服务器里的北京 - 老北京网

 找回密码
 注册老北京网
查看: 6607|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, its/ T1 A, v9 E1 n/ E- c: P2 ^- F; k0 p+ Z architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider 1 H( _6 a l3 b! F t( NBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 8 M. p. }, ]# B+ o# Acity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.3 {3 P+ G3 x) ]) J According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,/ y" k+ T: W# P6 t1 z+ F# f 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of1 n7 ?8 y2 u0 _5 F5 r& T Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within' @( |3 O+ r) ~. L9 V4 ?2 t9 ` hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among1 I9 V9 {4 R( A# }; I each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera Z' P% R( l" B3 C9 F+ Wand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is9 S5 I( C b% F& g8 @4 k3 t* l harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are 3 h$ E& C+ u- r2 j. Q) M4 kdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and% [4 n U' g# R: D5 |1 c8 j+ W forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I) p6 O3 ~3 i3 N9 H5 p& F was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great8 p- W. I. X- c2 P7 D; b# { impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, 6 z% ^& g$ W; c/ @* ` c5 qand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong2 c# q. U2 T; c8 V has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment" |" {' |( R( ] of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that& W$ e% B& `0 Z8 e, V no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are / ~. F4 o9 a" r) ronly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 6 q M) w( ?; osort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government$ s1 c& r# \3 {1 {- N6 F want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move! I) G( ]7 }3 @' [) i% W) P L4 @ to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is9 `' E! p2 |8 _) h5 b1 @ "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,# J+ s: k# {0 o1 m8 H this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are0 O. O2 u' B- {+ l& a3 I" J4 m 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 to9 d6 |4 _/ V; N% Y# P( z5 H/ r6 e "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make Z9 f" {- ], K T' Rmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was 8 y) a9 t5 ?/ J7 Za beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a, P# r' R) @9 Z0 u parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across" D# E" r9 u9 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 cultural3 v; M* y. R" E/ p7 _ importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for " R' K7 n# z, i, E: wdevelopment.

Hutongs 0 }7 G9 H' a6 g8 Y) ~! Z9 yin the old days were residential area where people actually lived ; x; c& g+ A0 y. k1 p6 p mthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions% P% Z" {8 M; R7 }" e in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not # M5 B" P! W8 X: ]' ]1 h; H( k' Uhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you; ~# D$ }8 h/ H6 R( q, f will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. 9 M6 j! U2 Q# ?" XFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date3 D% W1 Z4 V! z+ ~ to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used * I) S' B) C( f8 w: Ito hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses; \# o; b2 J9 N& C support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically @; u7 q( Z5 ]6 M" Y% V; qunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to - x0 B, L4 q5 o$ R2 t! nlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,9 E2 O5 a$ n2 ]% ~ hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the: ^* u; d" r/ e+ B; ?* @" X balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the : T& ?- j a' R6 |5 m2 f- Lproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be8 _. `/ R3 k0 N% ^1 l renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong5 q' q* M9 N$ I0 c Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how% d3 w$ N0 Y& ~: \- U people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be( s9 ], t. n6 ?/ c! K) i torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished6 S) x* R: a# C v/ ^ memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". ! u4 Z3 x0 S; O( n! qNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are: r2 y6 b6 n, i aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially ( Y4 Z: e Q3 [& xnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 1 s8 u* r# F6 L! fof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these 4 s- d, n9 ?$ I# u0 K+ G" i qHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those9 z- z$ n) d4 K0 k* \6 d people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 2 \* E) [ }; W, xmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some& Y9 L1 V/ R) ], T; F+ N8 z% ~8 ` of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before/ r1 t5 o& I) r4 d& P5 E) H "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 7 i% h, t; d- T2 f$ f# l. x/ hpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise! b* t# q0 y3 ] V" g apartments are the way to go? No. 4 r! e, ^& h3 r# t( K! C5 K' ] , U/ ~' m F+ m8 \ . |7 v: m* ?9 B4 P) }/ F

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the ' B5 x% S! c2 j* Usituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this . c" D! i7 H9 T'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make , S! {# C4 E4 ?# N/ m, F' jno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so- K% z1 ^/ B% Y1 _+ I fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 4 r, b0 j: i8 Y2 K* U. ]3 n- Vresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless% a3 V( Z1 _# I5 d Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is7 G! X2 q0 L! {' p/ e 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, 2026-1-31 06:42 , Processed in 0.114771 second(s), 17 queries .

道义 良知 责任 担当

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

返回顶部