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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 6 T6 H2 I% ~ o0 _7 N6 B5 S) ]architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider% y( R. K0 M) B+ h" u' ~ Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"' Z# C2 e% d" N; g city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. , J1 t2 s! z7 @+ K$ i3 AAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, 4 D* s# i; T3 E7 x3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of' g4 o. V' D) d& l6 U% V* N, H3 [ u Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within6 [ I+ j) @: \ hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among; B3 p- E3 H" R2 l4 ] each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera6 Q5 O N7 b: A0 r, z and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is4 X6 R4 q% K/ g( c" p; |! k harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are# b! ^5 O6 g0 O* m2 O+ H5 v! G descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and9 M0 P) J* k7 q; x forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I ~, @$ X$ | C) |" f was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great & s& L3 @- Z( t g0 r. wimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, - U- ~' C* q: ~0 W# k; Q! tand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong ' M; V& Y4 [# y5 x" ^& _7 A5 R$ H- `has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment 4 m" b) H( r8 L4 w$ Vof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that : V8 {- v6 O' h3 {no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are % H5 t6 r4 \% R @8 p9 Zonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a: s$ A2 A7 `5 _; |" [6 e- H sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government0 C$ x) w9 u; h want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move$ C4 ^: h" }' B% L2 S. H9 k to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is ; |( L9 d8 d8 r1 o$ o"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, ' k& C" H5 w% n L- Q; t) Q9 nthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are3 ~. ^: Y+ J6 {$ K! _. t( N# i9 x 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( f' j1 n! J: l, I& j. K. O "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make- t3 x& `! {% l money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was 7 G+ i) K/ ]! Da beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a" G9 D6 j9 b0 N- s+ J parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across/ Q0 U7 m. p! F% I" r1 G 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% _6 v% R- Z) Y2 k, i3 l0 @9 k5 f importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for, `) E d5 Z* X- X; D development.

Hutongs7 `4 J8 z) W& u: n4 j# {- q; Q in the old days were residential area where people actually lived4 @2 U" F; ^: i+ d there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions5 f7 x. g/ z& W, U! V/ @6 V3 X* r, W ^ in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not 9 u# @3 I( s5 {. s0 X: ]: Jhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you 4 x9 R6 D3 e0 [# d" b+ @5 w) Dwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. , g# d+ b$ S7 _6 D/ i( }+ c* Q3 VFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date . M3 }* b* ]2 `* m! D$ {3 Gto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used# w& J. O e% M to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses ! _) @; H9 K4 wsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 6 L2 F0 k0 `4 K3 v+ n6 t( Y$ Hunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to 9 x6 W6 C* d3 o- o' o' A' \live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,: W/ i- _: n7 |0 B+ [ hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the0 N: C6 a; z% c$ c6 @ balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the0 W* n6 n6 A. ]4 z4 f project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be+ e3 W- r" P* [2 X renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong . R0 d6 v& p/ B; b( B3 RMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how ( K' t9 |; G; J$ M1 M) Cpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be. }4 I' S% I7 a0 \ torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished ! g; p0 H' b1 t/ n9 Z7 kmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".4 R4 d3 D; ]" b' e( A Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are" P% E/ x. @$ |7 |7 R" D aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially " X K) f: e7 Knon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image' H: V. H2 {5 f! {, ^ of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these% v+ P, C% b; N2 T) b Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those ) a% b2 I1 m/ [. Epeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they / D) L$ A, [$ p, W8 a n4 Zmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some ' J$ E% n8 V( n9 H9 l! F: D, D* Iof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before: Y7 w2 W% R+ ~4 V% Q3 y" u# g "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all ! _8 b) U+ T9 j, ?; o; x/ ]1 npeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise& n8 Q% ?9 K7 s. I0 B1 L& Z apartments are the way to go? No. ' f C/ g* E2 w" D6 _: Y ( C8 G* a0 S% {# ] ! x& i% n, B" q; u+ B. U# b* ^

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the ) Z2 [, c7 N3 N& vsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this% l* V+ O N( i# R- K 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make: N+ e/ r% A- c7 o no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so" n: f+ V7 {- U* |' c4 |4 Y fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 2 K6 ~1 `( W6 M7 {9 nresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless & I3 T/ F! r W. f; e5 FBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is % t% A4 }; c5 |8 Lunlikely 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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