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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 ; b3 `5 C# p. f; tarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider3 l4 K9 S5 g( }: C$ R. @* l, s6 o Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"+ n' {7 ^ s9 L* g% j city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.. a. g& y1 `9 K0 Y According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,. L4 U4 R1 `- S! j7 Z* t 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of , \. g$ t% f9 B" x2 L- N% x' ?! AManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 0 S( ]/ h3 T/ U7 Xhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among8 H6 A- h: j+ @+ X+ H each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera * ]; O( e. j, E! a7 K7 Gand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is0 G# d0 T' F2 M1 c- {" f$ z harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are9 A5 F9 y) |) v! y descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and 8 S3 f- l. {% A7 \& mforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I% M! s* E9 |- Q$ f, N was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great 0 k: {/ A7 x# T! T, O$ Y+ g/ iimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,) O+ O; p" n |: q9 G5 J" X" E X and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong 9 N; U1 {2 y- rhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment 2 I% m8 z; E! s7 eof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that0 X2 o ?" E) V8 f$ m( x no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are7 Z; R3 y( V9 v, {4 t4 d D( i" n' c& I only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a. R+ E. l- S0 W2 q* i0 u2 W sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government% A1 K6 Z" q4 D9 L# f6 E want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move& F6 N7 o, U% \4 w4 ~ to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is" A: |4 \% r. U2 X0 v1 j) H% y& y j. o "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,3 r6 B8 R8 i8 z. U2 g1 m- T this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are# ~: n1 K' |6 S1 B' j 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 " ?* ~8 t2 H; z$ _( g6 c"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 6 |. F$ Z# d+ W# xmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was' R( Y2 a0 B8 q+ c a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a% m8 z3 ]1 j/ o parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across( k& u# F$ ~3 j3 B6 z6 t9 C+ z6 g 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 % U' K4 o: d' R+ m& z. } Y, u. X' limportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 8 d3 s8 ~& Q3 x! i) ~development.

Hutongs6 y' z% E4 [! Q+ _" Q4 W in the old days were residential area where people actually lived % @' X* H# K! z! jthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions 0 O* i( M E; A: R9 ^in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not . h5 ]- u( v! z5 t4 I/ u# j& G% Z4 phave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you: R$ E" O; ^9 E. h! C( e will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.+ U l: F, j0 `( L5 E& J5 T! \$ K Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date * {2 F% P" O. _- Q9 Y: ito support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used ( ^6 {- t" V* Nto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses , W6 _4 O! {1 ]( K, Fsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 2 p& @/ w! w8 H) `unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to8 Y" Z8 D% r# P live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,: Q3 v+ S6 Y) K- C0 k hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the - u% `0 l( U5 Z \! J5 Dbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the # V# G9 q+ X0 h! g) M# d; gproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be : o _. |* M e9 L% krenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong' j" n. J L$ y I# m% R. V Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how) {% {1 b% \' y$ U& e1 k& x people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be . R7 M. \/ F: t( l6 @8 Xtorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished8 W% K4 z1 z5 Z: `9 E0 j2 n( p memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".! L5 b+ K! t. @5 V, W Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are' F1 @6 |% y/ b: E aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially1 R" e- B1 J/ o: g+ p non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image# d% H' I1 j- g9 v of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these/ U- F1 D9 V. `& e! Z1 t: {8 ?) y Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those L# ]) L" [0 i0 i. E9 g# q! Speople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they # p ~- X& X# h d3 j4 imay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some / m3 r1 [! t5 y" l8 vof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before8 Q+ \3 t! r* R/ l/ x. T "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 8 i$ w8 o% P+ p3 v2 h1 jpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 8 d' c# A& e3 z. x% gapartments are the way to go? No.1 _/ F4 i* j4 g( \* _* x% z + q5 ?7 P9 C8 D ! _5 n8 r- w& y9 w1 a0 |

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the ( a& n5 `9 { usituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this & ]5 G$ H7 p. R @4 {'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make# a/ M, [ Z, F no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so / t. [8 V2 D8 n/ efast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant ( J6 D6 g# R e# B9 a J( uresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless ; \- s( N; y" F: N, N# YBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is, u/ G% W- Z6 {2 \, t; t9 D8 S 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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