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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* v! v$ v8 Q, \1 L- f0 x architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider Y2 T: {& }. ZBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" " Y9 H7 v" d' T$ jcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. _' j& p3 R% z' H5 a0 Q6 _According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,8 m/ h$ L, s' n& x8 @ 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of % i$ d: e! Z4 i# o5 n! w$ FManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 4 y7 W, Q) C+ J" Q0 B. j2 c; q" ~hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among4 \" E4 c9 d, X& |# S each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera " c! S2 T: b$ L aand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 4 o! ~4 C# H4 J: c! ?1 r9 s& dharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are5 ] Q2 Q7 a) [( h( y4 H descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and) j) S3 l! }8 M9 Q: c forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I' ~% a! Q0 E* c$ s# c6 X7 X was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great # a2 }' {5 l7 L8 {' d4 d8 Vimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, / h7 J7 g W2 {/ ]1 D, iand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong8 Z6 k6 M' N6 v( S" w1 t has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment " W0 E6 B7 h; [2 k4 xof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that + F! r4 r e) ?; F* dno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are % u9 I# m" F; L6 f. y, k! konly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a , A; r, k. I; q) e# B+ h+ J6 @sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government 8 \7 Z5 D1 o6 S' pwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 6 E' n6 u) Q |' wto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is + n! w" _+ g$ |/ C! l g7 K. ["modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, / x V' r* | p! wthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 2 i7 C! i1 h. Gstill 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 to6 T& Z, ~" o6 K0 U6 K "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 6 K* q/ u+ q0 N/ ?& p4 ~money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was/ R0 n8 M' \+ w1 |: S8 M( U a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a8 z1 ]2 V4 M1 A& R; p3 @8 u parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 1 e# E9 E: Q. A. g, _/ tthe 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 7 q3 i1 p0 i% E' ?- }3 ?% eimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for ' X& X4 G! ~! G; F9 {% U& Q( G5 ?development.

Hutongs 0 q9 c+ F8 x$ x6 Hin the old days were residential area where people actually lived & R* P, R9 h" C3 B, Wthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions+ Q4 H, }' z" @3 r: V in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not, h( ^- s0 i6 z. e6 y have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you 5 E v, g2 g6 Y* A3 ^2 N; k' p/ t G2 pwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs./ p+ r+ G0 V! V Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date5 B/ h" H3 V+ |" H7 ~; h( W to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used : X1 }8 {. I" J3 lto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 0 y( }6 o4 X8 ?( tsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically : ]# x; C$ G! F F7 C; y9 }+ h* ~unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to4 o2 }9 ^% A- |2 p5 ?8 U W live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, + `& H+ o' V2 A) |: ?. Fhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the4 J, t2 {% Y2 ?8 t9 Z, { balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the# R* t1 O% P" ~/ M project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be# r3 `1 [( ?' L* c# d renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong$ A! W! s' T1 q- O$ | Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how7 r" j! @/ X; N8 s7 B4 c people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be : E' O- F# s6 ^. @) ttorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished0 g6 w1 B8 o+ ] memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". 0 X* u2 [% \7 {" kNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are7 S$ l! x2 U8 v aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially! d) ?: ]3 d) R9 @* z, ^ non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 5 H6 ?5 E& L) v+ ?of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these: b( g& Z% h$ L+ ~. K2 o Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those ! s w2 S# A( l! upeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they( K8 e- m% x7 J; T1 `- q may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some ( P7 y0 F5 M! H% Qof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 9 _6 A0 k% o5 @: f4 E% t"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all+ m B* ?1 |# x! `# \1 V) | people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise $ F9 B2 [/ ]3 [4 z" \- b+ ?# Iapartments are the way to go? No.- t7 B$ W) v9 n! o z2 h + i6 J5 D, i ], B: w% I1 q * [* F. s+ Y8 V* W$ h; h. F

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the ( \' u7 Q' Q T( }situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this! w8 N5 e+ o R" T0 }. a 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make l; f4 c! M4 d h% T( L. j6 O6 \no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so6 K. Q) @& F5 _* L( E" v* L fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant & D( a0 @7 f* P8 |) Lresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless& M4 X: k4 W( ~# X# f$ q Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is 3 u; H8 t3 V Kunlikely 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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