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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( b% ?" \* B/ d# h# V4 I B! I: i architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider$ z. ?9 |) O' G m8 y6 W Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"' H" x t+ s+ } city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture., G" V+ P* Y- Q% L' \; ?& R% v According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, i b( E! }6 [0 u 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of! e+ i" _5 [! i9 x7 I% F& o7 \ Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 7 ] t! U6 {! R$ z' P+ Vhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among * r+ q. y. G. s$ aeach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera. E2 X$ v: J" M! y$ _ and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is " W6 A9 k7 n6 b6 y- Rharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are ! C0 o; l v' o7 h4 R* _descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and % k- W7 |9 r5 ~- C- m5 iforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 6 t) _- u$ T, Q1 Vwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great. T2 A6 d6 _! ?% h impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, . ?7 G* j+ G8 N2 Zand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong 7 V. W) \( i- q, }. i1 Lhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment2 U0 Z5 N5 Z/ F of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that * F5 D- D) o, W* |/ |0 Ano hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 0 E L5 K' z4 W7 nonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a. M2 s4 p* U+ C4 Z sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government7 u; L5 Y/ E6 T want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move ' h. f* `& s/ f( [0 [; |to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is) ^" y/ ^8 f& W6 H. B5 Y "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,8 b* B; z; f5 I* d- }) I this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are D* V% {% w# ^ ]0 T+ m V/ Mstill 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. u2 P( b5 y) o: e& y0 T; q "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make # n7 a' z) t! h. {money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was 2 g. Q) {" e9 g1 K: G) }+ aa beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 5 {) w+ M' `5 J# j8 e2 B. {- H8 a0 w9 Uparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across ; B3 j1 E, l. X! L8 f2 F1 cthe 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 Y: j) A, K9 f$ c& B importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for" ~0 h- A. I& L _/ i8 _5 ? development.

Hutongs! |* _/ C2 a' S9 F9 M. a' C/ d in the old days were residential area where people actually lived ; X# `$ C& l' }" \; Sthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions0 H& I; P/ I, I h1 z: h" o in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not' r: ~5 T8 C) X% ^ have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you+ Y! B- o# {3 z4 w0 x/ D will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.' d3 {, x2 d, }6 H8 j$ W- k Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date0 p- h9 u% }( z$ x& O! H+ V to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used / B; q* S3 y: @0 b# y2 O4 x: Eto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses " \+ ~# x, f( M! @support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically & j( j; n( k& z# ounfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to + |: n% D; p$ Y' ^live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 3 l( ?0 [/ p. Jhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the# y. _8 m' e! Y+ L( q balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the: t U7 I& q( i2 G9 P& p+ B project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be: ~* o4 e c P2 y1 ~* N renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong ' @' ]' U' s6 o0 W# e1 UMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how& J8 M1 t2 q ]% N: p8 ] people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be 0 v( Z% _' i4 V) v1 _torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 6 P: f+ t2 f5 L1 U; tmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".( d! `; e. [ n3 A Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are4 u/ F R4 A) U) ~, @ aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially2 b% ~# c- e3 C3 p+ o5 P, [ non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image ) A+ W0 G0 c1 ^2 m( w, k, }6 Rof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these! |5 P. {! _5 s$ k$ z2 {- c Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 8 w; h7 R, P( d* R) {+ V, Jpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they9 F2 r4 ^+ |! i0 x may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some / W$ T8 J" B3 m: m) H! n3 [4 t$ k0 o1 sof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before g& O6 T1 h. C( x"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all . z v' C+ v1 E- Fpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise; G( K: u" ~( }3 f4 X' Z9 @9 F apartments are the way to go? No. * j; T8 l: o4 M8 |: j2 p" n7 ?& z & ~, {/ y ~$ K! i4 i: b & i7 b5 E8 t0 ?5 F4 e

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the - Q9 \, q. h$ h5 y/ p! A7 i3 nsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this/ `% Q2 C1 [8 c a. c, h1 m 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make( f0 s* H- f3 P& u9 r4 [ no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so# ?7 R( c: I: F/ F$ i fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant, A/ Y }+ B; {. `* |& M resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless) n) J+ c% O2 S W6 Z% B- }! ^ Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is 8 Z/ I7 V% Q% M& Hunlikely 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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