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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 # [1 Y4 q- G' t! g1 b- K, {architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider * V8 s+ W7 P+ k$ B2 v: IBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" & S D2 i, g2 b! }city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.: y; s" k5 M1 ] According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, 2 l( r" [; t9 D `& B9 {4 G# ^7 z3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of ) @+ E; a& f8 ?6 t* q: `Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within+ H4 f! t2 u' F5 c hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among) S8 Q5 t" g) K/ T5 U( n each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera3 l( O8 u; ^5 R- r! D and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 6 ^' J& @* C3 g1 M! w7 Zharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are1 W# `* f- |( X# y descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and + a* g! f* j- ~ x8 ?forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I' |4 R4 n/ X' @2 r \ z$ K5 J was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great# f3 c+ r2 h$ j' Y6 B. E impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,: S4 @' r( ^! Z/ y) J u$ F8 ~& K and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong ( s* U( t4 I, U4 D b" m) I, ?' Chas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment 9 e- \2 V/ e% Y- {9 [of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that : R$ u) a9 a1 S7 cno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 2 `% X+ V& Q8 H/ _only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a % c. o2 }7 r2 X0 Ssort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government 3 V( k; L8 y; n% A1 E; a* z9 Hwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 6 W: H6 I% S: G1 n4 n1 |& o- ito the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is+ v) R: X* C$ R "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, ) s: k+ v0 e# X' q) P$ K& ]this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are, C/ q5 y- b. \" M! G n; V 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 - W: \. _8 z6 v+ u/ r' [) `8 k) ?/ o"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make& o5 [1 c: N6 @) a) y( O7 N money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was/ {. ]: {: D( Q% V& I* q; Z& \ a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a4 ?: }, B8 M" ?! Y% m4 K' n parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 6 `7 M( s; V D& g. y0 t/ r: kthe 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 m. y- ?* k* l- X# ?4 i3 P importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 5 T6 \& R, `& q# _ Ndevelopment.

Hutongs . G) y4 X: }8 X8 hin the old days were residential area where people actually lived ) a7 c, Y, d9 [# v1 s0 Uthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions 8 _ J' ^* J& O7 s8 |) Gin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not K/ o+ N6 B" l% H have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you. d C; I4 a# J+ l/ l will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.4 S1 ]/ }. Y3 Z# [ Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date . o* s$ x W; w! g' |to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used" H& G) O8 A( [+ p! V. s0 I; ] to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses " p# E& ?% P. Psupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically% m. V1 Z& ^ U& p# m unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to# W |* T( g, O0 Z' y- j2 \ live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, ! W, E* p1 k) dhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the G2 G- _2 _% j. r) ?balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the7 E: P* f7 i- p& Q4 D$ B project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be " b7 A' i4 ?* Irenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong* n W8 b3 P8 T* K1 k+ P Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how; M* X. n! z. c7 A! S# o people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be ) d1 B, |, W# f; C4 `" m+ otorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished6 J7 }- K9 g6 k memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".0 ~! }& @0 [0 K8 ? Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are7 ~% o' Y1 B1 q0 Q6 I' L# [8 s6 h: D aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially5 q8 d4 q4 J" r. S4 r: J non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 7 R4 a3 M7 S: N9 [: S2 Mof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these1 J" T3 R7 y2 T3 e) ]# k# d7 _ Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those6 T/ ~, E3 H1 J1 e& h people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they4 Z9 ]4 @, p: E3 P' S may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some 6 a0 w# g& w/ v+ cof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before/ A# p3 Z; J2 L4 _7 ~" j% t "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all; I7 g" v+ \( L0 l people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise# v' W! ^+ k# h apartments are the way to go? No. 1 J, E4 E" s) A! t% q7 E 0 F. h3 ]2 S6 T# c ( T# n$ S/ U3 p

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the " V& c. \+ v/ R9 w4 asituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this2 v3 c7 R5 X* b, |4 H; B Y& A 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make + O( {8 H0 n2 b! Q8 q" qno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so 0 h+ J, j0 U! k, r- ^5 Gfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 3 e3 s. e6 h, P3 B! kresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless& f( W7 {/ g7 x5 @1 c Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is * A$ i$ I+ d; aunlikely 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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