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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 9 y" o9 h. w# R4 ]- oarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider6 B- w/ D1 g2 _- o# g/ f Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" ( t* z3 X7 V& q# G3 P: m. Fcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.: X. Z: p; m0 D4 w According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, ) l4 r( v% L- y) E$ k) m3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 8 `6 I5 a) }0 D# B, {Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 5 m/ Y, t9 Q5 {/ e7 a+ Vhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among& F2 _/ ]* V" [# C each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera ! I! S: L$ s# W3 r/ _& e1 Iand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is9 F- M3 {, Y2 s9 Q harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are# y5 N1 j9 @: ~ descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and3 G% x3 G8 q& W, T e forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I % c; }2 {9 V+ o4 \" m* bwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great ; _4 k- }" U, B9 F5 n* y/ uimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,4 Z9 \/ z& |# @$ _) {) _- U; U' _ and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong * v" I' e6 q2 }has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment * f) S) @# _% ]+ G7 Zof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that 6 @& E5 r6 [) qno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are + v. A4 z' d' J0 O- n, tonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a5 v$ j* ^* [( C! _4 L" A sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government6 B9 M* a4 R' e0 \1 A0 S want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move4 F/ V, Y* f6 P# | to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is * T' f0 K% O" l' _' ?, p( Q"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 6 ~% R- m. N; y7 ~) _ Othis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are : A9 F7 R# Y" _: S( nstill 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" o, x# H" R% o "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make $ z$ Q7 p; L; N$ l8 {& Wmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was $ j6 ~ K: o" |: X1 e5 o2 Ta beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a : |( X5 Y, v6 J9 r$ w& cparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 2 ~2 l2 z3 j6 V5 d0 G( ?! pthe 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 & z6 N- O9 P8 g: X. O7 timportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for ; ]4 P; e* ^8 w7 R0 F$ hdevelopment.

Hutongs8 H, Z J% ?# W' ^ in the old days were residential area where people actually lived8 L9 ?6 ?. O2 Q; k% Q there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions) P T. w# J0 S+ n! w& ] in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not - F$ F' a! O7 I' \7 z# Xhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you& f# T( g8 g6 X, N! ? will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. " L0 L3 B0 |% e; B) n0 A1 dFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date % |: N+ k4 m* Q8 a" l# |$ vto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used5 l' }8 B( a: M3 |; Z0 J9 t4 r to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 3 m) ]! g o. v. a* i9 S: osupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically+ l1 q2 |& G% z9 M2 b unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to * j, B1 {5 G) @, | N; m7 b7 _live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,* @$ [% S+ R9 e. b hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 0 P$ E" `! d3 z+ R# n$ Q3 n3 D- ^; }balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the) Q# O3 Z3 ?. ]' d3 x# z project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be2 X; i/ I$ E8 n9 G7 R) z1 e renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong7 h8 L, f& E9 G/ ?( v6 s1 C! p) T+ v Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how . T+ G5 Y9 \: epeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be , a1 M: a @3 K* ^4 ]& p1 D! X- Y2 jtorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished. A+ ` t6 ]# v& d+ ]" M memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". ; K. ^$ U4 r# K& V- i& }/ }Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are ' G4 }& N# @' baligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially 9 ` N3 c, d6 X7 o& Xnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image% s0 U6 Q: ^( ^ U; `& [' V r6 \ of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these 1 ^ M5 J- l2 J7 I4 @, R7 lHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those" a4 [: q$ g3 ` O" e) C5 L( w people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they7 @1 J `, z q% C" T: Q2 K- X may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some , @% P6 {3 t( X- D. v tof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 8 e1 E d- C' {4 [6 J( i"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all r, w2 u7 j' w: ?# ?: G$ Lpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise6 w* ^$ } F% [! ]9 i" c# P apartments are the way to go? No. 9 n0 N* r; d6 a3 t+ Q) [ / ]/ z, j' f% M0 A; S 2 a3 o- Y8 E) E

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the# Y2 S5 H6 p6 n situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this L; i7 |, V& p0 \) s'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make! c1 b1 r p, T; F! { no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so " [* I5 ~% `1 J0 K7 P m- jfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant $ M- D( d# n) a$ k& uresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless% R+ h7 z3 ] R7 b6 v$ s( D9 l Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is5 e* @) P& `# l S9 n+ ]! Q 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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