服务器里的北京 - 老北京网

 找回密码
 注册老北京网
查看: 6595|回复: 1

A Hutong Discussion

[复制链接]
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/ x1 d$ j; a) l architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider # V: l b, L8 e d A- J: IBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 0 N$ }# w& n, ~: X# k: zcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.: i' M( I; |' {% {$ D; h+ s According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, , A: g0 m* R: p5 A) Y7 @- U3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of! I/ g: j- N# [: Y Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within ; w- @3 Y. o' M- t3 K% Bhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among5 j8 ^6 C2 l: i h) M2 ]8 l each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera0 F0 e0 j3 R9 M- A and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is $ F7 M+ Y) N& nharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are5 @- j# Q' h3 ` descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and: l" @0 g& P' H- \2 I% \, Y# o forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I3 B8 N) ]$ V+ e6 I1 F was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great ( D+ @/ \' o! R) mimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, 4 r \0 @ y2 a6 t& i! Dand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong ) M: f0 r2 H; Y1 k& U) jhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment5 G% f% J/ r j+ ~ V. d of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that. q, {# q! g, W7 b! W no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are$ S! U3 [" T# s! w8 u only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 5 E5 a' i3 ]2 e$ Y; e+ tsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government" ?1 g& F, t4 R/ `3 v( ~+ X( Q want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move % i. F6 J9 t! d2 Pto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is5 R2 a' t" c/ e* l4 P6 N "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, * }& }* G' X6 V- ~( Jthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 4 a# u% G9 ]8 a* Vstill 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 to5 y9 ], j! P7 ?2 ?( N. Q "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 6 d/ W7 S' d( B/ \2 m7 [, \# cmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was0 }. l: j3 |8 K5 L a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a5 H S% K% e5 R; X/ y parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across s6 ~$ B" X' c# F' B3 K 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 cultural4 d9 x7 X# m+ C9 h importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 5 l6 s D+ w/ F% [0 Qdevelopment.

Hutongs Q0 |) W* ^/ J in the old days were residential area where people actually lived 7 ~* A" B; c# t- jthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions) t- P% \1 i' p: ?# E in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not, o' [) i: A, o; T have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you . C* H! Y" W: g0 w: kwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. 3 _/ D$ \* m8 Q1 ?0 i1 k6 NFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date9 r8 _1 q* w1 a$ m to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used 7 r: Q0 O d* |6 Qto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses ! \& q& b. r, r" tsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically! z& I, Y6 g2 v! z' z, k4 Z unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to# q, b) B) \8 N* N; [9 d live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, ' b6 \3 \/ B) L, ]2 [& zhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the' i: M7 s# U0 j1 C( K1 p5 D balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the* _% t& t* \/ [& t project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 3 i4 H2 z+ y7 m/ l( {renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong* R! G* S. R5 j- ]$ J Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 1 s0 c6 |9 ^' H& Ypeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be6 v1 o% l5 [& ^. e- n, X torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished' @" l$ v9 c! O* r memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". ; _ w3 z: F" a1 NNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are ) ]5 `& X* d' s9 [! @aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially) _5 H* M- V7 \4 ~! K: D9 @ non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image $ U! w2 T V9 \6 F4 Q+ ~of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these# r+ x5 |6 _ O" d8 [ Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those/ K5 a6 Q4 A6 w. S0 k" {8 I' L people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they, f4 n$ P% p2 }1 }; b& _ may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some - V& Z8 r4 T& i! O% i' o5 V8 O$ Nof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before! y: u2 S5 B3 L9 n" [ "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all ) p. V2 ~8 N9 `people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise0 p, K( q2 l9 ]' }/ f6 T# \ apartments are the way to go? No.: u/ Z( j. ^5 P }5 C" a% g; W9 J- P" k , ~' D0 F0 q2 L$ }2 v & ^& z, |) H& M# c

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the # O1 h! m$ h; {/ m5 usituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this . ?5 N6 \, ?% y( G" G% _'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 1 D; A* B! _2 A$ T$ U: Y$ d% Fno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so 9 H: {, h/ I, o3 X. c# O8 f/ ?$ ]$ hfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant+ ^0 w- P0 f9 ^% C; v resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 9 X6 O& u- |% S* ?( G' O2 pBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is* I1 g& X# v; n 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!!
您需要登录后才可以回帖 登录 | 注册老北京网

本版积分规则

2000.11.1,老北京网自创办之日起,已经运行了 | 老北京网

GMT+8, 2026-1-29 23:16 , Processed in 0.139807 second(s), 18 queries .

道义 良知 责任 担当

CopyRight © 2000-2022 oldbeijing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

返回顶部