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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: ]7 U( F) Z3 P' c G architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider , z7 p$ E. a" y lBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" ' T8 R' Q, g5 _$ xcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. 5 P/ o8 c" H/ @- i4 MAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, . ]6 ~) i: a1 T* D3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 8 f& Y7 F% l7 |, E, \/ zManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 4 K7 q" l- `. F# P2 _' ihutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among ( J; P6 J1 z% f( _1 ? Yeach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera$ [3 Q& b+ y7 t% X7 W and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is0 z. I$ ?" O: n) l5 a harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are& O9 j! W7 @; p descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and0 G0 {& J% H* y/ g6 t forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 4 b. n" o7 Z" Z3 z9 Iwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great 2 `3 T+ h8 }) u5 e( q" iimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,9 O: P) y( C) V% H t2 _ and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong 1 c! `8 m* l: H! R( Q( W! ahas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment 7 F" Q4 I' ~6 z& pof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that ) G0 x8 g$ ?/ n) h/ I! |6 uno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 6 m: r$ I# L; d" ^only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a* O/ `. w. S5 ?- G. K$ y sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government / n7 h; A4 P( N. f& d* `; dwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move / ~; n, l6 _; @7 V* q l z, rto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is8 S# L; j/ u# X: b; T "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,# j5 g: _. w8 i" Y- T this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are ( j3 y: u2 o: K; P% zstill 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 : M% _' N8 }$ S A: X) H: ?"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make : S j5 U' b" R4 g* N8 Mmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was 6 r3 Y% N. [5 `; a2 ]a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a9 ^) u$ \& t1 K! |- E) u parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across3 C% f. H8 c- c3 `( a& H V 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 - G2 v2 \& ]2 E2 y$ O5 fimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for( z1 ?/ D1 y: Z# q0 M2 k( |5 Q3 | development.

Hutongs 8 s. O/ o b1 |% z% V0 j# ^# k! pin the old days were residential area where people actually lived $ D6 g5 m- q3 S0 ]6 zthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions1 @: M3 F- M, |; L( R# f7 P$ J7 R in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not1 s8 s) d w& Q$ W9 v. I have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you0 p; g5 R7 @8 e: u. d7 | will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. ) S9 |; ?0 W5 j" l8 p/ M( |Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date 9 k2 Z9 l( {4 ^to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used7 E4 _ m9 k7 U to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses! Z0 \5 Q9 C+ H/ v! r6 C( A2 G support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically7 t8 {- N% Q/ j" @ unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to" U) U1 `7 } ^& t" G live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,3 [9 Y: l( g$ B/ }! @6 K hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 0 H" S& p' u/ D0 cbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the 9 o$ `: M7 W2 v3 G' B1 A) Qproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 8 O; G% G+ f1 l8 l6 B8 T0 \renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong' C( M( p! x7 v0 s4 C @1 q, @ Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how ! ]5 M4 X3 i+ y: u$ D# [people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be 5 |& L! r4 f G6 i( s, Q3 xtorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished; a& J9 M4 k; G" |4 ] memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".! k- T3 O# O, Q4 M4 v Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are( L0 n0 O5 y& u# u0 ^" O7 q aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially: V4 H1 `) O: M# \" P8 y& X. b" o non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image / T8 F) j9 t' ~6 A4 A8 Tof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these % l3 P: X; R- {Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those* B1 d! e. P; @9 i. K, d: } people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they3 ]6 r3 U& q! S$ S7 [ may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some, M# D' u- p; l% x/ r' K# n/ S: G of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before2 g: t) f T& L- T* ^& z! e "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all: O5 Y+ s- Y+ t; W$ y$ y# J3 |/ e people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise6 p: I) ~% U% Y; X) _ apartments are the way to go? No.8 M4 Z3 ]! D( ?' a2 t) M , j% s5 a( E& l# I , F1 a$ p/ [7 t" V+ B

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the / o/ z3 t: w" \9 Q$ I' Y- ^situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this& b% v+ p' @/ j" [ 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make' _ J# a5 n4 j6 ~/ b. n6 @. b no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so& Z" f# H% Y; M, |, ]1 w fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant # S- K" v; S7 R: [- ~resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless* m, S3 h+ o8 g7 r5 a+ u" _& {! l Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is) @7 ]5 Z+ U7 I+ }( Z H# V unlikely 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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