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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. w4 {& s$ l& h% c4 e. L$ v. D. A architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider : y' q! _8 C0 H1 {& jBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"5 H% S1 h, J9 Y4 Y! [/ _( v, a city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture., S7 E2 }6 O4 S: m According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,6 M, J! d1 w8 }+ E( j 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of9 R& G3 B n* d! Y) D5 Q Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within! r6 D7 f! K" Q8 N hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among & C& C o- F$ J* u' ueach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera" E7 R, P, r) }5 E! W, S and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is# A8 s2 M9 t0 t# x% [5 u8 C3 _ harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are # s, e! h( |! U6 ]5 ddescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and/ ]; g3 J8 v) s! P6 P" S0 w forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I6 F; J" _. K3 Z3 k+ @+ m1 l was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great 6 R; I R. I/ c( cimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,/ `! ]% f. d) f and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong ( K' h1 b6 t% r2 Q2 Mhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment 7 m# n# s2 l( P9 A: A/ d7 ]: lof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that/ P2 R, Y" l+ L5 F/ `0 u no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 6 b) o$ z+ [: T+ k% _1 B6 B! donly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 6 A0 d1 ~4 z& n, O) ^sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government4 N" }5 P" B& d! u' m$ w$ F want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move- |7 A0 \! U' s% N to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is, w/ t: ]6 T# }. E. z "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, ) s, ~' k- `8 Othis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 3 }' J: X. V5 H# ostill 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 , J8 A9 b& @: e# x' c, O, K/ e"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 3 o2 h1 `' K! N! @money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was 6 v/ b. Z+ v, {- ^a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a g0 `' X" D% Q' F$ l parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across3 X. q6 j0 @8 ]+ P" j% c 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 % J! W) ~7 n6 W- b& N" w( Ximportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 0 H5 E1 A/ ?3 w) _% {8 E& T$ {development.

Hutongs1 d" Z5 d3 U( [/ W+ c. s in the old days were residential area where people actually lived # s/ B" ~5 X+ }there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions! d2 G' E' \2 S/ @: H in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not / ]% f% b7 T1 @, y: o7 ?4 E2 d5 Zhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you8 M6 n; L" m$ N9 |) D5 r! Y+ P will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. & z1 k6 l \% L6 ?: VFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date ' {! {0 j0 d: B6 ]. w& ~to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used9 {, a8 `3 E/ @- E Y, z to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses$ H- {( i: D3 w4 B; j- ^% B support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically # j2 s9 m3 W5 |& J1 K/ N; punfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to # R; c, U+ Y0 {- `5 k1 Wlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, / W2 m: q+ v7 ~& s/ p. F- @0 Chutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the + `6 z5 X& Y1 B# u5 [- Cbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the & ?5 b& Z( l6 g/ Eproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be8 J/ }% Y* X% M% S. ~ renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong- a6 m) a, B* K& r) a% N Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how n) ]6 m$ }$ [( Z0 bpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be0 k& v* u- P1 l2 r torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished ( s3 \4 Q, i$ Z: wmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".- e" ~% w% G9 I! d7 k3 m- z Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are ! U6 h( P' V5 H7 @: S7 Waligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially; ]0 K C' P$ G6 @ non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image ) g2 B, {% h7 f3 N- _$ V7 jof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these- _) `7 i7 e& o9 v7 [7 [+ a2 X1 c8 } Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those$ H8 T, D6 T& W7 |7 t9 r" [ people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 0 h2 E9 C( X' c; p% l( Jmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some4 T, E+ u5 M0 c% o0 W3 z+ c of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before/ k h$ q# u4 a "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 3 {5 ?( Q+ S S3 X, W/ G8 mpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 0 Y& f( @+ J- x! {! w Gapartments are the way to go? No.8 x! ?% j; K6 B1 i: A9 r $ [6 y0 J! C3 \' L: W ) [+ B3 [: V+ W, X R3 a

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the; f5 t% y' s" c' Q i( Q8 d situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this) a2 `9 U* o) F d& ~) M 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make$ M& b0 h; n9 i. u5 y" ]" k no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so5 i- G% j) w7 q fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant' f- X V! Q' _5 Q8 C2 n6 @( o resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless/ A' w9 O1 @6 }, H0 E4 p Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is( c3 Y& D2 a) S6 j. Z 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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