一个外国建筑师对老北京建筑的观点(中/英)

莹火

今天在网上浏览的时候看到了这篇文章，觉得写的很好，于是草草翻译了一下，还没有仔细推敲。先给大家瞅瞅。有翻译不当的地方，还请大家来指点。

自己总结一下作者的观点：胡同也是北京遗产的重要组成部分，它和紫禁城这样的皇家遗迹一样重要。胡同是人的的载体，而人是城市文化的载体。建筑会影响社会文化。当一个城市的特色建筑消失殆尽的时候，它那独有的文化也将没有立足之地。

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True value of old buildings to a city’s heritage

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城市文化历史中老建筑的真正价值

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作者：Barry Ball， HKI 首席建筑师

 

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Many issues form a city’s heritage but perhaps the most important are its people and architecture. The old cities of the world are recognized by their iconic structures, often portrayed in postcard settings.一个城市最重要的载体，也许莫过于那里的人和建筑了。世界各地的老城市，几乎都以它们那些印在明信片上的标志性建筑物为人所知。

 

Usually of large scale, intricate detail, or high technical achievement, they are as important an attraction as any natural landscape feature in attracting tourists and their valued spending power.这些标志性建筑物往往规模很大，有着错综复杂的细节或者（带有某一时期的）较高的技术成就。对于吸引游客和他们的消费，它们和那些自然景观有着同样的重要性。

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China’s history ensures that it has a huge number of heritage landmarks, especially in Beijing, where most of the heritage landmarks are well preserved or in the process of renovation.
中国悠久的历史决定了她拥有数不清的名胜古迹，尤其在北京。这里的大部分遗迹都得到了很好的保护或修缮。

 

They are impressive for their beauty and inventiveness, or for their awe-inspiring scale. And they are rightfully credited as cultural relics.
这些古迹毫无疑问的是珍贵的文化遗产，它们的美丽、创意和宏伟都让人赞叹。

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However, many old structures in Beijing that don’t receive the same attention and do not appear on postcards are, in my opinion, equally relevant in status. I refer to the fast-disappearing hutong, which is key to understanding Beijing’s cultural heritage.但是，在我看来，有些和这些古迹同等重要的老建筑，却没有被印在明信片上，也没有收到它们应受到的重视。我指的就是那些正在消失的胡同，它们才是理解北京文化遗产的关键。

 

Hutongs have a charismatic appeal to Westerners, who want to live in them, photograph them or be photographed in front of the entrances, whether they are pristinely upgraded or sadly displaying their neglect.对于西方人来说，胡同对他们有着无尽的魅力，人们或是希望能住在胡同里，或是去拍摄它们，或是站在胡同口拍照留念，不管那些胡同是被重建一新还是无奈的展示着它们的世事的淡然（译者：这里理解还有点问题:p）。

 

Why is this small scale, grey brick and tile roofed structure so appealing to visitors yet seemingly treated with neglect by the locals?为什么这些相对小规模的，灰砖瓦顶的建筑对游客有着无比的吸引力，对被当地人忽视呢？

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For many, the attraction is that by walking through a hutong district they have in front of them a true understanding of the cultural day-to-day life of the average Beijinger as it was for hundreds of years and as it is still today.这种吸引力，无非就是旅客行走在胡同之间，真真切切的去体会那种百年来延续至今的北京人的生活方式。

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It is the people who define a city’s character and heritage. 正是生活在这个城市里的人定义了这个城市的性格和特色。

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To observe at first hand the daily routines of hutong residents, the street life, the smells, the children’s play can provide as great an interest as the largest palace. 亲自看看胡同里的居民每天是怎样生活的，人们的交流，胡同里的味道，孩子们的玩耍，这些事情带来的乐趣绝不亚于去参观那些皇家宫殿。

 

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They demonstrate a collectively shared, socially interactive lifestyle that is rapidly disappearing as we all look for individual privacy. 在一个我们都急欲寻求隐私的年代，胡同生活展示了一种集体分享的、彼此互动的生活方式。

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As Beijing develops, old structures are demolished to make way for the new. However, while there are obvious justifications for removing large areas of hutongs for redevelopment, there should also be an awareness that, aside from their attraction for visitors, they also show how the urban fabric of old Beijing was knitted together. 随着北京的发展，老建筑被拆除，从而为新建筑让路。然而，当人们有着恰当的理由去大面积的拆除老建筑的时候，也应该意识到，这些老建筑除了吸引游客之外，它们正是将“老北京”这个文化概念建立起来的构造物。

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 Architecture will always have a strong influence on the social culture of a city and is a result of the demands of the community. Old buildings do have their place in a modern city.建筑，总是会强烈的影响社会文化，它同时又是社会生活的产物。那些老建筑在现代城市中，也应当有一席之地。

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While their value in terms of fabric and convenience may not be as attractive a proposition for developers, their value is high in terms of heritage and understanding of the past. 老建筑的结构和便利性在开发者的眼里都不如新建筑，但是作为文化遗产，它们在人们追寻历史的方面十分重要。

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As a contrast to the modern urban modular fabric we are accustomed to, they are essential and deserve protection at all levels. 面对着那些我们习以为常的标准化的建筑来说，保护这些老建筑是非常必要的。

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Old buildings, hutongs included, have a unique function and an appeal, which if managed sensitively, could bring added value to new community developments allowing the issues of expensive maintenance and redundancy to be resolved.老建筑，包括胡同，如果精心的去管理，将会发挥它独特的功能和魅力，它们可以为新的社区开发增加价值并以此解决昂贵的维护和冗余（译者：这里没有太明白“冗余”指什么，理解不是很透彻）问题。

 

For instance at Nanxingcang the developer has created a new office and shopping development on the site of some 6o0- year-old warehouses. The warehouses are structurally sound and have been adapted for use as galleries, bars, restaurants and studios and interact as a working environment and visitor attraction, which supports the office workers and the shop tenants in the development.例如，南新仓的开发者将这个有着600年历史的仓库改造成了办公室和商业开发区。仓库建筑本身足够牢固，如今已经被用作展馆、酒吧、餐厅和工作室，既是人们工作的空间，也是吸引游客的看点。

 

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The case for hutongs is not so clear-cut. They are primarily residential and lack modern conveniences. 胡同的情况各有不同，不能一概而论。它们最初是为了居住而建，但缺少现代化的便利条件。

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But with encouragement I am sure many of these structures, particularly the street facades, could be returned to their original state. While the high-rises replacing the hutongs have many advantages in terms of hygiene, comfort and convenience, the hutongs offer something more: social interaction at the street level, which is a human necessity that carries its own rewards and should not be underrated. 但是我认为如果得到鼓励，尤其是街面的建筑，应该可以回归到他们原本的状态。虽然不断加快的对胡同的拆除和新房的建造带来了清洁、舒适和便利，我们应该认识到胡同带来的更有价值的东西：是以街道为基础的，在人们之间的社会互动所带来的不可低估的种种好处。

 

Without question, they are as important a part of Beijing’s heritage as the Forbidden City. 毫无疑问，胡同和紫禁城一样，都是北京文化遗产不可缺少的一部分。

 

六里屯

毫无疑问，胡同和紫禁城一样，都是北京文化遗产不可缺少的一部分。

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在一个我们都急欲寻求隐私的年代，胡同生活展示了一种集体分享的、彼此互动的生活方式。

 

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好文章。

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rishon

前两日看了梁思成的那个纪录片,深有感觉,作为当时新中国成立伊始,如果可以将国家政权机构新建至老北京的郊区或其他位置,不以中南海的话,后来陆续的很多建筑都可保存下来,从而能更相对完整的保存下古都的旧貌.