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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 , r6 ?% M4 H4 z) y) N# L2 farchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider 7 y9 A* o7 u# u$ C* s0 yBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 9 w+ W& @4 H& p, Acity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. . a, @2 ^5 X: z. SAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,& y6 O" E) j) j: I2 Q+ O* B 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 9 z1 R$ l' I7 V; T HManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within O1 z( ^/ V& f% ^, R hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among 2 B% X v. f" A4 y' T2 v% jeach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera ; f$ g7 Q! c& k3 X7 |1 ^8 L" N8 ]+ Eand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is/ v f5 j% f1 E4 u2 i harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are# _2 t" F. W) ^ descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and 4 l, E. g+ E" y( a! W& l5 Mforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I& q+ J4 a$ \" i& I$ i was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great( m& H/ ^2 J- Y3 ~. S/ t: C. K9 t' { impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,$ ~5 W% e) t# i# F* T and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong6 N* H0 e Q7 n has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment + G9 A8 I3 B2 v+ Zof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that % n+ z7 }$ R, i0 h# U8 y3 ^ c# s( @no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are( h: i& M7 r# G# ]% d! f only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a1 p* K. A' z0 f2 S/ U! W sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government4 D. A+ w( M' m5 z5 C1 L% \ want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 5 g" E& z; L& D" vto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is# D* I G. c! Y" s "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 5 ^( ^/ d' R7 p* j, nthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are5 z" v R& I5 s1 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 & g" A1 j w) d3 j. V"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make + f! I a- M( r+ F/ m0 }4 y$ gmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was, _6 R _9 U( c0 Y g" Y3 K' w a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a( r0 `7 d3 K; ~$ a0 L parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across* c- Q. ~7 I8 c+ y) z 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 cultural - G- G, o4 P0 j- G* |importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for8 O* e$ g7 }' U7 Y4 q; ]: G development.

Hutongs8 u1 O% s# x7 m( h in the old days were residential area where people actually lived/ g$ Y9 K5 s9 k3 J$ J! _# e8 _! c there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions ) A+ N1 A. Q }6 C. X8 i9 yin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not0 H& W% |+ y" N8 B7 w1 v, e$ w have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you. M* k1 \% g/ ]8 i will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. + {+ q2 o5 W3 Z( @Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date( n6 O- t5 Z1 W+ ~6 n# Q; H to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used, s" P) G) t( ` v to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses: ~# o; k/ \% D) O3 _6 u: p9 ~: v support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically, W& E" l; b4 l5 x$ L; z( L6 g1 @ L/ r' | unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to 4 b& y& R5 [7 }) F8 Flive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,) ]) J, f1 T: I, N hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 0 y: Y3 [: q% k( K4 B: O5 dbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the 5 x* t/ ]$ G; q1 mproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be0 U- R: n9 I) B; Z2 r8 q: v% F renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong6 y: f1 m" w! g& z$ b- ?( ~: f5 a Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how- X0 f3 N+ U9 j: \ people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be ' l- H. h, Y- h0 ]) R) @/ N& v% Atorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished , Z. C# ?, i" z+ c$ I- n5 e; [memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".) Q0 x" A7 a% y' n/ k Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 4 X7 B, g5 P1 \0 T3 T `aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially$ r" @* I1 k7 P7 F- o/ S non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 1 e, V" s2 O2 u1 aof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these ; L' a W+ G J L9 O vHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those( h6 i1 L8 `7 l9 L( _# }0 ^' B1 e people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they " T( w0 K" p$ ~1 N0 ~; y* Omay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some4 s7 ]1 H1 d) `; e! J6 R) T of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before * z9 z( h3 l9 B& F6 ?"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all - i$ S* ?4 F! f) |( gpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 3 R ]- u& u; y6 X7 O- X6 p: ]apartments are the way to go? No.2 k" s- t3 J* p ; Z( D( z- i. j- ] " J8 _, Y) D2 Y+ k% R" w2 Q# \' X

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the+ H2 ]( I: X1 j* A9 r situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this : A: J; Y) J* H& v1 N8 A- P+ h'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 8 L# ~% W1 P8 r) H3 ^no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so , _% K+ U7 j5 u# afast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant + J; c$ W; J9 R: aresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless4 ~3 f n) i2 _3 o# D8 o Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is7 L: M3 z+ |% V/ Y* k6 C 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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