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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, r. {2 h2 |2 xarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider + D p( x; S1 c; zBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"; T4 a( c3 Z) l1 W0 f! q& g city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.5 F3 E, H; Z# `6 N# }* Y According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,( E: c+ X8 p" K0 i 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of! Y; k* w- P2 x1 E, ~ Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 8 R6 M4 C; M' J0 Yhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among . |; v% Q8 M. `' G* T: f) Xeach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera$ s/ W* T0 ~9 p9 [ and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 9 s6 s; Q2 u5 f9 Tharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are+ m3 ^ [# g% A4 S8 D descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and * c& n, e: _( M% o% C$ gforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I& w3 H/ a- V+ U! z4 t! o& u was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great ! d0 @. J1 s, z* B8 _/ g, timpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, # Q" u2 Q: ]- g+ d% m2 [and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong. V8 P8 k$ F& s1 h$ D7 H# r1 _0 ] has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment 8 D# z, k, [7 P+ `, P) X. s. d$ M6 Y# Iof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that: z9 K; R8 B( l: H! r$ O no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are ' Z A, H4 k4 M e# p+ X/ S0 Lonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a % C2 J7 A0 |& ?& Bsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government # K0 E! L, l6 `( F- Y7 C: Q- M5 P: e1 \; ]want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move " w0 J; N$ `! Q3 O& G. v4 E0 zto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is3 n- j+ z" D7 Y7 o "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, I9 g# e( J( c/ E& d% Cthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are/ @* Y6 F6 T; \1 c 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* M' h* S$ k8 z" v9 t "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make8 m: e6 F0 g3 y: @( k7 K: G money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was 9 @4 T1 {: O' Y/ ya beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a ) d! A2 N0 V1 n( W# V" X7 k# W aparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across8 `; T( k) G7 d$ U: u1 s& U 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 4 ~ C& H: I; l! ?7 |importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for: M/ S5 F2 m4 ? \2 D3 X development.

Hutongs' S+ v1 Y8 J/ V: z in the old days were residential area where people actually lived7 b$ _. a4 ` A& K: I. L there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions& t6 c, Z4 z& e' f/ g8 r6 q; p in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not " D* k. y7 G$ L2 j0 zhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you4 l; e+ v+ d$ ~/ K will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.3 Y, P5 X, A2 t Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date 1 i' N; r4 O8 F' v y" Dto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used" u3 g v% e7 T to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses / S' \" q6 v! _5 ^* rsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically( G" B* i# a1 [, Y, w2 B unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to7 G& p: E) C7 o) z# Z live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 5 C. q; _# F. z( K7 Q4 u( Q' Ehutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the O! s2 z1 g0 _- l balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the1 X4 s* T5 x% c: \ project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be ' W/ P( K4 U: d, W7 u8 U( ?renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong, v7 _0 x" K: \$ D Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how3 D) a5 n; y4 X7 S0 x people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be) `, M, c1 T0 h+ P% y; f% } torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished $ n% i. o" G& Y( amemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". - W5 g( U' j/ @% yNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are% ~: V/ Y. s- g aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially 9 H2 h* V" K8 a) _, V/ y7 S) }non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image1 ?8 z% A. I" O: z7 g, \# C of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these 0 B9 @: w+ m) D( q4 kHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those+ s# s" O1 C7 Y( y' _1 d/ j people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they X+ g! K, V, w+ nmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some . O/ x$ n \) U" ^$ oof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before! t4 A3 R& O) q T7 A. S. P "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all# x1 j, G2 Z3 X3 x people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 9 Q3 j2 v! ~" P6 J- b f2 ^apartments are the way to go? No." n- R$ [+ b1 Q$ n2 _: x 1 u1 ?: z0 h" l+ u9 X7 ? : L X6 D8 T+ ]

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the h8 g4 O0 F$ q0 Q% psituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this 3 f1 F- S9 y& S5 y+ l+ M# g'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make1 d' n+ b; p3 l2 x& d8 d P O$ M6 Z no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so( A0 H" H+ z# r5 b* O! [* H fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant$ O/ L5 D* @$ q9 a. ^ l resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 7 G2 h9 Q" y/ q4 e3 E- hBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is& b% K, A3 g* K$ N5 D+ V$ \ 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!!
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