服务器里的北京 - 老北京网

 找回密码
 注册老北京网
查看: 6453|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, its3 w2 f7 F( a3 ^, M architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider6 P9 i0 w- A% V8 K Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 4 Z1 k( y& C2 N/ w0 Ccity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.2 G. y9 A' c" s) _ According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,( r9 s& c- N. C5 I z( R 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of" l/ q; [" H y: E) }% N( v) T Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within( K, i( I" K( k6 i3 x' B hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among ; m5 W. z' r2 h4 k) Z/ n+ Leach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera 0 r$ v8 U+ i) _2 |6 @. N/ Q( band Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is2 h4 i7 `9 a( K3 o$ \ harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are + [* H6 A# g: j! S" [2 idescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and . r% m' D% V( C! mforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 0 l' n( _$ T1 ]was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great & a3 {, l* ~3 t o- ~impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,2 O4 }# }! q, S5 d) B% ~2 L and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong / Z1 V* v+ z0 S( h& R5 Thas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment - ^0 ]; q B$ U3 ?) yof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that 0 C5 O: i8 A& i2 E. s3 V" X( d( V2 Dno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are ( c# _5 s7 `( \* L1 F2 gonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a ; ?" k$ x$ N q% @" |- k: Vsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government t4 u3 w$ i/ W/ X want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move1 E$ X& i6 J( \2 k& H5 f$ V to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is # o3 Q' W$ @0 S9 D"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,3 O3 Q. T: r3 |' j this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are+ ?, K0 Y. W7 v) O( ? 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 7 i. `) n X t3 h1 z"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make+ J; R9 d1 i0 c/ Z- e money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was. f9 ?4 Q) y. S2 E6 v. b0 @8 s1 B a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a" z+ o! _, [1 f2 m( y parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across , o3 r* D3 W/ X' |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& t- G( u d5 i! x( f importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for( Q6 ?5 q* B1 z development.

Hutongs 7 g* a) P7 t$ n) n# cin the old days were residential area where people actually lived 0 n2 l2 w6 I! A6 w4 U5 {$ Sthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions + r% C, E# \' ?3 B! m5 Sin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not+ V$ z7 M0 N0 T3 [, H- |% ?% o" s have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you ! o1 K$ N7 U8 B' Q9 `will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. ) I7 {, B( c8 Q9 `2 z1 @Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date % Z0 N: p6 _3 M8 o# y' |# zto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used $ [$ W; x0 [, qto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 9 q: k0 J$ ~3 e( ]support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 6 K; o* p0 w& s8 g! l& eunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to % B( J/ x) P7 Wlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, ! C, ]6 Z- V% \+ L% f: C' C7 l3 O3 yhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the! d) O# L" S3 o/ N/ D4 Q" U balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the: {& ]1 T8 a) [# \ project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be0 e5 k) c7 E; g2 @, H. W$ i3 R( Y renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong : ?8 e- M+ i6 r+ Z8 a: d& [; ^Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 7 r" r* T6 J# q5 Rpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be # l& c# Z% A3 O3 U% Q* n7 z7 Y3 ktorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 5 b- G6 q2 `8 `# k( ] Qmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".4 g. b* @0 e" Z) ?: a* i3 v Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are) V2 i; d/ |9 v# ^ aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially: c; U. x- w: \) \$ Z. J( z2 g non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image1 B) _: C- @& v* T7 E+ w; t w of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these 4 E4 A- o% d0 KHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 2 `' F% g4 Z: q E& ^' Ppeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they ' S* k! w8 g/ @, X, R& Ymay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some , O1 ?/ Q. y1 H& t! S+ q1 kof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before " f6 i8 ]1 g4 x( Q5 w5 h. S# |) M"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all5 d4 S( L" s- F$ w people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 2 y6 M2 j) I/ U5 N$ {& ]apartments are the way to go? No.( [' h; e( t" g$ u' n ' r: ]" [; X- Q3 J+ [$ Y/ i$ F 0 f% @6 ?1 u7 E5 r9 F9 O

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the ! E% C/ ]+ N+ [+ Ksituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this % E4 ^ {/ }- V, E7 t- N'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make4 P! V3 M! @$ X no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so 1 g7 `( P( b% p/ g& ?+ _, kfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant ! q7 @: @8 N2 m/ L, I4 j T4 S' Oresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless ( @: `# }; T' lBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is 7 E# }. @# `3 j. m( q, l0 p7 Aunlikely 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, 2026-1-15 10:20 , Processed in 0.123078 second(s), 17 queries .

道义 良知 责任 担当

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

返回顶部