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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* m# V& n% |$ |( W) ~/ m6 D architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider $ k% d2 x( C: t0 L/ w- p PBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"0 U# D4 O4 _( ]+ t4 X city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.+ _& R. n" U* W6 P1 e$ `8 A- K According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,. [$ }! e- @0 _9 u 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of J5 a6 v }. Y) N8 }Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within7 `' y, W& _# ]- `6 {- G: f* \3 I2 M hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among, B2 Q: F5 ^9 W9 I- b1 v each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera 1 k; t* c, |$ J% V Jand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is / V \5 d) u. t& P& charmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are) T6 s4 w; N+ Q/ [ t descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and5 x/ g7 T1 o( J' _ forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I ) N# }, a4 b! i4 u: c k; mwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great# Z( q/ k3 X' D% \+ b impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, 3 \ N2 `2 p+ J0 Wand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong1 C4 X/ v" E: Y1 l has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment 9 D: H, T' p3 u6 f% vof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that # `5 r; c/ |* _- Lno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are4 a( ~7 d7 X# i only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 2 v7 j. d% b" T& J& L+ ysort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government e6 z6 K' e% f ]( ]4 Nwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move/ ^) h; t6 V5 F4 n8 b( h$ l& c to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is " V! u: M8 L$ G5 Y' w"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, ' O7 G7 m; p; Q/ xthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are( m! l8 }) J, r% H1 R- f9 s 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$ ^; g# d- G1 F "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make/ q! [ u: I: ]7 P! I% t money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was 4 K: m6 g& e$ X% Aa beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a . D* U% ?4 T. O! v3 ?& Hparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across . [7 w. v N6 |7 @7 M* Q2 Z& Mthe 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 4 o1 Z$ p/ v {importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 5 G3 _! I/ u7 Idevelopment.

Hutongs ! q! x, Z% l8 H8 l* K# Q. B- c, T0 K$ Vin the old days were residential area where people actually lived. t$ \4 f; ]7 \) ~. y. n there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions( j. {$ T# I+ f( N in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not" l2 Z0 Z% V. j+ H have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you 9 s2 ^# ?4 C9 C6 M+ A% ?5 @2 dwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. 1 q7 ]6 ^6 v- AFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date ) l6 ~/ H- S0 O7 g! Vto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used: R' n+ v3 X6 ~ to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 3 I) v6 \) E# M! D$ Dsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically5 d* p* F4 Z6 z V, _. o unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to 9 n% f6 p$ k plive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,* b% R) x# {+ ~( y hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the2 `2 J+ C: s2 f- @2 J) {! { balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the2 C. K- ?3 ? M( {# x project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be/ Z' b& c- O" M5 _& S% p3 b7 J renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong 8 Q. `7 r/ u/ RMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how( _; ?6 Z5 x. O people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be" O9 k! C; w& p9 a' c torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 4 u ^, A$ h3 E" Smemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". ) S! h/ v0 @/ m* A; z5 lNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are % D7 U& H7 o" w) e6 ^aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially - g: e& F; L$ E: {non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 9 D# g# U- p; b% j Y, ~of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these" `8 d! f) u# ]7 n, W Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those+ K9 o- T8 x" C1 i. m' q. v people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 0 q& g5 e% }3 j E( M5 r% nmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some & ]: l# y) q# X0 ~+ nof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 4 ?1 X! o. E! ], F0 g, b. h l/ t"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all , ]+ j$ A& e- y0 W0 d6 Zpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise+ }" A* \0 S8 b( L: k/ M apartments are the way to go? No.3 R% s, G2 V2 ] M0 `, K % A0 P/ g* ` n2 _8 T * D* \8 R& P# B

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the 8 i! ~! V% p7 X4 ^( Lsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this 6 u1 Z; a. G% [% G( W7 m" h Q" U'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make. N* B/ X0 C7 |( e3 D no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so ) |9 B9 q# r! {3 S1 Ifast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant" Y- ^" u/ \( Z* T" k resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless [0 ?* M- J. Y4 L; l% [+ qBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is \% g' w$ c( X) r, k9 J6 Z/ Kunlikely 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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