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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 ; Y: w% `: z" xarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider C4 F* s! Z, Z/ h2 s5 i4 RBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"0 P; g2 L6 n( t, u- c city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. 6 z& J0 _$ m+ J: E' N6 A4 T+ w5 kAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,( B* A2 B% g* l# j/ ] i i 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of- A+ G9 Y% O. l; O/ z) S Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within , s9 E+ V0 O6 L) A5 {0 d* D H- p1 vhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among; u3 o; b3 R" G0 M each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera9 m. p: J6 B) c+ g, v) y4 Z4 | and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is3 i4 _/ Z/ f% S8 U harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are 1 H% b! q5 O$ edescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and% }1 G& r1 z$ F% j forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I ( g6 Q) V- ~ F5 @* {" qwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great/ C, S K4 S; ~+ \4 P0 Q: K impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, 3 i; e |3 B6 Y$ jand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong% J' p0 a4 T: j* i0 p0 i7 l has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment" Q1 p) K& N3 Y! A U9 P of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that" a1 I8 e" \! _: O" d( y% x+ ], { no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 6 T0 L& _+ u5 S5 _9 N+ c# [- }only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a" Z7 P% C" u, T" E/ N sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government ' G3 \1 \0 t' x9 i+ }5 O9 C# jwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move3 \7 @1 @% s2 G to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is , |4 l" j- `3 g"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,/ `) d$ f" @8 c7 Y8 @ this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are & y7 j; G- H* N2 Y _9 t% t6 Tstill 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: s- _& H( ?* O4 Z3 R' S/ T "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make ' C& @* ]# G+ q1 H7 X: Q( a6 amoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was" t1 x- ~9 ^& s7 U a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a X4 L2 X( _$ c, G& j1 E- U3 M& Hparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across, j% n5 z5 r# m# e7 r 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 " x4 a; M0 z, k* A, e' @+ _importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for2 y* [: k. G, }" D8 b# ` development.

Hutongs' e# `1 A+ S- [, j, h- }" ~ in the old days were residential area where people actually lived 9 e6 p1 ^- A% E% o+ f% kthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions& W5 _0 _1 E5 x4 B z) W in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not+ ^! }& E3 a& h4 Q) q have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you. t- }, x, X o/ n- m% R will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.( J, x, n1 w3 k: K, I u Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date5 ]) h( f5 E1 e9 X k3 I to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used% U# B. N8 i- \: X: V6 N& j' n3 X7 P/ u to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses: Y* {" C4 z/ \" s support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 0 H# X- m0 w- P- sunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to9 p" n4 y% Z) s live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,/ p) s" @) F" w6 |) [ hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the& W+ d0 S- ^% [+ A' O balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the 1 X! k$ B- A' Wproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be + _# C6 v r' J% r, Xrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong \1 Q( d9 f! R+ E Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how4 {# _9 m. U* T) ^6 N0 w people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be; p h* c6 e" {# L, T2 g6 q torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished! l" Z! w+ d" X6 v1 k memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".# u6 Y3 ?- E! {1 A4 ~ Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are) T: m& Y U- o1 X- L- W aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially , h' C- b: }3 ^3 z$ [% ?non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image % n9 z8 B4 R9 e6 L9 {$ Iof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these + Z5 q1 M- a2 w8 g# U$ pHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those + {" D0 P7 g) e T) B2 _! |0 dpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they- r- _6 W# s& }# r may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some5 J( D7 O9 i6 _- I2 W1 F of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before l$ l& a3 w! R8 b* a6 p' y# A"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 1 v4 N8 D' v- T- ?3 Kpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 9 R( h7 J* `+ s- Z: l6 X0 sapartments are the way to go? No. 0 u9 k5 g% ~5 S& K 7 Q) a0 Y! ?3 {9 x, f ' q3 T1 o# L J% G% [$ C1 ~

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the ) I- o) c! c: m- [situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this- L$ B1 F% b8 s8 j9 u: `; c 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make7 ]+ s- F7 l! \; C' Q9 k no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so6 S' b2 P9 r: p( `: |9 y5 @ fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 3 w, V: F; g- F* Jresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless ' j6 T! h2 s GBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is 9 _9 I3 @3 j4 [: _, M5 @, z4 Q, funlikely 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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