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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 ~" [- \3 g; n4 o& Z j architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider % d5 P( c4 F' QBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 4 ^0 i7 [: _8 j. I4 _) qcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.. X+ s# a" H0 F3 Y C According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, / ]8 W/ E% V6 q, O5 w3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of ' X- e4 z: _ S$ LManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within / Q7 k" ?2 ^* l, A! P" Ghutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among 8 }4 e2 T' \. h4 P+ P j5 Keach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera 6 j% W" j9 b" n- e( pand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 8 v2 W) \5 L; Wharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are ; a' e# L S7 q6 Zdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and , |. l1 ~5 ? @: p) f' uforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I. v! |$ |1 B; T was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great , ?! |& r- |, E0 Aimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, 5 V) U7 @1 X. a, _% u6 vand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong - [: U; T8 j0 E' d- Y4 @# vhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment5 F3 G$ @1 ?/ Y- A6 c of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that y( U6 y# Y" |7 \4 ` no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are- q& y( A. O: D5 W- m only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 2 n. v, X- }; k# Q$ N$ Msort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government 4 G1 a6 i+ x% `9 D; Uwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move |1 @/ ?! Q( ~* z2 B5 j' s3 g to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is # P. R9 L, L8 O) }3 a) |"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,- b4 F d7 M9 x) f; n2 K2 y this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are' T; c2 s3 }' b$ G' x" N 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/ @1 I7 \" O* J$ M "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make+ V3 e7 D' q; t$ K- J1 A6 ] money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was 5 Q' h p3 R8 B* { H! C$ La beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 8 {# C* }, v' D" mparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across # e4 C Y$ g& x" p( ~& b2 ~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 ! H$ e- l0 z1 u2 V) oimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for Q( T7 I$ K2 G7 @4 N development.

Hutongs 8 [" e, d8 A: z+ Y( yin the old days were residential area where people actually lived 1 ~2 @( ?. c/ |) K9 {there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions 9 L* D y; o7 i3 `- {" M& bin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not " R* h0 z, ], h1 C6 y! R. t, F: Uhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you $ `9 x2 j$ t" u C- Cwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.. X$ f! u) N# @: t& l Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date9 a2 U2 D5 @8 n9 D5 A6 K to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used% A& U6 e2 j: D to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses/ V! F. o1 {+ g support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically( L0 v/ r7 A1 S3 P6 { unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to8 G0 ]( h, ` X$ z/ H5 \ live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, . L3 B4 o, P) B# F1 l7 k, ghutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the2 O8 I/ A( z$ K balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the& ^9 \1 M0 p9 ~0 S n project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be/ G4 a+ q1 ]2 U6 \3 f; D! X renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong" B" {; _3 u R: r. a* u Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how) m& i- N- m' y9 {7 S! v: ~% C people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be$ ]6 g1 _/ q, H( |! ? torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished$ j" I2 b1 E' l! l memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". 1 ^, T* \0 k1 g9 c' BNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are+ M) f9 L( p. B: B9 Z aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially # l. a5 V' @- c& N4 U& inon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image ( `* _9 m4 p1 G5 Y& x# `of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these/ V. B; a; h0 R4 P' E Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those t4 U! k' N5 i$ N, J2 `9 H6 ?8 [& Upeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they ) u; ]8 ?: v0 O5 L7 a5 E& U5 n5 Smay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some) ` t# p" b& w5 P of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before v% B8 [% I3 y, Z& K"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 7 k& I7 l& k2 Q) Apeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise* N: O) x7 ~! _3 ~" K; q apartments are the way to go? No. . Z# R: r) {2 T+ e' V % T6 U/ F! c+ `* J' B4 ? , w! {6 J! }9 r% P& s: _

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the 5 ^* U6 [* s* M1 t/ Hsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this ' `4 q, J& M/ c7 A2 D'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make; Z1 i5 `8 l3 \0 s2 w) T7 s no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so0 K( e+ ^2 c6 d! V! N2 e$ P fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant # ?! Z, x' k6 z5 u( B$ h3 p( `+ Sresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless " F8 F9 w0 {' @6 D# nBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is% V7 C/ m4 I' w. Q 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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