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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; o5 Q0 t7 f4 O architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider ) K9 M1 Z8 a7 @1 UBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"3 b' @2 E8 g# g- g6 d* v city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.: t2 F2 H: Z! T According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty," Y: [, G8 V2 V- T, s 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of, w/ s) b% q; L _ Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within' D( J& C2 U* r hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among# _1 [3 T/ |6 \7 X+ [( Z5 d each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera 6 I" D( Z0 k+ \/ ^& mand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 9 M6 w x& `# ` e. Z. _; iharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are# u5 w; W7 }; v descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and5 a: K: x( ~2 f( H" Q forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I; g/ z' y( g5 r) N( s4 L- a was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great4 _! G: n" j- b; d7 w2 J impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, " X( K( ~6 {9 D7 Y9 G& @6 W) Oand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong ' O8 J: |# O- q1 Z6 b# s5 Vhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment M2 }4 |, r) W& Kof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that . z1 @& V! k. S7 Y; f/ uno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are & F4 @- ~( k# ^( r( U- [only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a% ]4 r( p$ c, b$ w sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government! R: f8 C& p" ~$ a want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move h! i# c$ l/ w- y, N/ ^+ {6 } to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is1 l+ a# f( J5 i( S+ ~/ s( ` "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 8 [# d9 U2 Z! @% ?( I* qthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are % t' p3 l% Q: ^3 vstill 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* R* K1 Z8 g a! U) @ "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make& l. n z7 c- i money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was8 v- ^- t. Z6 r a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 9 u7 }9 u- e* B% f$ Y5 `parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 8 ?9 v% G- G8 l, b. Y( Xthe 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 ) T' k- z ~' P9 H2 r0 himportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for( u4 h% C h+ {+ h9 `! H development.

Hutongs " z/ w2 ~" E' a+ [% y/ R( @in the old days were residential area where people actually lived : d* ^. r3 v, m8 x1 o0 ?. kthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions/ d: F) F5 X. K: n1 }4 Y in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not# F- Y# x& F- ^" b$ z" ` have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you( I0 M- g' E/ h! H- k; _) I will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. * |* f! v- H, A& ]Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date 8 w1 D3 W5 N z" ito support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used0 H8 R2 h% v) a" B) q! u8 L5 r to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses : b7 R' P' `: C2 \support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically. x: R# P) z- Q* @6 \5 N unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to ' F7 d5 S8 f& W2 U# w- _live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, . H6 |* q* b2 J" r4 z _: xhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the ) G+ Q I+ y2 C9 {5 W# ?) Ubalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the % `1 s5 E# s, v9 e/ W) W" T4 Fproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be % Z3 p$ G1 W! B5 i `* _( Brenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong; d0 C- ?, K3 L Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how* K/ P% U4 c4 X" Y8 F* B) | people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be ( }- E# t9 K6 D8 T" jtorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished ' G( P5 V, o$ hmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". ( `1 o* Q" H; {Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are & w A. q4 \& E7 }aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially ' @* F3 X3 i" ~- G$ |non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image3 ?; ?# X# E t7 D/ N( Y of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these/ w7 m9 V* {6 q# p) S8 l. ? Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 6 ^8 f" k" j' b5 s4 g0 h. dpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they & Z) y5 G" ]) L& l( cmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some0 D" b5 ]4 H6 H" `0 W/ g: `1 j of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before# t! s% `1 x, r5 [1 z0 b "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all7 b: ?, s0 @$ k9 c people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 3 N) ~8 O" W. ^3 Z- v7 xapartments are the way to go? No.+ E1 ^" ?8 `+ m! { 7 N% Y7 L E% w- h. t # Z6 n! q% C O

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the ! T6 u. h' _, F/ i' m4 K h3 Fsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this ' \$ s) x) h# j* y- J'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make + x/ V8 K# A: lno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so- O- d0 E! V7 C5 q( A fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant. d9 ]) q# @( ]" N- O: S2 D resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless , _! W0 y0 |! ?' @Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is # y+ ], y+ q- w& z @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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