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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 % i8 D- R, D, y, x" i' @9 R! x& U Jarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider! o L- ?$ t( x% ~# q" [3 m Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"0 ^/ \3 N( I. ?$ Z/ S6 f& W city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. ; T( }2 k& \. E/ c/ Q2 Y& xAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,+ F6 u2 [# q' r1 M. C 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of $ J, N) ?% k! [ A6 t3 _% zManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within. s$ c# q L: J: a" I5 q hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among 0 @0 [" @1 V! f/ Teach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera 4 c1 i) l" P. Sand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is" v2 r- e) Z" v harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are% z8 \3 @9 s _! |2 G6 c descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and # J0 C* _$ U9 z$ k9 iforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I3 O6 S; n1 _2 s0 X" d was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great- ~0 ~; s0 S- w& Q {4 @ impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,# |* U" H" F2 {$ n. K1 ` and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong ( A, s$ C/ L7 x0 Whas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment/ d! A. W5 U. m; q2 [4 q of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that # B4 z$ k9 I) u% yno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 8 N3 j( T/ \9 | G2 Y. ^only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 4 R$ y5 t4 c" N$ P3 n. X8 @" osort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government # i& l5 t4 Q! D9 Y0 \7 R S6 Mwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move , F( q. B( ?- K3 Yto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is k! H- f, T: ^' e" t' z "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,. p z9 t. v% L( b4 ] this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are4 u( G' h5 H1 p* a* I. 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 to4 V2 E7 \( l2 Q- Q F6 O' W4 h "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 7 G" u$ x3 a2 S. @9 [9 |3 O$ rmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was' v( ?4 n2 E9 ?4 ] a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a6 q9 ]. s. F- ]- n) ^* z( { parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across, l! w# ]+ {; ~( `% i. L 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 4 E( m/ A+ ]! o* c, F m* \5 }importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for6 ~" v8 D6 z: u5 f: s; s: m development.

Hutongs( E# a* c% V5 n" l; U/ Q$ k7 z in the old days were residential area where people actually lived5 v# G6 n, R5 n5 ]0 B there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions ' U1 M. R$ k2 Jin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not- Q% s* D( k/ h! E! d- c! C5 \ have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you. }, ~& |; N U9 H2 k will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. ( ]$ S% ~3 o, r3 k+ D: YFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date ; |9 Y* g0 b$ t6 ^, b. h. Y7 kto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used 7 c" } H% f/ m1 B- @) V/ x' P+ Uto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 8 k/ b) I1 e R' ?+ qsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically ! i- f; u& _7 W4 }6 i* J$ K% xunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to 7 }2 F& Q0 @; R5 U3 ylive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose," _0 H# w+ Z" C1 W' a hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the, t3 a5 N2 ]8 X balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the ( I7 {- E% Z/ r' I/ D0 Mproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be ' M( P& q5 }3 o: jrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong ; e+ G8 Y3 u! n& W+ w4 J! hMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how; U. D" ^0 Y, n ? people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be 5 E( \& p, N, E- V: Ftorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 5 h" c% W' J) K0 \' Z& qmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress"., V8 H+ _' E2 B* h5 F& c Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are" q- R( C8 ~$ ?! x aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially5 F' w8 l* B% p non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image" G P( j2 h/ d( C5 k% l# ^4 W of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these 1 V- g2 v# X( e' oHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those! e- f. L' ]# W; _ people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they+ f) }! w. T$ D+ F( m1 ^ may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some' n) {; r \; r/ ~0 Y of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before! `* b0 ^, t- f9 C "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 7 _4 [0 O( k& W- t. D( s M7 y3 ]people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise" D7 m! M# d5 D1 U apartments are the way to go? No. 0 Q+ I" Z0 D* R! { 7 G- P! o5 A9 a# ?' d0 W* P 7 M2 d5 @5 r9 m8 S4 U% Z- W

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the 7 P$ a1 Y d9 L% U/ Xsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this $ P& z1 v# A4 h& m. H- N* }/ T% e'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make6 g8 C! e, W; R+ E- Z* E( Q no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so / @* R- i# Y' I0 yfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant . G* C6 R+ ]" N7 Gresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 4 R1 Z( i' M, o- @Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is 1 W4 s+ v# W0 s7 Bunlikely 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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