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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* J* n ~: P. o$ z6 x architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider - A/ q! R# p' K3 G4 \* pBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" : x$ Q' K; J$ e. w) _" N) Ocity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.6 g; d; V3 p; K* _2 N9 q* r According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,. o2 N- V2 Z, B9 @* ?/ j8 y0 t 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 7 x# a4 k" x6 A) u# FManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within / R2 y# K M* U' s2 Q" @4 vhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among2 O! Z$ k. W( k" v: K each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera ' B, \& z, b2 J0 w4 J6 R4 H) a5 u; kand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is+ U' I& j9 R$ n' R# ^1 ?, D# ~3 y harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are + f i' v8 _" T$ [descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and7 e" J2 G/ O" P% H! o forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I2 x0 j1 s4 d" M6 S was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great( e% v" S# `6 m3 `3 w. ^7 O' f, p( G impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,: X' o0 n/ j* N2 ^% T; w1 A1 T- M and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong + g9 P ~0 j, P; d3 Shas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment : A& F% O. z) A0 s6 Q* } U; ^# _: Bof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that; m f7 m* n8 H( g, k no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are$ a1 w! N- \) T5 U* j only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a - ~8 L! L* [% I3 `( [# msort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government ' j) B( e7 L) k3 B7 x, d$ cwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move$ ~& b; w3 S) N+ O& U5 U, s to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is # O" ]5 W8 d1 `% z"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,' A/ ?) D+ }4 k- c8 i. g& t7 w this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are : X) g1 T: K) o! |- B+ [still 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. k& f0 |+ X& c( U5 U3 L "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make6 r( b0 M! e0 C' B money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was : o& j$ f$ @; ?3 Fa beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 0 ?( A2 H* A$ _% v% Y6 V$ Nparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across% e! l1 a% u& i0 T* J \+ ?1 k+ | 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* F9 J/ V3 M5 i3 { importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for " ]) D/ f2 |$ ] ]+ f; w+ l! t& @development.

Hutongs: ?* E {" `/ K3 o% v2 C in the old days were residential area where people actually lived / u$ t7 d8 Y nthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions6 w3 \4 ~( n; X in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not K9 [2 V& ^; ^3 Chave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you 6 H$ e: _% s: zwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. + \1 r0 d- z: t VFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date2 j6 V( ]* Z# @1 {0 r5 O* Q4 ] to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used 7 M* e6 F" \5 R8 Oto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses, J" j$ \8 W- t& }- i5 B support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically + T* P' {1 _+ P/ L( M; c" q$ tunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to 5 h+ z& M2 A( w$ d0 s& V$ elive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,8 o6 a' t7 U2 Q: G, W hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the . K4 I% |8 x4 o8 Vbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the 9 Q. r/ u, m& E$ D# x9 G* Jproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be ( B% K; }+ {! U; w4 \renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong; q/ u% ?( d2 Y% S! K Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how- T+ J# o- a; L; D' G% C2 L T people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be v- N$ n/ F! [5 P9 L) ?% otorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished , D! i. M5 q+ c% A3 R( |. mmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".% W Y& j, d9 Q( v, x4 ^$ t; e) O Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 3 _' H+ M$ l! m! }7 j/ V; Jaligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially ' W' G m0 x# {6 Anon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image6 z6 p% t& n; d2 e3 H9 O( Y) g of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these \8 m7 O R1 tHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those " U" H$ M" x. {' r. ypeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 5 g- t3 Y1 W2 ?: d3 d0 T6 U9 dmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some6 a1 B6 D" g/ S of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before1 x! A. k3 _! d8 S% M; o) W "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all2 G( s1 j$ _5 W people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise : n0 i% a# H* }( a$ Xapartments are the way to go? No.* r$ W/ n7 k) ? ~% h4 Y , J% C1 F( i9 u% u1 O 5 ~! D, V q6 Y# F7 X+ e P

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the; X: k! c$ w! Y7 @* ~8 V situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this ; o! W f! O1 |; }1 N'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make% @% \# e, M& Z& I no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so ) W7 @+ K ?5 Yfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant5 u8 y/ t* M { W( O/ G resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless / V/ r0 R% B% t3 J/ t s5 WBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is0 t. P( d. c. G! b 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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