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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, U& \, l4 X% v) Z architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider5 v0 d' B Y6 ]5 `5 t Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"' o) ~0 B; M& @* U" y city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.7 r: x2 G; z. y6 |- m According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,9 A; R3 l4 e4 ^ j( J 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of( u# P! m2 {2 B3 a, w Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within - G" Q6 K) Y5 |; ?hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among : F0 v5 K7 h9 i6 a1 Peach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera" K0 L* B, q$ X- Y# q& k and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is. x9 K- u! [: z harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are& i$ `2 b( M) ^5 g4 ~. Z) j descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and' W8 N( P# G' H( k, R9 T forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 0 e3 o% ~" K" f v% Zwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great2 W1 U3 F4 E, f5 p impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,; ]& C, _; \# i8 V" ] and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong # @ [" V' Y1 Ghas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment6 k0 ^' T* u. Z! d of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that + | A4 M# b% q2 [* G6 _) ?no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are9 u$ x* C- v: C+ P9 V only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a & L+ A- J" H+ ?+ {sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government+ B- ^/ r+ ?6 D* F1 I want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move * s4 h2 E) k( @* c) @* nto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is - q- H1 T" x* r% M4 @* W5 o; L"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,3 j. C1 c7 ?" l; p. h6 K! M- R, ` this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are T9 S8 o+ b, s- wstill 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 to1 G, }" o9 ~" D' L- y "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make0 u4 S+ {; |; @- w3 T# ]6 J money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was ; j3 f! v" H: r& Va beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 8 m1 n; t9 _1 Xparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across # \; ]' c2 g* n+ r0 fthe 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' ^# b6 a% @3 N4 Z' v% l importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for ( ^& O0 M/ E1 C8 ]" \& `! ydevelopment.

Hutongs / l5 ` L" F( D* s) ^# P2 q. K+ B d- yin the old days were residential area where people actually lived- {6 V% i2 K% ?" o- k' M& W2 ]: o0 G there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions& v$ M( j- q/ D* L( X: n+ J in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not % W* M7 \( J+ _ U9 k4 D7 t Whave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you 0 g9 c! e7 v$ u* ~" Y8 z+ P( `7 Iwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.* a% p f8 \; p( ~$ }( @. R Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date 8 K, i' G; M$ y- ^5 ]* pto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used7 R& j) |" b/ Z: _, Y, e9 o to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses : u, l0 v' R4 z( [" o9 g# |2 [support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically; }: R( R! P$ X% ? unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to % J) B$ [5 C b% M. `: m Olive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,! A. g5 i0 l( ] k hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 5 A7 [* |$ r5 Z; kbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the ( b* C2 {: X! I( C0 y1 m/ Z# Wproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be: c) l9 Q- V8 j. a4 {' W X2 [ renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong+ K( E% W' q) D, z2 P, @ Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how" O1 `/ L8 g3 X1 r2 B people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be/ O9 i4 y' ~/ T1 s torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished9 W3 u; v" ^' d5 V7 k+ D* K l memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".- \1 z% Z4 P: r8 q4 Y R) S Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 1 Q; k k( H; n6 Oaligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially" T+ p# A P! @9 E1 a non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image * H* }7 ?3 n6 u' ?7 Rof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these9 M. L6 w! z! D6 C% v; V Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 4 u" j7 Z [% H! ? M6 \people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they( B$ v1 d! M* J3 a; p( C may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some" X; p( G' Y M# T7 ]% O0 W! y of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 8 R0 o8 F5 ~$ R" P"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all% p! ~) R" p0 t G2 W/ y people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise " G4 i) d- I- u9 Dapartments are the way to go? No. * v5 |$ J S- F 0 O, k5 V/ h% N3 M0 N- Z8 e $ F. f. ?0 {: _

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the / u. K% B0 a' h& h$ l; wsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this $ y9 W! C. i0 C$ p9 B! N'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make Z' q* w" ?1 f& i$ p d9 u9 c1 r7 O x no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so 5 E$ B; N" H) l* d- S9 D) ~fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant1 d8 v4 [; @# L' ^$ h1 I resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless' c4 y& g4 \( g7 q) p Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is ' x# w( f7 o' C; M. X. r, {6 _1 Nunlikely 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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