服务器里的北京 - 老北京网

 找回密码
 注册老北京网
查看: 6466|回复: 1

A Hutong Discussion

[复制链接]
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 # R3 |9 }/ z* ~1 d( s2 |( h: uarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider! k5 h G7 J7 _1 N! N8 }( z1 s Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"0 X, @- f2 H- h& e$ d, N city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. * b) M8 F( d' a- @/ g( w2 cAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, : I7 u1 J6 F7 P- }. O. s% G+ K3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of : Y1 \0 ~; F: k8 Z8 \! \% QManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within5 M0 G6 u$ O+ K$ C/ i g hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among # X6 b+ {) \/ P6 ^! h/ peach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera& \; w. q& q- P7 z and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is# w$ `% \! U7 W) }4 w8 y8 {3 g harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are' _4 p# X r, ?; b7 { descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and ( V( y* l; x& w Qforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I5 P m. K i; J1 _! l1 @' p ^ was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great7 w% k Q' b- O+ W/ K. K impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, ! k* Y* a$ ~8 p5 e* e6 n, ~+ Wand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong 4 x& N/ U3 C/ n2 a3 Jhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment " }: s9 a& M5 |of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that 9 [* f0 q: b) M9 i; pno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are: N$ a% D( |9 {( {6 v only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 5 l/ d8 G% b. W( m: L' O& q# Zsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government * {! v+ n6 I% V7 kwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move' D; ^6 b) q# _ to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is p @$ @! k% \% _" a "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 1 [1 r6 a% z V: k/ o8 J, ythis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are/ U4 o2 t! ^: o/ z& Z Z2 } 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 to3 S+ E& K( t; D "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make - Y, ]# d2 K8 }; f, ]/ p. \money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was # b% w) t9 ]" G) _7 e+ @3 l( f6 I8 h3 z% ga beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 1 @% d3 k" r7 H3 P+ q9 M, R4 Sparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across! K* J/ @3 N2 C) I1 J 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. r0 t$ @9 g9 P' t! }2 s/ ? importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for+ E/ P, J! K+ ~4 u5 Z5 i- W9 f development.

Hutongs, G5 l% D G# ]7 v$ z in the old days were residential area where people actually lived 7 {% K0 J! A. Bthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions . T( I9 ?0 k! C$ r5 ` V; H$ _in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not; ]# [2 Z# C' q5 u, X# t8 z& y) @ have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you6 C7 x1 i* A; f; ?" o+ | will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. + |& A5 a/ ^& y1 ]1 \0 M4 aFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date6 C: V8 S" w" ]2 j. Z) X5 ~' m, C to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used 1 V3 |$ `/ N. d9 Z9 x1 m1 ]to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses, X/ S8 [6 i4 U support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically ; z5 F* L1 Q/ S) e/ Hunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to . I- Q% F( o1 w ]. ~6 Rlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,8 h: |' l0 ?4 I hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the. d' X4 Z8 ?3 ~: x- V$ i balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the 3 O$ y3 X5 r- X% V; V. _project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be ?+ [! M* J) C" G# V* U7 Q# M renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong8 I# T+ A- A6 D! \/ u: }* x% v( e Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how . [0 d/ ~- {* f% I+ s) r- vpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be4 a# K1 ~+ z0 |& P, S torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished8 ]+ }2 d" @ b5 x3 U$ M% p. C: s' Y memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". 8 S- d5 \/ O1 b" [' n" D. P: cNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are2 k. o! A' B! _- n0 Z$ m0 n aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially b4 d' U: @ {. l7 e/ M) j non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image& d+ p9 |+ q0 ?3 N9 ~: i# D of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these ) Y: m! ?& G# S+ s0 s- F1 \9 wHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 4 T2 l3 ^ C0 y+ W0 D# ?% J0 Ypeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they " ~% v* u2 c/ ]- w5 Z1 Umay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some G3 F( g, H- i9 j9 {. T of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 4 x4 _. @2 C/ W9 V- j, T% D"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 1 F2 S' g. h+ |" X# ^, M6 Wpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise6 l% C& B2 [" b5 Y apartments are the way to go? No. 6 k; ?. l) J! }# J* G" P/ F% U- f% X 5 G* P" V. d# _3 g 1 }2 \2 ]% ~$ Z! Q% k

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the / Z& @- \1 h: X c0 rsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this S8 R8 `% A% t% V. ?5 r* Q'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 5 i, n) q4 M- ^no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so & h7 |1 Z5 R B0 J! K+ \# \fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 4 g$ @1 W" C+ T9 b$ A' m v; Rresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless ; J1 `1 {. F5 b0 h& qBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is* K0 \+ t+ x8 c; N 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!!
您需要登录后才可以回帖 登录 | 注册老北京网

本版积分规则

2000.11.1,老北京网自创办之日起,已经运行了 | 老北京网

GMT+8, 2026-1-16 07:20 , Processed in 0.122097 second(s), 17 queries .

道义 良知 责任 担当

CopyRight © 2000-2022 oldbeijing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

返回顶部