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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 6 R1 O1 v% ^# E. narchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider) S! d4 u- {' [ Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"2 g; I# H, x. O5 b( O8 x h city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.) d& d3 }; O3 H- b( T According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, & C" R8 h) R/ G9 k! g* v3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of$ H d: i0 _* d2 A/ b3 y' A/ x7 l Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within1 e6 Q9 G5 y# Z9 N& e hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among + H5 L) m) j1 I" c2 c5 leach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera , I6 J/ ~5 N# Y9 J: a$ F! x! Tand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 6 q+ [" K$ w" O: Dharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are 2 w5 Q( b+ P" y- M9 Fdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and/ V! V/ ]) f L9 t7 r forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 9 b: T, S1 M) ?! g) qwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great & ?- p5 D# I: P$ G- S# c$ V: vimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, . A; G" w6 U, q9 w- Vand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong . [: I1 S7 _& A- E; v9 chas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment ) c6 v* e% H$ q( X' t4 s# }of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that( {' b0 O$ `( M5 S0 e no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are) m9 }/ J# X$ w3 t- ~ only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a& w; m6 {7 ^' y) N q/ ^ sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government+ W; q J, q. ?, B/ P/ m# P. u9 ]+ R want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move3 q" {$ D8 f9 Z4 r( v' M8 }" y, a3 _ to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 4 f8 m$ a A( h f"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 2 n+ G2 @# C* Q( O1 ~- g; Rthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are + C4 x; j& j& bstill 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 r1 v0 c: g2 K' R0 U, j, O% t4 s1 n"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make; `" A% s# T J* o" ]/ p: R money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was - @" E3 J7 h1 |. }' pa beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a ) s1 H' P: i) I3 w# eparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across& v0 J2 x; j2 x' E, O 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 1 c* _, [7 v! G6 nimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 7 Y- e5 s# G! V4 u$ s& H' ldevelopment.

Hutongs5 W. W4 E q3 |7 v! L in the old days were residential area where people actually lived- h4 v \* }( G' k" J" I* @ there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions , e" I1 f" g- H0 ~* e/ i9 ` uin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not . X8 Q( J- k, C6 O" A# z9 \have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you 4 [3 n/ X6 Z9 v2 Pwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.9 d8 T g+ \/ L Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date : M. p2 J7 G+ Yto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used + H6 T* S( T: |) |6 Z) g {- _to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses, z6 @+ ~7 M0 y4 m' ]8 w6 d) K' D support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically5 q+ {/ J( M/ u8 h9 { unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to) j: e+ {2 H6 ^( w/ d live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 6 ?* {& j* t+ Y9 ^hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the9 @! W" k! m; H# L& {& H balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the - s+ X) E: B" h! K4 `' y6 l5 Mproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be( n6 Z8 _" M7 M/ d; N9 C renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong% k0 Z' X$ R- i- F$ `3 s* s Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how$ W/ v6 u: F8 P% @ people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be * ~; J* m. O6 \3 o* X, M2 \torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished3 J) w' g4 Z) M$ D# d' ^, u4 R/ Q: { memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".2 O$ Y3 ^( \/ v/ ` G( b Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are& `+ E2 M* Z. L" L% R+ b+ G aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially5 [4 I6 U) v8 E% Q w2 Z% Z non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 3 Q# a2 O6 Y* Y, N7 L, a- Fof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these9 g6 N+ P* ]1 T$ _6 X+ V* x5 U Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those# Y# P z5 Y( J/ i" E people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they; c$ |) ~! `% D6 e3 ` may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some & s$ E3 F5 t" A5 M1 B: v: u- \of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before3 Y1 t$ ~1 n: ~- M; f; W "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all + u( m5 J* O, i0 Npeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise& L$ i& V( c0 ? apartments are the way to go? No., R: ~3 w" p& U6 u R4 F$ E / U2 G' U$ z3 k9 a4 \ & \. H* z8 S3 A( a# j

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the ?$ j6 m! @8 S+ Tsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this, [2 n, Y% s B9 L$ @ 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make0 I0 } K5 `6 O/ B6 S( C5 E no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so+ X$ s$ Q4 Q6 E7 ~ fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 4 W" R; b8 ?, I. P; c: Aresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 3 O- V! W4 G: t* s6 y: CBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is 6 k/ {3 o1 U" d4 s. J. \, [, @8 Ounlikely 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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