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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, its4 g* M5 r0 u. w. v; p4 ~ architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider' K7 @% {& ~- ~& a' X Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" ' F9 Y% b M5 z/ @9 ?city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. 1 B6 c- ]3 l4 SAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,3 \! K, \6 E/ x3 b$ c 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of* ?& Q/ T& h# \6 T. D: r Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within / K, l1 Z4 w- @9 H1 H& f; D# S3 _3 zhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among% g% Y8 X$ a7 A3 V2 y' v5 r each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera- j4 Y6 q' w7 L+ i7 P and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is7 U) }! F, v# M( W' E1 V# q+ m |2 [ harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are 3 N- a9 @& h6 V. P: Vdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and 1 e7 M0 a; ?8 f: Q7 ?( r$ e: mforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I& J7 S. f; |5 h4 Q: x5 X was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great 2 ]$ Z' k7 X+ x/ Q2 W& iimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,/ p2 z( ^7 G. w8 v0 t- m and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong ' O* D7 l a" Ohas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment / B* a! E4 k5 f: Iof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that 9 ^8 y9 z8 Y4 [2 |1 Uno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 6 B" ?, v, ~8 e7 ^2 M: [8 A, @only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 9 y# F2 n6 G% M! ?3 d4 Isort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government. B) H1 N5 H) R1 Y+ H2 I6 a( X want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move6 _$ h# z7 ^+ M# g& i2 B to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is$ }2 R7 B, E3 p2 Z "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,8 i+ r" x+ c" }, b this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 8 i; _$ {5 K; g O: ?) }; ~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, b- L( o6 _( G$ q: I5 N4 r "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make ; j2 C$ A' L' }8 K3 Hmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was6 t& Z& F/ z7 D5 r& ?" [4 ~ a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a# X) w0 U" [* b! h4 [; L parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across& f9 v) L+ r/ Y- V6 D% E 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; G) a @! e5 y1 k7 x% } importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for ) E1 K. W4 P" e5 F- a* s$ hdevelopment.

Hutongs 0 a+ q7 T+ H0 X, f" ^+ Min the old days were residential area where people actually lived 0 M4 q, O) K5 x5 D+ nthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions3 U, t) l) V* X in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not8 e4 b) K |$ y. X9 b/ ~ have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you " r* w, B# p# r" r) cwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. - g( s' o- z, ]2 |8 K# C# M; NFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date# G6 t5 b' [- b0 e to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used5 {" u4 c2 c3 F9 p/ U3 |! p to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses/ T5 o* L/ @* F. F/ {" e0 P support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 7 Y6 P& [1 m% }7 O% vunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to # f6 K$ @" T% w+ i4 |live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,6 D/ G& ^ V4 a) H+ y1 Y& _5 h hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the7 }# Q3 ?: l H" } balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the % `7 j, a4 z! G( Pproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 8 g8 a( C; g! r$ G# T8 U2 brenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong6 Q. W: `: D) \! K6 N Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how - t3 G U7 t! s3 p! ppeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be1 Y0 g4 }3 c. M' M+ }& g torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished8 s) d+ h( Z) v" P0 i" ` memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". 2 ?' D/ ]5 B: K% P5 xNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are1 I! Z ^5 z, Y aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially ' D0 r9 o( T3 R7 O# Snon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image, @0 v( k7 P" A of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these : p4 M9 N/ W% Y/ SHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 9 v: y# `3 o, Upeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they5 {' m2 }0 L/ x8 Z. P. f& E may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some : ]9 O! Q0 Y' v2 U( `of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before$ X, R* L& Z8 ] "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all x% M, r: S g6 P2 `) t7 Dpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise: t F! \9 U: \) }% h! i4 z apartments are the way to go? No. 3 w0 ~ z, S* n ; b7 L- }8 M, ?7 n- a* N " t6 I' e/ R4 ~ _, [: z/ q4 {

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the5 x# o# j- O- E situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this + `/ d8 U6 x$ d7 Y% O0 J4 Y'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make / y J2 R1 y6 `, r6 _+ Z# p7 cno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so+ m. b' w0 H2 r g" w5 K, ?! h fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant( W. Q3 E4 q6 P& T+ R0 G resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless & E: V1 [! g6 yBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is : I( q) [5 x; M/ u: Q. e/ G8 runlikely 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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