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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 " [8 L1 p2 d8 O2 Jarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider ; N1 j/ I {( Y8 c5 f0 B2 |) {Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" " e8 H- J9 \+ m% \9 Ncity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture., ^ H. l- G! I: a$ V According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,! s- N" `/ J0 _) s( [0 {5 o 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of ) f+ c3 s0 @2 D$ x5 b5 }2 LManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within r/ O% `$ y+ ^$ ^ hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among/ ?* ]) Z7 I: }& ` each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera . N" h: Y5 Z. m6 F( Tand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is8 |2 j% ]* A5 l1 i harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are ! Z# n/ l: }" F8 ndescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and6 P; Z4 [1 Y' c: ?: z forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I# c2 ~9 n1 q4 }0 e$ \ was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great0 @( S" B, r1 W impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, / Y" D+ I2 _$ a+ p6 r7 ?3 H! x2 \and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong - R7 D" @8 e1 {. e$ a" J9 }has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment% v- c0 D% ~7 i k1 n& x! d of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that 1 c3 Z8 L* F( e0 P6 l3 U8 h2 Kno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are' l8 f4 ]" G# y" P. U6 @6 K9 a only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a | p: b& g' v8 B; V2 b ?- Xsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government $ r, B8 k. R5 `. h) b6 }$ ^want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move2 N, k9 ?' T- a( C+ `0 M" n to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is # C( R+ `$ e9 N1 ]! s$ o7 D"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,6 I" @$ Z# Z# b& o" I! }3 @ this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 2 u- \% n7 {+ x. l- 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 ' w) Z4 K; A& V) K"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make ! l/ a# x3 C1 k2 U: b6 x/ Umoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was : N) L: p9 ~8 g3 [- F* _( @* Ba beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a" A( v& g8 S9 o+ K* v% M parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 8 G* P# k& Z: zthe 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* v* ^3 W b! [0 s& m! y5 l# `" ~6 N. H importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for " ~$ T+ ^# ^0 U: hdevelopment.

Hutongs" f9 o6 d2 C& M) a. u in the old days were residential area where people actually lived3 X# S" d. P! u4 g2 k there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions& S0 s& t; J/ g3 L in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not2 `" X2 W+ R& v7 Y5 m( v have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you / P% O* k) A* V* `- e9 ]8 owill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.+ ] F+ U8 }9 I* _0 P( U; C4 N& n Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date 7 ?+ S4 Y2 c+ _" A. X% G* L5 Xto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used9 ? \$ B3 Y, d" G8 T4 o2 y& A to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 4 v9 v7 A' Z; o& ]support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically ' l7 M( ]( N' F) Iunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to' }5 s; y3 Q$ q) l+ g+ ?+ {. H live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,0 G4 b$ e) l6 X3 @! S2 I7 C/ r hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the8 g" ]. i1 E- ]9 @- A- I/ M balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the % S y: b4 I' rproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be0 B/ j" b+ p8 W1 g renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong: N( @% p) B8 {1 I3 ]7 H0 t# h2 @, I3 A Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 0 `0 ^: J8 g& k2 K9 wpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be2 {% l( \+ H* q2 ~2 e torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished; ^! V* q1 g" J$ A5 x I; _- o memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".! D* t9 L& P1 p q( I( ^ Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are# `9 u& w" H$ T/ z7 G j aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially : f4 [- U6 L2 a( _non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 8 l5 {' g t3 ^0 ^of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these 6 ]7 t# K. e" n3 f8 @Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those1 x2 Y- F& Z% M- Q6 v8 m+ E: _- s people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they' d1 f* D, Q4 N* {; S* Z& I! K9 c/ E may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some: x; s) L: }- {# } of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before7 D. M% n2 W8 L, c/ b: A "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all % S( s2 t7 |% T4 r: X6 fpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise - L) M+ T Y; y$ T5 T, Wapartments are the way to go? No. 7 F# B* O, [3 V' e% V# F" ~& i. { . w0 X2 b/ X) w$ m) s" B/ h# J( k 9 r" S1 r) W) H6 Q; b# j

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the8 L& e' F4 [5 F4 G& ^6 I' Z situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this ' D3 y1 |/ ^- q'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make( V. e& S5 F2 @- A; a no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so 6 \1 R) v8 Q! U- S- K( |" I) ffast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant - c: v- j5 D0 F5 ^0 s7 z/ |" Gresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless: `, K6 C9 o# c7 L& P Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is' O1 g8 |3 _0 ^: K 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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