服务器里的北京 - 老北京网

 找回密码
 注册老北京网
查看: 6662|回复: 1

A Hutong Discussion

[复制链接]
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, its2 N3 X1 w$ o l) ` architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider2 i3 C( _, M& c0 [% ^ Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"8 U* N$ U. n/ T3 v- x" Q city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.3 V' g3 L9 l, ]; E) S. w According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, 9 X6 W1 J t8 Y& y- g( D$ v# @* w3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 3 T* J$ \! h$ j% u% R2 bManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 0 j& _, o1 r# `$ Y: uhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among/ R8 {" ?3 W7 Q. z: v/ k7 i each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera3 K9 M& M; `; m' h) b/ |. U and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is x* V+ M2 w+ X( e* n harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are 6 {- x8 p$ J7 v. d/ X+ \ odescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and * _/ }% m; Q& W$ [ d0 p& Aforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I ) w/ Q8 L [$ b5 Y9 G# ~was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great " s* }9 p; H- Fimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, ! Q: f2 j" }# e$ xand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong$ M' B# ?. [3 Q9 z, N5 _ has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment - M' \4 }; b4 ]2 N4 k) ^ G" Fof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that# |$ h W: W1 V3 }' E1 M5 w no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 6 l4 Q; a7 h2 q; g, Z# P1 Conly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a4 q6 x& z5 R* f* e sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government5 q8 o/ {8 A3 q want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move ) f: B' A9 {4 {to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 0 c( d! ?6 d; W7 N: K"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 3 N' h7 C8 A* ^7 c6 wthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are , V9 h' v/ c+ [! _2 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 to9 B2 h! I; i( H1 T, l9 ^4 z4 W "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make & m$ h0 Y4 B) ^/ Vmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was ( a( o. ^0 I4 ka beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a8 e! q0 U* J9 X% a6 V5 R4 b; O parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across( A$ W. _5 H( `* Y. H! y( A9 X 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 . n0 _- ~& I) o* ~5 D% ~importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for5 T) i) l% Y) b) l0 [ development.

Hutongs - u5 R0 a9 _1 w8 min the old days were residential area where people actually lived) B; K+ S/ u% O+ L$ ^ there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions: ^9 l# z' L3 y6 R in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not 2 g: Y8 W d' ^' ~have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you 7 { s. c9 j% k1 O- {' i2 s8 ?; l) E4 Bwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. , ~4 s) I. K' U7 W7 G- E1 bFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date & }7 V; p& P9 q, `2 `to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used % t$ s7 u; t. b+ O' l5 {to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses - h9 q! e5 }% J: K7 Bsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically; d+ M7 t+ \ `: C unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to: |# ~9 i/ Q$ I. m3 B0 u3 s2 R live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 6 A5 F* m m% {3 Ahutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the* z! S7 {+ ]3 \7 P2 ]0 P balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the; G8 k/ u* f2 e1 S' r project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be8 n( u! o# ]4 d( e5 l renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong # }- u) c' B) R) ~. M# DMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how4 ]! ]6 X6 U: a) I! s people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be6 n0 ?, q. _" p$ |! H( m torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished6 m8 I4 }; J9 x. [" f7 d7 W5 g7 J6 f/ D memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". ! V. R" {9 o2 j1 uNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 0 m( G* Z+ R+ G# [. Z8 @aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially ) w& N) V2 n8 B; c, r# knon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image- S" W0 F0 l" J8 f* y) Y of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these* B& i3 k& Q9 w3 y/ R$ k Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 6 V6 w7 Z4 U3 ~/ Dpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they" T9 I1 o8 ]. q: ~) a" | may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some K, F1 q' @, B9 e9 g$ x' w! Eof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 6 j! v2 m. h/ _, |: H5 ]"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all$ n6 q5 w' M( q1 A6 Y+ r people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise . _9 \ F0 x5 d: g6 x8 R8 a( |apartments are the way to go? No.! z& w' |4 A+ ]6 m1 c. E7 V6 } ) U8 \) ^+ D" }" M4 ^ f- q3 \ 1 @& q3 X) U2 A3 ?( S

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the' L t/ ^$ I2 ~4 h$ ] situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this; y; O- \6 F3 P/ f1 Y 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make9 L @$ R n2 j% ?* i1 w) y. x no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so ( @9 @: O- c) y$ h+ D ^fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant ; Q% n6 {* V, T9 y8 n+ hresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless( r/ s# e! x9 l. n$ X" I' m Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is* j0 k$ |7 ~6 ?) Z- d 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!!
您需要登录后才可以回帖 登录 | 注册老北京网

本版积分规则

2000.11.1,老北京网自创办之日起,已经运行了 | 老北京网

GMT+8, 2026-2-7 07:03 , Processed in 0.126743 second(s), 18 queries .

道义 良知 责任 担当

CopyRight © 2000-2022 oldbeijing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

返回顶部