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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 , m( j. O7 x8 \ S$ k$ Narchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider; @& Q6 Q% {( l8 O- } Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian", Y s# c) H+ O1 h; Q+ c1 b% ~/ [- D city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. y8 |6 s* ~5 m u8 n8 H According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, $ j/ Q- R ^/ H1 Q) I: z& g5 _, Z3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of3 {: p) m/ W% S8 Z3 ^- V w. f2 \0 N; M Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within+ W* f6 i# d$ x; @7 @% t hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among( k8 E' H. _: R, j each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera) p% B4 C6 ^0 v$ L and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is8 t2 j S, b" b) ^: ` harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are + k1 q+ a! ]0 x9 Cdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and # u! @9 P: b, vforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I - p# C9 R; f1 Qwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great 6 N, }$ J# S9 Zimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, ( u$ P0 _7 D. T! dand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong ) e( A# X! ?4 Q1 h( Mhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment' L# m4 z9 u3 W8 z of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that / W1 |! a/ o& z2 O7 ]no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 8 d0 b& }, h8 D/ uonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 9 M& a: j5 Q7 J. c1 [sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government8 @9 D. P# }; [3 i want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 0 I. m8 @+ X; M; f% Kto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is8 X: [3 a( [4 G "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 8 y# O$ T; P' A4 o' j% p! Jthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 4 N; ?: p1 W( r+ xstill 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 ) x& [. A) s1 L- a" O' ?"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 3 U2 q K- v+ p8 qmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was% C! c8 U# L6 N7 R, A a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 3 F: v5 }2 H6 \) F# Mparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across# \- E; h: ^) U5 n 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( h) w) d; j& P, Q1 T; p importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for : u" r* U, @$ B5 Z9 b8 N$ _7 C, Idevelopment.

Hutongs ) R4 J; O# h, Z/ y1 _in the old days were residential area where people actually lived ' p0 x6 T6 x* @: y$ ithere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions" t+ A1 B1 M2 ~1 U: P/ p* U in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not 8 w1 {( }1 C! i7 n$ x+ hhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you+ K% @3 y, { q" f! j will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.( W9 L! B/ d& z( [: [# U5 s: J8 V9 T1 V Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date. \1 m+ I$ c3 h/ _# q to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used . M# |7 h8 `. W+ X; rto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 6 z# R' z2 E9 J8 X" ssupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically4 c" o- h" l0 w3 I! F& t" R unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to3 C+ ] Z ~* _6 p4 E0 d8 h' o( w live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 1 _. a$ H' M" b4 h8 ihutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the ) W+ p2 {9 r6 G( K% }4 x5 Abalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the * M9 q6 l( t8 o! [% k& Kproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be9 @5 \, B8 L- Y2 V% B; X' z) V4 P renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong( k% Z \8 u1 t2 f! P$ N4 Z Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how5 V& A1 b0 T" ]9 o) m people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be4 F; z; h! m4 f torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished6 f0 `7 [; h) R memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". & g4 r' X" q& ~Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are- ?6 @* a/ l" l7 [ aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially: t8 v+ u: K( k! J, s! F non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image# @8 w; f3 N8 b. g" t of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these8 s' E+ D" ^( ?* \/ u- H. C7 F Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those1 _+ z/ k4 I8 [2 e6 x: s: n people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they ! z& C$ k+ `8 ~& c+ ~9 jmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some8 f4 {: ]" c) \7 S4 |) W of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before1 G& m% E% y% b% e "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all" u9 k1 ~* P' ?) j- O3 h2 m% W5 `; R people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise% o5 A5 i0 f& T6 E) h- ?4 l apartments are the way to go? No. 9 x# w s- _: G ) w: Z0 `) c3 |& O 0 T B: U* n" o3 l

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the+ i" {4 ?8 ~4 }' k% [6 E; l situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this h& k" \. O% B& w 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 0 F) K/ ~8 V! O% _no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so7 F1 U; i, R; \; P$ \' m9 v' M fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant' g& m1 ?; R4 {3 v resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless: c- O0 k' K# w* u Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is. N, a, ~% j. H M/ z+ A/ q5 T 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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