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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, its4 D0 t$ R B8 u% V% P. H
architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider
9 j5 Z2 {3 Z1 t/ k9 W+ LBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"- o4 z" `- z* q% B
city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.* d; O- Q; h( W2 m) l q: n% Q
According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,( ?: m Q0 m1 b2 O) p' W' Z. K
3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of* K$ O1 i1 v1 ] h
Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.
Within
5 @2 ~: B* g D: ~8 t" {7 Vhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among- R9 a# p- ^% P3 q0 B% \
each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera
6 R" X# [) |1 W6 g' x5 d1 jand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is3 ~8 H1 j$ N5 f. c+ T9 m {5 O0 \
harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are: L; }, @% N: B) m/ u1 w$ V ?
descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and' ]. u; P3 H9 s7 @: S9 p+ F; t9 O
forms of culture emerged in hutong.
I
% Q$ r, A. S* g+ W) j: Lwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great
0 ?, l: j9 M0 s$ z0 ?2 w2 Limpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,
4 l5 D U, ^' |, M1 s9 T# Jand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong. x; F5 }( w& N8 W2 W
has a history of more than 400 years!
Since 1999, the demolishment. q( i8 g+ S# r/ ?# O# d
of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that& Z' N! |$ | m6 Y9 T+ u& B
no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are
% q7 y7 Z5 s% A" v) [/ w- uonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a
. M$ {- ^2 M ?8 {8 Lsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government
* C: v2 v& C8 M. c4 `8 ~$ cwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move
& [4 b& W2 t- F* n6 O8 tto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is& |: _6 W i; l" v
"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,2 [% R$ y6 ?& n7 E. k- m/ q
this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are+ X8 d7 _( s8 ?# d. Z! f& [8 J2 }
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
# K0 e- A( g; H& N"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make
, O; s0 K' k2 _8 S5 V6 Xmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was
) R4 p, R% z6 |% xa beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a
2 e2 `6 e5 z0 U$ e' }; s, tparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across9 p S5 P4 X1 ]8 L1 \$ d( c4 e& v1 d1 h
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
! B2 c6 X, H5 `$ V, o* m# O' Jimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for+ Z% Z0 D% Z: g# ^5 d
development.
Hutongs
. Z: u" Z9 m6 i N) \in the old days were residential area where people actually lived
4 z/ N/ i5 j" H7 o3 s0 zthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions- e2 N- Y/ y+ p
in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not
9 v7 {# P- k7 N8 M) y/ W( {. xhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you( [3 D0 [( a- c3 _ e; b) e! _7 l1 l
will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.
, O% a0 v# {. G8 Z/ a- lFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date
e* A/ }+ R' @6 [to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used
# N6 m/ {2 S' @to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses& x3 L6 E: m& n* x4 D
support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically
0 f# ~ R3 Y# d3 M' e. _unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to
4 f- m: f1 B) F9 [( n8 hlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, R6 k! v2 n- e( ?& Q
hutong is only a tourist attraction.
The best way to find the' C# }% _; [9 R0 `. {3 K
balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the
/ z% c6 C0 U+ p# W& B) rproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be
# _+ y! X- H: d2 C D3 b! brenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong
, w" {- D3 c( R% {( O+ [Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how
" m- ?. e, x4 m8 n# wpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be
8 \* } ^) f/ w) M9 a' Itorn down or transformed into something else.
TwinkieDP:
I'm sorry that your cherished) `$ e0 D4 b) ?6 }* A
memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".5 ?# B g# z/ V5 ^- H
Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are. ~/ A# N5 z4 I I0 ]7 X
aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially
1 e& h# T1 @/ t8 onon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image
5 E0 d0 p; l, Y- ?7 [& g( V" Uof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these
4 f$ m3 F1 d% {! HHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those# x+ U; F6 a5 W, G2 ^5 T
people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they
4 c0 W( M( a( J2 j( Q0 Nmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some$ e0 p: E$ P) N9 v' R8 M) P0 X
of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before
* P1 w8 Y( l) S5 W"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all. Z- w# J* o+ e/ O
people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise u) U8 `& P8 j+ G, u1 T; H
apartments are the way to go? No.4 X) _$ e+ d+ n
+ {5 Z) k( b: h* u
0 @! d; ^% c% M" p
Howard Fu:
I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs. But the, O6 w- ~8 D X; _& r% n- L
situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this* j; u; u0 A2 H2 X1 r& \, r
'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make" ?. d2 G1 U: @& t
no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so
! @- H* t8 j# {4 N B+ ]fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant
. B& c+ Z( G3 k6 y3 j$ Lresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless
- ?" t1 H4 F* N0 f& O2 V0 eBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is5 I. ~" ^2 @1 ?# G
unlikely to happen too. Sad!
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