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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, its8 E$ K- `6 K0 g# H' h1 v/ B architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider * @$ I* k) Y) dBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 2 r- U9 d9 {* n1 r( [2 A! dcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.4 F5 |' z0 Q) k) |) R7 K, h According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,. Y9 [% y+ g8 f- W1 ]/ W. T 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of- r6 S7 W0 C7 W# f2 y Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 2 u, {, s3 a! `' Y nhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among ' w: A1 ]4 |& y8 `each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera1 W9 A; `+ R/ I+ ]( P: D and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is ( q; s4 x, E ]7 N5 C; J6 F+ ]' ^harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are # D( k5 L) f! wdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and 1 {# d4 D( j. B7 s" P$ Tforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I % M" i4 i: k" l! swas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great1 S4 \. y* p) U+ n7 I5 n impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, ! d* I5 H- s5 k1 Y: _and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong # [8 I& O* x1 N* xhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment$ \6 T% P! k0 s7 h6 e; u of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that 0 \- l: R) I, T0 {no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are : Z3 A. d" ]! G1 _5 c1 monly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a ; N! ~( @. I0 Gsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government ; ~; j J& u- y# Iwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move- |8 _% v; m# u( I to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 4 A* p5 W" O% `. p* i8 C"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, + m$ y% i# i) Z" o: s& V) I8 Nthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are- k' r, N& d6 O 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 a( E6 R6 v: y; k: g "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make( q) O0 j' q; q; e& V. z money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was9 t) `; E( E! L' q a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 4 e$ b3 q* n B" n- B2 c4 }5 eparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across/ }2 p8 W, t0 R. Z' w! N 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 9 G5 g; v M: }5 u# qimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for # n) W( ]0 k% ~& Ddevelopment.

Hutongs - A3 q: a+ n! J+ {1 X/ }( U0 j; h: qin the old days were residential area where people actually lived 8 v$ C& i; X& J4 X" Hthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions ; {1 P7 c( \" J6 ~* sin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not 2 \. n0 T% y. U" y7 t+ |/ mhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you0 J$ |) C! [- T& B9 k5 i% S# Z: ` will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. 7 I+ H9 Q6 ?: X' S, ~4 z+ DFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date/ r, L& g8 _9 f( F! d; c. | to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used& S) i# {8 ]! K1 t; v to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses7 w+ i) V/ |7 Q% l, k& g7 E/ { support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically* c7 E. R( c! m( |9 w unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to8 B( Y; C. l; Y$ c/ f live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,0 v! B7 S" X% r8 _ hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the * \% v8 |+ {7 f& j q) cbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the q0 r4 D4 ?* m/ d: k f project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be" ?* j$ G! {; v3 C, D5 d0 c renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong 6 A+ a2 F8 x. x# y6 y% KMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 1 v# J3 n3 N( |! J0 L' x- i* k# ypeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be $ |5 _) Z2 a8 k; s0 t7 wtorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished ; Z5 k8 r" |) e7 s7 v* Pmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".) S) R C1 N6 f' `. Z e Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 3 B+ v( h. N$ |0 B* ]8 ]/ n9 Paligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially# |/ S1 t6 I: s: m) Y- W& M non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image $ V1 m6 s" t }2 Z- Qof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these' U o8 [6 D- m; p+ m& a Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those ( B( i, P V* tpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 9 [, B$ G9 S# Kmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some+ O9 Y. o/ l* s" `1 v# f1 i6 U of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before! U+ F u) W9 u I. i! R) t "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all ) l, V9 C$ ^/ B- m! f* Dpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 4 n7 s7 {2 @7 Qapartments are the way to go? No.' s1 a$ P7 d! | ( `+ w5 x0 z# m, M1 ^ ) Q5 \8 c1 d+ s: R6 D

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the7 i5 n# x2 D; p/ S) ?& N situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this7 M2 s2 J+ ?& _0 K; Y 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make . D0 H8 F1 P+ s8 F" ]7 o( }2 vno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so # d% x! f% e/ x& w [fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant1 ?0 y9 S$ A7 x8 N. P resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless# V% V3 T2 f5 b# S$ M Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is ( I* u# G. L ]% 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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