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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 o7 O& d: v' y: Varchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider6 E1 d9 X1 e1 h; [1 B$ ` Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" / L/ k) W9 M3 k1 L' E+ {+ ~city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.5 ~' ]& w* q3 g q According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, , ]" Z! }4 ?- x8 w3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of + V% T: I% y5 e7 D+ F) zManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within: t3 _* N6 X/ C/ {+ W4 ? hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among% v2 H9 s( @% e5 o9 j' O each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera ) _2 o4 x. c" N6 t* b4 |1 a+ Yand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is* p0 _9 N R4 v: Z: L# I harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are 0 V& f% w- I/ s4 c' Z/ Z* P7 ydescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and + Q i" ^ n9 ^% z- B6 jforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I$ J; _& U0 @6 [( _6 Y was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great2 S" B4 ~$ F) f impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,+ x" G- q9 h) }$ {! E and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong0 L& J" h5 f, H2 G has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment" |2 P* a3 S; l of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that. F9 |/ t- C- }; A% ]3 o) A no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are & w8 ^( Z8 u0 b1 P, p9 Fonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a0 C9 ^( N' N: o; Q' @3 Z" u sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government. j% y2 D" i; g, s( C7 x& g want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 8 c& Y5 K* d- b2 R- |/ zto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is3 ?- D! }4 s% J2 J; z "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,) E& J0 g5 k# a- h$ [ this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are ) R% H8 o# v9 y8 T4 Y$ P$ }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 2 m9 K; K5 E" j"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 7 ]* L c$ H8 _3 v0 D* J# U8 ~3 b" [money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was * q# \$ `" h8 G$ ]8 Ja beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a# v9 w9 n: J7 b0 t4 c/ m parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 4 f, j0 j+ F& [1 @+ g* Nthe 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% l( h' _; V& J2 h4 P' y1 k) V" } importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for( t: \, ^& I C2 O x3 A development.

Hutongs : y1 P5 Z3 A7 E7 X$ U1 P4 `+ n8 Tin the old days were residential area where people actually lived ! m. X% p0 x- x) h# l# ?+ D) xthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions . U& f( U3 B$ U8 R0 hin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not% c, v4 Q% t4 M+ m have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you! ?) q5 f/ f3 o3 s. Y2 R7 R- f will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. 6 u! @' \) {0 z) J1 p+ t9 oFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date9 L/ _1 \! ~: ~ E3 H" }8 t to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used3 s+ T) G: a# G* }6 ?3 P to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses+ e; |0 ?" ], j% f7 G8 a/ a3 q support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically : [ J- \1 I1 ]unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to7 ~, n! k4 K# v% t3 @" z% n2 w, `* g live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,0 ]8 u/ X ^1 Q' O; b: Q Y hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the ! X" C% a9 O( |7 q* I9 l6 Q+ dbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the ) d% c. q0 r" E: nproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be ! ?) {" X& D' z7 o6 J- I9 e& vrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong9 r; s! m5 A0 `, J1 z6 a m Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how & G8 r% {2 u2 ?5 `2 j: ]people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be3 T* b1 k' o. p/ \/ G; f0 l torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished( P- M; y# Y2 H memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". - y+ S( n' Q) ]# fNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are' q7 B# S7 m' Q+ _( E1 V( i. p aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially' F6 g ^( Q9 k1 F0 e3 d: W2 P non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image / ~, M% V( ^# v) u( p6 Yof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these; o; E/ ~- A, C5 b Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those# Y, l! ?: S+ ^ people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they + ?6 U# B, i- {( {$ vmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some; a; w' x0 `+ J/ U# M# { of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 4 \/ a- A" M/ W"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all j; {# x& S! ]5 r people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise5 G: }1 z8 Y) x- x& l% ] apartments are the way to go? No. $ Q9 \1 ^, f% x4 q& p7 d0 X d 4 f5 q# S3 h* O+ ? 6 N) ?0 j! x# }' M5 Q2 d

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the8 u% l; m) J* O* q1 p0 W2 q9 k situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this6 {" P6 R$ m4 _6 a, l! {6 i 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make# @: Y, u$ m) l: P/ k no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so / F- v% a) C: P; W5 bfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant D% a: Q! y: Y3 e% xresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless; g4 H: }6 A5 Z1 M, U' `$ U Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is S; m; N* y# Y! n/ o+ ^ 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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