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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 B0 x2 b/ _! J' Z( n c, k2 Yarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider A7 ~ l9 k& p6 b( g- C7 `! N Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"2 C+ s4 O. k+ e9 J8 f! y( a( r city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. 7 G0 Q3 m' d# A+ C+ |/ MAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,7 p2 B/ P8 ^* l8 O 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of2 e! t1 i9 r8 ?& Q- |/ N5 L Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 1 v$ \+ Q0 @8 ohutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among 0 _5 `) V1 S- ~3 a6 keach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera. ?3 v! F0 h* E g. ^" x2 w and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is # I7 R$ v) O: wharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are ) p$ A& L |5 l: Adescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and+ }2 i; ]% e U3 n( ^5 O forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I + z% T. [3 J3 f- P9 hwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great/ J8 A$ X- b z0 v6 b7 H impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, ( h1 ^2 i# c2 qand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong& Z4 F V9 d, c" c3 u has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment( [+ C4 b) m$ `/ A% c$ t1 W of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that . Z V$ r. P6 Z1 D+ Mno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are6 D7 ^& f. `2 K1 U7 H$ e only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a3 L" I: k+ O: p, |, { sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government5 n0 l K# V; D" Y5 ] want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move, e7 G. S; T" \# m2 J to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is* B5 b" {' }- {% | "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,3 @$ ^9 k+ ]5 S. [$ ?; X/ e this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 1 N4 i/ W6 W" J1 `( Fstill 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% Q- T. E; u, W "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make ' T1 c w: ]* n& ymoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was ) c+ q0 Y* E9 i5 Ma beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a; W# U! F, B9 f R$ d3 M/ k parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across, {: d4 {( P# m# W 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 h7 ?: I* \+ k3 Qimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for . {, I1 A6 k" C5 [development.

Hutongs3 a! v& O& A3 P/ ?$ ? in the old days were residential area where people actually lived! Q; P: M- k5 {- o0 b% M there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions X& l$ H- g2 Oin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not ) V/ G! S ~& y+ chave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you 7 ]3 N, W( B( L- ~* a. Zwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.+ f8 \' u) G$ s& v5 B3 W Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date " b$ \1 @! ]2 ^* `' h7 T8 l) ato support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used / }( b3 k8 E+ P, v7 g: ~/ Nto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses; d2 v9 `. J9 R support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically ! _0 `' r8 J- T- N, _unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to6 k0 J8 e. u& I- ^5 t live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,$ V3 @5 D8 Z7 r2 { g; ^ hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 4 v3 @" ]1 r; abalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the4 u2 N/ f, Y- \7 ?+ o project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be # a7 j* a2 X6 a: B5 urenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong , z' A! p, u f) q6 GMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how% r6 r! F8 k; O7 n$ h/ w- L! a people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be 7 K# n/ _6 z0 }) mtorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished. B$ z5 l4 U+ s+ f memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". & F' _; x( G( y4 \Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are # C0 s" u) L0 j$ \( j0 maligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially8 h" q0 S7 A a& S non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image1 W% k8 G- J% m$ M7 K of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these # ]3 U7 o2 B: P1 u+ O7 MHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 7 ]( l( A! i/ tpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they# h" R# a& e2 ?# V may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some) k( I3 O- k7 l$ f7 I of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before( T5 [- n) W: M# u2 x "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 9 N- a. w" ?; a$ L7 fpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise . v' G1 @9 `% I0 i. w. Y7 capartments are the way to go? No.6 k1 Q) t) M" n% H# } 5 g' D3 p/ n8 p: w/ Y- n. Z t- A8 B$ J- n+ v& G0 _

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the * _4 J3 I2 r- w, {situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this # ~) o) U# u. {# v0 D0 i* p'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make- Z# Y2 }2 b; D no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so# v* i, b% |# O2 O3 r& d fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant $ P2 U! x4 w# rresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless( t: ^$ R- C" T7 K8 Q: H6 U8 L Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is 7 Q n- f9 U1 s% 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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