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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 - u* c5 G4 v8 w/ K7 E$ Aarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider8 P. h8 A$ E( Z- q Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"$ Z8 \$ `0 V7 k- [/ M& u city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. * R! p/ ~9 e# U/ Y lAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, ) ?; s4 k, N3 f5 C$ ~( T2 O, k- z$ z3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of ' \# O9 E: Z4 l0 D/ BManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 0 U+ b D6 G, q) {& o$ Qhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among : L+ y) w' P- P6 Zeach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera5 f& a$ R; g9 G and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is. i' X9 T# x5 ?& t" Z! N harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are . B* A) q' C: N& S9 [( edescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and - Y3 x8 j {% Hforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I : }6 I; \% O2 @" h( X" H; n2 pwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great1 t+ l. P- o0 [' O ]# M6 m5 c impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,1 e" E5 p1 ^( o# {% i" P. ? and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong : m+ l1 c8 N1 _; v/ ghas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment ( S6 ~$ U- p5 N+ F1 L6 s% a0 a6 Lof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that 4 K" g# I8 I7 }* a- h0 V9 q; zno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are " M5 ?5 J! _& [+ | Tonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a$ \3 @- ?0 x+ d, p1 C sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government N* ~6 Q9 q+ d% j* I$ H want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move9 [0 m: n _, N2 r to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is ) w+ R' H' E7 f"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, & g9 D$ o+ z/ ]0 n1 U+ `this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are9 C( q1 q9 S( }8 H5 q# _5 w 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- ]6 b( o0 t) }"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make0 H* j7 [7 z4 g) D money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was/ r5 T1 ~: M5 K2 t* X+ y1 C a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a # S( u* M, F) G# o9 d' L" x9 Pparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 4 r! Q: \' X" p7 N5 H! 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- K/ V# N5 A( J% c importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 3 U* g- Z& M2 s$ s0 t" \/ ^4 v% fdevelopment.

Hutongs# U8 K( S2 |% [/ z in the old days were residential area where people actually lived 5 ^" x2 O/ h0 f3 C, s1 ^8 w2 _there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions: n# k' F: g1 x8 d) I in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not 3 m: b; \3 Z' ]9 o7 Mhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you2 o5 o, N L4 S4 n& U7 } will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. . a3 t! ^, P5 d6 x6 H+ _6 nFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date - {, n$ S1 ? s E, e/ W5 m- fto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used6 C" ^9 U( `6 g$ P5 x: X to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses" F1 i& |! c V# R! s0 ~9 e support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically2 u' O+ {! z4 V! x% o1 ~ unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to ' r, Y, M# J6 j1 {! Rlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,5 \! p% n6 E3 f; a2 @. t hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the , s8 |$ z/ B' \balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the , V' t2 A9 u/ n/ zproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be) w% `7 m' D2 `! _/ F renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong& h" E' M/ V& z% d3 O2 [ Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how; h( B6 Z& {7 c& s people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be+ D* h- v7 G" t/ r2 L: Q& Z* c4 X torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished! V9 z% ^: h3 n/ I: G1 s7 p. c5 e4 E memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". 8 g- d+ {: y& P& wNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 9 q. P0 ^* V# Y( [% [aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially / L; Z9 q/ U) c7 [$ i) ~non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image ; i. A, Z2 M% E J9 ]7 Nof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these( S1 C% @) i+ T5 O0 I Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those$ L0 _: ~0 L% C' ~; p7 w; m3 d- F/ i people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 0 k, E4 c: o7 ?3 }may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some: k- x. |7 C: }9 J8 r- r) g of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before4 E, E: G2 E! q; Y. g ?. ~0 Q "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all; d& F {- ]6 D5 w- V- g8 g people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 2 g7 K8 P* H- k$ r; @7 Mapartments are the way to go? No.4 @9 o6 M4 F; k: x) |: S0 u) P - H y0 w& L7 E- M. J1 ^5 k$ n; p* M 4 o' z2 Z( C1 ]8 R, L

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the; p! n- C7 r4 L5 \ situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this 8 ^" T# i% z) q( X7 _'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make . y+ l# b% t8 Bno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so 3 J) S0 T, v, ]- A. ^fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 2 \% n7 B7 j) q6 G; U( s/ ^resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless ' l! }3 c: h- q1 Z2 ABeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is 4 z2 I; y1 q. m2 v" p' Sunlikely 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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