The Report fromFeb. 17, 2006
<P><B><FONT color=#6c0001 size=4>Recording a vanishing Beijing</FONT></B>by Jackie Zhang</P>
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<P> A photographic record of Beijing’s laneways is being compiled by a group of enthusiasts who wish to preserve some of the city’s history before it is destroyed in the run uto the Olympics.
The group members are all members of the website Old Beijing. “Lanes house the typical buildings in Beijing and represent the history of the old city,” said Zhang Wei, the manager oOld Beijing, “The reflect the social evolution and cultural background at that time.”Time is against the group, and they must work fast. “We are trying our best to take as many photos of the lanes as possible before they are torn down ecause we want to keep the images of these historical buildings in people’s memories,” said Zhang.This Tuesday, the group went to the Dashanlan area, which is to the east of Qianmen. “The lanes here are to be torn dow and quadrangles in an ancient style will be built,” said Zhang Wei.The group not only takes photos of the lanes, but also enters each yard and visits the residents.
At the front of some yards, old men sit together, chatting. Most of them were over 70 years old. When they discover that the young men are taking pictures of these old lanes, they agree that keeping records of these lanes is necessary.
“There arepeople come to take pictures these days,” said an old man, “You’d better take photos as soon as possible since these lanes may no longer exist in the near future“So far, we have already taken photos of around 730 laes in Beijing, out of which 300 lanes are being shot in detail,” said Zhang Jinsheng, a member of the group.“Almost everyday, some members come out to take pictures of different lanes. But every Sunday, all the group mmbers will gather together to take photos,” Zhang Wei said.“When more members are participating, we have more time and people to take detailed photos. For example, some people who know more about architecture will ente the yards to see the construction style of the houses; some people who know more about Beijing culture will talk with the residents and try to dig out the history of the yards,” said Zhang Jinsheng,“At the end of thisyear, we’ll put these photos on our website,” said Zhang Wei, “We hope that people can know more about Beijing lanes through these pictures, and also future generations can know about lanand the old Beijing culture when they are gone. </P>
[此贴子已经被作者于2006-2-23 20:26:53编辑过] <p>The English name of Hutong is alley, according to Merriam Webster Dictionary.</p> By the way， how to define the word <font color="#ff0000">四合院</font> in English? ^^ Should be courtyard as far as I know. <p>Chinese courtyard is better.</p> Four-Combinations is used among Amerian-Chinese students. <br/> "Compound Courtyard" for "四合院" has been heard among westerners since 1980s.This terminolgy is based upon those foreigners who actually saw with their own eyes, then they accepted, as well as the word "hutong". The English word "alley" does not fully reflect the sense of hutongs in the minds of Old Beijing Natives,which were originally used for horse-cart riding passways in Yuan dynasty(元大都). The all thing had nothing to do with Western "alley" from day one AT ALL. <p>By the way, 那位爷 from Seattle, do you know 宝印兄弟 by any chance?</p><p> </p>
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