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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; J$ r7 |9 J: {8 z% v% ?6 p8 Z
architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider
( p: s$ j8 p% F0 Z3 v1 wBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"
k9 z3 E/ z$ G! A. ^city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.3 C. |% K/ P) s7 N% }/ X
According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,
+ l* r2 O7 W8 \& ?3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of: k9 l" q" N% {. `( i5 g' e5 _
Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.
Within; l) v3 l$ I$ m; k
hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among
) p& l- R8 Z+ _0 N; w/ Oeach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera
5 x7 N. E' b! J. y$ band Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is
' p# D. {+ ~; l3 O7 d/ _9 |harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are
7 M* [6 `) @- O5 T4 O# Jdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and X: Z- ~6 W% t1 \! P4 {: K1 I k$ b
forms of culture emerged in hutong.
I
% T d# ^& k# |0 C0 mwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great3 X9 F/ `* a" n3 J0 ^. s
impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,
: Q1 n. R1 e# N8 Kand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong- R; A" q- n! e+ _
has a history of more than 400 years!
Since 1999, the demolishment
9 t ^8 n3 U5 a; y( p- x4 d: {of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that0 V2 z+ k6 x; l0 g
no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are
6 W) X% @& i# g/ yonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a
" L% m3 u6 G# B+ `6 X* Usort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government3 I$ t" x3 j7 B/ ^2 ?8 n
want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move3 o1 I5 s% O8 \) ]) E* ^+ O
to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is
6 x2 B' O0 Y7 N& {' a/ C d' l& G"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,
( x# I6 b/ R5 Ethis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are
0 _; N1 T4 n Z: T3 W1 [' Qstill 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
4 w( f0 G E/ O5 z' y"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make
& @! z; U8 r# M2 y* wmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was
1 H1 R/ X6 i9 W+ P9 s0 w. Qa beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a: {3 W8 C! Z$ [* h& V! ]
parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across
! }- C D& `1 w+ t2 |% l( Pthe 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 cultural1 I2 k1 X% U9 q+ V. i8 o4 x
importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for
. h9 S: M g5 }2 h' J8 D( Q( [- \/ udevelopment.
Hutongs
. s' V* B1 f% ^8 U2 P3 z, y' iin the old days were residential area where people actually lived
1 T/ R8 c p9 l1 r" J7 w% w) nthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions
, A) |2 U \) c* i( ^/ H3 Jin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not/ j3 A7 n( m& y6 F; v/ S4 C1 h
have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you0 r) D' @; k: a w- `3 i
will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.' F% h; |1 q, h& _
Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date
8 ?, O' P! C( B1 |# sto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used
0 n; W6 f+ B& @to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses
+ Z# J7 h/ i6 b; m( F0 n; ]1 G/ ]) Osupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically0 D0 e& P9 d( v: g( C% u5 K
unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to/ p1 w( {. g- ?+ M& P; U0 j
live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,8 ^6 ~5 h& {0 N) U) b
hutong is only a tourist attraction.
The best way to find the0 R7 a. ^- U5 }. g$ o
balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the
+ _: v, {2 h/ t+ E4 ]( iproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be: \& x. C, \" n8 [+ a& _
renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong
, P9 Y+ X% K% F9 v8 [ S2 QMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how7 J l8 P R& p. J% V; { |
people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be, q1 l" T9 T, l4 J# S
torn down or transformed into something else.
TwinkieDP:
I'm sorry that your cherished# y* F) e% ] q1 |) R# b
memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".' z6 L( ] o' M% z) K$ W8 s
Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are T) b, N# x: p% h( o
aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially: Q h# L8 N8 j4 K
non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image4 q2 m8 S2 k0 ~; i
of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these
! f* U1 {# C0 q7 u/ AHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those
" H. |" @. \/ n( Upeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they
9 f8 Z3 ?9 i. a" c4 U: Nmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some+ b7 K% S" ~* G$ ~# n/ I' W
of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before
: C) @ m! p) T" B/ D' Y9 U" A( |"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all" g- q4 l& Y3 n+ Q( f
people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise; u3 ^% e$ T3 u" l6 P: E
apartments are the way to go? No.
5 I9 [* b# B7 z# @/ q' D5 E
+ ?+ _$ M9 U7 M2 {( z
9 V+ a# O+ q7 R& D) B7 ]
Howard Fu:
I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs. But the# z ~& ?0 ^# z( S* U4 I5 c: p# |/ t" r
situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this
9 l3 C$ C0 {6 U( A6 g) G8 `'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make% u* l* E' E: c% C0 o
no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so6 C( | I; b+ y" q* o! v. `$ E
fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant3 k* ^ c) a# z& b+ a# k; F3 G l
resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless
0 @3 ?1 i4 `+ H) ?9 uBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is4 P8 r) `& |# i& H& l; N! E% Q
unlikely to happen too. Sad!
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