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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, its9 a1 S$ C% T4 ?8 @+ \9 p. X
architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider
* q/ `7 d& K0 wBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"' t6 V# m3 ?0 L; b# e' \, q( D+ c
city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.
( b( }6 T8 q; q; k U$ HAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,
7 `. _4 ]" ~! e7 c& w! D6 B3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of1 w0 ^4 W4 N4 ]/ }
Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.
Within
! O2 F3 D5 Y9 }) Ahutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among
1 j, a- F- Q1 S I( S3 Xeach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera
S6 T2 i+ }8 \1 m3 Dand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is
5 F7 X) x! ^/ ?9 M9 mharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are9 \$ d- T! B5 g
descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and
3 Z9 t/ q; i: ~ |9 M, Y" oforms of culture emerged in hutong.
I
9 G/ i7 x0 r$ `% X. P. G+ N4 Q% x% Rwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great0 H* \) c) X' E0 t
impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,
* Y* y3 N# S6 v' F2 Cand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong5 N: L$ p% a6 }
has a history of more than 400 years!
Since 1999, the demolishment
$ j8 ~$ m* R4 |4 wof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that+ U8 `( D9 h' M, z0 z" T' M
no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are1 ]; I: U- o& P3 x
only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a6 }- w" \0 f9 J5 f' x" |
sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government
+ p. X3 s, _5 `% O2 bwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move
! [6 G8 R4 i: v+ D4 B+ X7 oto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is
5 B- \6 X4 G. [ Q& ?0 ["modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,4 G5 i R9 L: c; w& d9 N, \
this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are
2 a- J; J3 a; {3 R2 kstill 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& S3 p# L& N3 d8 Q- T; Y
"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make
* O& `$ g d( E; {/ K9 ]# `5 emoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was* a, O3 F" H5 z0 e
a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a; z! X* K3 ?4 n( k: q7 w8 j% Q `
parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across
- i& j. H4 O+ |( kthe 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 T% n1 ^& p' F b1 r U8 T6 i9 ?7 n
importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for5 X1 K) ~, \; A
development.
Hutongs
7 g. u) C4 w" r! c( _ r5 vin the old days were residential area where people actually lived
& T' h* c8 d1 }# lthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions6 q) T9 d/ V0 G6 C6 ~, ~
in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not
# X V5 I0 j5 p+ b4 a! Ahave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you' n, V8 {- H. D- ~' k' {
will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.
4 y. w4 g8 _9 h4 @# Y/ c8 |Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date
$ n, Q! _8 f5 b, Oto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used9 p" l4 o+ p* ?
to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses8 E2 V# R* @. Z: U1 ?$ X
support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically& n: G6 ]. z( g) t& ]1 C: E& G! B
unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to4 o4 ^" p6 \3 s$ r
live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,
; x$ H" G4 I/ z( w$ Yhutong is only a tourist attraction.
The best way to find the8 I* Q' N) |4 X8 d
balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the
+ P9 S/ T g6 Z1 ?project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be/ m0 V; J; D4 D9 g6 ?/ d
renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong/ ]; s3 A7 u- G, {0 x5 o
Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how; I" t* l7 Q5 g( D; H: ?
people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be2 v/ N* ~/ X: C5 |0 k/ q6 y
torn down or transformed into something else.
TwinkieDP:
I'm sorry that your cherished
/ p/ }: ]1 ~ _: X( ^memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".
( G! c3 w5 O0 V6 v- `9 _Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are3 X4 ~! b# L2 x/ @) K, S
aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially
- _2 }9 |" R! X, s8 Y" T: fnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image1 E. w% [* v; B) u" w
of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these* v# Q7 L. X* G- V2 U
Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those8 i/ ]1 b' r6 C- p# Z. z( u
people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they! t [ l' w; l& B3 y& Z S
may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some0 T8 H1 d7 ^2 G( c
of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before
+ c6 u9 Z& x- ?& L"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all
. Q. t; u" t; u* A y8 m9 q0 ^5 ppeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise
( R) k6 F& P" ]$ Tapartments are the way to go? No., g1 @5 f# A) b% k. l; \
* o* I4 l# s5 Q# G, O) j; W; a% r
- X: Q$ K* R* C A, Z
Howard Fu:
I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs. But the. t, B3 @2 j; Z, M9 S' P( g
situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this: t0 H3 y L- F
'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make
; ^6 e+ S9 ?" B4 Vno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so! U5 B" |5 u7 X( V
fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant; w0 H6 ]" b, D9 y. a. b5 t8 d
resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless# v3 g) O; L! p: h: _& @' P8 p
Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is6 J5 A$ B4 a4 Y! Q( H+ S
unlikely to happen too. Sad!
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