服务器里的北京 - 老北京网

 找回密码
 注册老北京网
查看: 6357|回复: 1

A Hutong Discussion

[复制链接]
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) z+ l( Z$ ^( n0 e2 r2 [" A( M architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider$ p! M+ [8 F9 Q Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" # D1 B3 d' r0 q# s+ t- ecity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.0 i# D4 ]8 K1 G4 o According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, 9 v8 r! i) G3 Z3 x+ j3 S3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of5 V; L9 Z- e9 v! C. ~% X3 j7 r$ X Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within ! d3 a! C+ C4 F8 |6 thutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among 5 a/ W6 R9 i. N8 e% y) _' Z2 ieach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera' D3 \- X6 M1 ^- J7 \4 _3 q0 M4 k and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 3 V8 {' o( {6 U1 `harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are , ?) a. w7 e; ~' u# Kdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and - a0 C/ q: H# }forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I8 Z' L- s+ t0 o6 T8 S9 t4 J was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great% N7 U: @6 S8 x; }4 e impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, . w7 q3 G! d5 P; Y0 ^2 qand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong + l5 I) S/ M8 N9 C; Q! dhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment% t5 t, s0 D( O+ V. M/ G( f of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that% |3 w' |' R9 M' I1 n* h no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 7 o% P/ J P' Z# M# W# I$ konly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a: C; z* V: ]- {' E3 P. _ sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government- @6 g/ s2 l1 G4 w$ c+ } want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move * D! k2 L) p8 D+ ?6 ?5 @$ L0 Gto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is' b3 |( f1 n8 U "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 9 Y' |8 U4 ^; r3 M: lthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 5 n0 W' I* X* f5 M# jstill 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 2 v, _$ C- }) |( @: q2 K b" v: k9 B" E"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make ' ^) X; h8 G1 }: ~* q- H! {. ymoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was + z6 n; [4 N( J) L5 c) u% X* r; aa beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a ; v1 M& E! Y4 R% rparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across! t3 e! P2 b3 e7 z. H 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 8 Q- e/ V h, S! H9 p: Q% pimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for% \( x0 s3 @7 F development.

Hutongs0 C6 U! F( ?4 A+ S1 z1 R2 ^/ O in the old days were residential area where people actually lived 9 X( t1 W" H$ ~' ]: e) y, z% rthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions / C* ]7 }% ^+ Hin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not- Z3 ]7 }( M8 h: L# p have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you& Y2 x0 L' I! }4 ~0 }7 m( Z will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.% A* q" M( }( X2 B1 F Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date. L) `! G0 X9 u1 {4 n! l+ R' P to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used ( P8 H: B7 l! |: K% Ato hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses; S, \$ G- J, |6 B. ` support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically3 W( b; i6 ^6 b( ~ unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to* G0 u( k' ?% z1 y# U5 J live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, , E0 \5 Z! h( X( {6 x3 Y4 yhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 0 M% w+ R, \6 U. E! ibalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the/ b+ z3 c h7 a+ w. | project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be + W# [; }- u* c( t6 {0 Y N/ U" C5 ^renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong + u: }0 R6 A4 C7 U5 jMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how1 C" L* s" F8 Y& v1 A& ] people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be$ [# W$ C* E. X' D) K torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished ! P+ p5 c6 u; p" s+ \memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". 3 G4 J1 u9 v0 t$ B2 R' D! CNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 0 a# T4 c& G7 j* V( X1 xaligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially( W3 L- q& z8 A$ l$ w p non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 4 {$ A$ G* z1 i, d* f/ ]of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these3 f+ g0 Y' K' ^8 @; ?8 J Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those# G& T, {2 |5 y4 _8 E; G, X& s9 t- X people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 3 c; q" U; f; rmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some9 x q. U" H8 l% X! v, I of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before ' w8 @5 `/ x& B. m8 m"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all7 `& D7 s- Z) R- l( ^" @ people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise, P# S! g6 ]1 s" x apartments are the way to go? No. Z# N9 R6 e9 ?- v" g: @. z 5 k& G9 n/ A8 [6 }5 e3 ]2 R 5 C0 y$ z; Z H; Z8 \' T1 k( F6 s

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the 5 n' t" N6 @7 ^( T' @situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this; J! j% M, g/ e7 }$ ^: R8 v 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 6 }) E# [) h$ c/ i6 Bno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so " F. A& }/ e! V8 w( ?- c4 sfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 0 v1 e" k8 K$ oresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 6 u P! O, [5 r9 _+ Y" W& QBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is$ F- D3 q$ A6 \8 U* E7 v0 }! h+ Q/ F 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!!
您需要登录后才可以回帖 登录 | 注册老北京网

本版积分规则

2000.11.1,老北京网自创办之日起,已经运行了 | 老北京网

GMT+8, 2026-1-2 12:50 , Processed in 0.134499 second(s), 17 queries .

道义 良知 责任 担当

CopyRight © 2000-2022 oldbeijing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

返回顶部