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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& z1 @; v8 n9 j architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider7 f- b% k: ~7 j$ [0 Y Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" $ k* ]2 p" G0 K X y# @city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.8 p, X" A. U, z According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, 3 i. b) b2 Z+ l6 O1 g4 f3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of( X$ r# U- a/ _6 J1 k Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 7 s& v* Q3 T# T) g6 n9 j, {hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among / a4 `2 ~; H- Z- V9 L/ j' V) Veach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera ( b3 }$ Z' R9 i3 e6 C" ^and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is' }4 _0 [0 P. [# W) E4 \ harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are- L; v* r8 j$ | descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and! c& q* N; K8 u& e! M2 y forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I - n+ `0 S; k8 s4 E' n* qwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great |0 Y: h+ U8 ?0 j. n( nimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,7 K1 v9 s/ z% B; s3 Z" H+ ? and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong % v1 y3 u, [( P+ N* r) H: }1 h( `has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment* g; F0 F7 ^0 s9 p m0 P6 A of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that % V2 y# v6 u4 `5 M$ v+ R' Nno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are ! {9 m1 b( j5 J, ?' qonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a1 X2 n; ~# \8 |3 s sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government K W; c3 n9 n2 x6 g/ {want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 3 a" z* k- Q8 C3 nto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is' w0 F3 {3 v7 J( c "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, ) j" B. j6 a. r1 Uthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are % n& `9 ?! O) L" }5 Fstill 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 8 P4 v/ Y9 [. }"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 3 G: |( G/ ], b2 x+ [* vmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was3 u% }: y# r5 e! B/ m6 e6 C a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 7 W5 B) w' i9 ]% E/ n8 i! S6 Wparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 7 M. g- R& ]' ythe 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) a. L( l" Q: B importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for / b6 ^/ W7 G; vdevelopment.

Hutongs 5 l3 n) O# O6 b/ w& f; |& P" u" D, vin the old days were residential area where people actually lived 1 U; G, t: V. J3 {; x g& ^there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions" L" j8 F7 E) o in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not 2 D$ x3 u3 A3 u* b; \have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you& _; [: l' k1 c, O; S7 c. h# u will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.9 {) @, q. x" j3 p2 h4 N; O$ R Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date ( d- y9 X) ~5 Y Bto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used ! U9 ^1 }, O! G& f2 gto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses$ w6 v& \% D7 `3 L# n+ s, \ support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically, c% `; g& Q& s6 m6 U7 j. I. V/ E unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to . N' q5 Z3 x; A2 h/ u* p0 Flive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,6 p. {- Q% [1 v! i, P hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 5 F) E9 j9 Z3 ~; ybalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the! U! M% D6 a& i: y* m project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 2 h* [5 f' ]$ t5 e! z6 h& T/ K, Mrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong4 M2 }$ e1 R+ t/ i1 W Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how. }7 Q9 k, q I5 c% [4 I people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be, e( ~# t, w+ x' f torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 4 a" A2 [" \+ I6 v6 y: d# tmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". ; C* X6 X7 G) E( s9 t4 o( ?/ ]5 LNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are: W( x# C- O/ [1 q7 g aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially; ~9 @$ B6 k E, C. `# J; j' x non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 4 x$ I- \& z7 b! B+ B% Dof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these . p% ]$ G, c+ Y& C: Y# hHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those: X( [% m0 P6 ]4 D; l; a& Z1 m; B people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they1 I/ T3 [7 \- J6 @ may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some 1 ?8 \/ ]0 w6 s4 U9 q" l! l. bof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before - h: |: ?- e' S7 z, ]& D"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 1 i! w5 U N8 ~, y3 ?2 l: j4 j# \people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise & }$ Z2 K! c# f" \4 Yapartments are the way to go? No.: _# b0 C; G5 S3 i. a' K& d# ? - b$ f# R+ d5 z l$ E. H* ?+ S; ]

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the 5 {; e0 `8 k7 E& v) Osituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this ) U* R5 w) r) U, ~, \6 c; k'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 6 _0 [' q; {( A# e- M1 ?8 Wno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so & f! S+ x7 c+ |$ P' @fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant4 x: i0 l% B+ q; k resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless * _: W6 G2 m& pBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is ) l& G f4 x _& V5 Z4 vunlikely 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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