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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! W+ S, |& B9 q architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider 3 G/ T0 E( ?* F' M/ r; f5 D xBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 3 k, @: {, r1 B, Z: W7 Fcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. E: ?3 ?: r+ s9 W" W According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,5 h; S8 z3 ]4 {* D 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of ! w' ^ x: U$ \Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within, V0 |8 A: S9 k) a1 G+ W. G hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among/ z0 a/ H5 ~4 W& L4 J9 n5 g3 d, Z each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera0 [2 k, m- C r" k3 A- B and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is8 F& [: u8 Y% h/ W/ O: o7 O; D harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are % \, `& n9 U& V3 M9 i' X$ Gdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and$ D! k. f& P% s$ { forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I. Q9 A! X2 t. j% ~ was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great( p1 f- t2 {: y3 \* D$ z impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, 0 d7 k* Y; a1 l0 P4 kand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong / Y+ F: \( J8 w) W, f- hhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment * V |. T1 z1 g2 w4 c. R" ]$ Pof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that ! h9 s+ a" \6 u# }' qno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are - F1 F* y L9 Z# }only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a, j) J6 T3 W |' t; J" T( c sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government1 ?2 y# r& O% J! S1 v1 _ want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move; p3 Y) P1 _) A7 e9 k: b to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is/ F, X6 A2 `+ Q8 N1 t! g; | "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,7 s/ B/ U* K0 A. d this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are, W2 g; z l" P3 y; _7 T+ _ 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 * q0 W, c5 ?, p8 m' I! Q"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 1 W1 W4 m' U& _1 B& {money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was8 b+ ]8 _; h4 W a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 5 e4 q* @, k, W" k! Xparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across0 @5 Y6 E" C+ Y* |: B; N 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 cultural5 E Y8 A _; ?4 B importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for: B' C( _( M. Y; [* q development.

Hutongs! M2 ?! N3 T' ]) l& ]- K in the old days were residential area where people actually lived! B1 y1 s8 A9 ?" j there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions # N6 y, l" l) pin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not8 M `1 g% `' A$ z ^ y have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you& R- N5 [9 _) q4 [+ H$ x( U will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. 2 v4 x; E2 m5 B% W5 y; C+ o& mFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date * J- A; _ W$ f4 `* [9 X( B0 }to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used; Y+ F9 w3 |4 K to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses& K, o/ s9 q( k9 ` support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically5 o* C: K2 P! v4 V8 [' n+ A* b& i! v unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to ' j& H7 N2 b0 L1 n7 ulive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, , ]+ {" A* d% O( J ihutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the6 w/ Q) }) {5 F b% ^5 p balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the ' Z. h' j- ]# B6 o, D2 Qproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 3 i% x: W* l8 L s( V8 ?) Qrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong # E E7 n, ^1 N- l( z v5 OMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how . w0 [$ }1 ]% ^0 @8 x0 U/ H3 Zpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be % T5 @ V: E; T' J! }6 ^ ~torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished1 Q$ {2 f* E" c! z/ M3 ~$ Y$ s memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".! T# W% H4 R/ [1 K7 L Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are. O) W' f5 ]% f# A aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially U- `5 q3 |( o$ v/ ^6 O non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image. c0 r e' K6 k, T of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these( t, G/ M5 z$ L Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those ( _$ Y1 A* \. ~5 rpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they % Q2 b5 L6 o% Q2 xmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some 5 l& [/ M& J- W4 jof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before; J4 p. _7 v7 q5 I "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all % `" L# g9 X4 d) [$ qpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise+ f, u2 @( k0 E# c. p: W apartments are the way to go? No.& F/ {5 [4 B! X% D# C- C , M* ~& X0 j" H 3 \) m, V- ~% x

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the9 y( L0 \4 g5 ~2 m& A situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this 8 R+ j1 a( _. Q+ ]'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make$ ^7 g/ l* |2 m. J8 u) ^ no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so; P q: |' n& U# m7 i fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant! `) f& R8 \9 F# C' L resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless9 N: q7 T* b& F: e4 { Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is ; m! | o* c( H# v9 A* E8 C4 ]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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