r3 l; Y% { of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that+ S7 \2 K: b5 w4 Q" v' _ no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are ! O$ N" u1 t8 b& Z( vonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a% J2 n% Z' t6 u9 K0 L8 {" H: H sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government' A# _: _: z. B" q4 w want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move$ P. L# u4 g6 Z" M2 K to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is ! |5 c* ]' J7 N* Y5 B5 {" k"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,$ T. l2 h( [& p% b: ` this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are : Z* `6 \/ A3 ]. g+ [9 Y, u) @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 9 F! K* x8 G0 f. R0 N"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 7 s. Z A. Q0 I5 j8 Bmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was& J! Z3 e& k. f$ G- Q7 S' c1 G, B" | a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a # M' O5 A! ^, eparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 9 N j1 V: ?! D( Uthe 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 ' M1 v" r) \, t( Zimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for . J$ }& o4 R6 Edevelopment.

Hutongs " z% z9 |- B/ C0 N/ ?& \; Q2 Qin the old days were residential area where people actually lived ; l H! n7 T/ m, athere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions ; g* u, n5 C1 m# M$ w: Cin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not % p, [2 y6 x- Ghave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you 8 M! }: R. l0 ]" N7 hwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.3 T: E' W6 r- t, v/ _ Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date ) F) O4 ?# Y/ w Ito support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used 1 [: W1 c: D' o' J' m) q" r wto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses/ U8 l( o- F/ _6 d$ P* q support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 5 n: t' H. l: y0 z9 d2 Y& qunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to! B: L5 g9 w0 a; P/ a, f live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, $ s* ?5 W: i# x: i9 Zhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 4 O% {% o' G2 p% H0 t' k) J0 c8 Qbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the) B" Q+ R/ F6 d& Y( t2 u y project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be6 h2 R3 C6 K9 Z( M) M1 v renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong# [. g. [) y1 ^% z9 I Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how * B) n% m; U8 q9 z: K; K; Npeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be/ N6 {# G& c& I: E3 P2 w5 c torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 0 P' V. K3 @/ C8 amemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".) E4 d& |+ T( J Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are) b0 I; g: I% u1 Z ^& R aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially ( s: x" ^+ t4 X$ h6 D' v0 e- Jnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 2 q" d7 A: \9 t% @& j5 Oof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these . R# ]2 p1 Z+ KHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those9 s* K4 v# s: Z' L9 [0 a# _3 K people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they : U, [; J! I2 i) k& @4 r& Nmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some 8 A+ p& Q$ o* b1 eof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before : @, Y7 M- U/ N+ d6 E4 E"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all {- I6 [% X7 F2 h- v people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise ' v$ ^! X8 E. X* vapartments are the way to go? No. . C: @9 L7 M9 L* S, Q3 A# Z0 D 7 h+ U( {! Q8 Q: M7 m1 F8 |, a 0 `1 e! { c! P& }$ i( p) G

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the 1 J+ R) L& j$ z3 lsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this' O: A5 }+ ]6 f) B. ` 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make8 n' u7 k" K, [ no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so/ T8 @1 {, l# ^" k5 t9 \1 R5 ~ fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant. B& T* I2 n" R resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless : z6 F2 M. _ n+ A3 ?, H. dBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is # x+ x: a" a2 i+ J0 E+ r8 Dunlikely 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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