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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 , @! n* H! X% O2 S! s; |! ~architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider ( |* y! E( o5 ~. {9 `Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian") c6 f2 k/ C9 l* B8 J3 F7 Z city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture./ i* a: S0 R7 g5 O: _7 ]. M According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, ) e% H) h- P: y3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of$ t- J8 ~" c& J6 B/ K8 G Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within) w" v# d1 @, U, S hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among ( q# k0 e) p" u0 l3 l/ O% j+ _each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera . @( i3 O, y& c' T* gand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is2 V9 O1 g' L+ @1 ~3 z8 s- c0 N harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are/ I! X- r' Z; l descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and 2 X! r8 M7 w6 k+ p# {forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 9 F# p0 r8 V' j! i' }5 qwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great4 d3 ?. p6 q( }7 X7 K impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, $ W1 S e9 f6 {5 e# h: ~ I3 ?9 yand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong7 g; v# [ _! D; s3 b" Q! q; Q6 ? has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment $ [! _ ]* [/ s% tof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that5 C& X8 K9 j: c2 R* b- t no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are ' l2 Y' o; P3 {) Wonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a: p. e! d" a+ f N5 P sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government + \+ I5 `( I) u5 }9 z! cwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move . S+ A! ?+ _ C) k0 k" N2 Ito the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is ; g v7 f5 O' b; V5 X; ^"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, " ^. Z o. f M$ z0 Ethis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are - V; \3 A" g/ P% {7 V4 sstill 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 " H5 `% A$ `8 C3 P"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 1 ] q; Z$ ?3 c$ f6 m+ Jmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was ; F- J p7 S5 x6 @# E2 O. N6 qa beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a ; j, V/ d# `' |# a& Y; `parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 8 Y+ ^6 Z% t/ `. t) H' 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$ g- ^0 ]. i7 [ importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for# S0 q0 n/ n+ R5 ^+ b development.

Hutongs & x4 A! I/ Q4 d3 ?in the old days were residential area where people actually lived4 t# p% b9 ?, Y( g there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions& z3 @+ F9 d4 `# p. D4 D# n2 o! | in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not % s1 V4 X2 `9 C f6 \# q3 v) {have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you 5 k! G# C; F9 Y" Y" M& `2 t* fwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.( `! v* R; T( | \- ~9 d5 p9 Z Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date1 {" `) U' i( [0 \ to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used , [/ H: L; n9 v6 |3 rto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses& T1 e$ h1 _& G7 `5 _% ] support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically- A% @0 X; l* H unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to7 k$ @9 A% Q+ _/ H* V live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, / p, Y' R$ D5 {hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the ' m2 o) c2 w6 F' x5 o& j2 Sbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the + R$ a' L& o3 O9 K7 {project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be & ^. d; t6 M& ?& Wrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong) `1 T: d- {- E Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how # f0 B+ s! [, [" Speople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be# P2 r- M# D0 V1 G6 A1 G' K! f0 w torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished , G1 S- _/ ~: w* m+ hmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". ( D* H/ b, Q- d& E1 aNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 3 _% [3 F: N$ I! D {aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially ~) e( l5 @ ]7 ]8 `. K non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image ; [2 b: d* W0 t2 v$ Q4 {% ~& {of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these$ d6 l8 J" m0 b( r4 d5 D5 y- i Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those' R( Y9 @/ M! G" O people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 5 Z' j, M) p6 ^may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some 0 l8 D1 n7 D9 U# p! Y, e+ gof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before & R" i3 S/ ]$ X- s; N! h"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all % ~0 f/ b5 }, X5 x1 cpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise ! q) k2 \- `2 eapartments are the way to go? No.- V7 B9 Q* ?6 h B. W0 ~+ P : E0 i6 x4 w+ A0 d. A2 j! j) a/ F) E4 ` * x6 |9 P9 d3 Y' c$ X. |, _7 \% L5 `, w

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the - j6 W: A3 T% n0 z+ psituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this * p) m6 v4 Y f$ N/ B6 l9 Q0 x) J: c+ i'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 7 i' f5 W3 C4 q$ Q m) i* gno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so4 @: m( t Q8 {1 R7 ^ fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant2 b; ~6 \ X5 Y2 Y$ d resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless & ]- j& g: ]( N1 E4 r& T! WBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is 4 p$ q. ~& e8 P3 q! Xunlikely 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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