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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, its8 E% }' S8 [% ` architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider! C8 t* _2 c4 Z' E4 n Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"7 Y2 G5 ^* t9 o# C# \- O7 u7 G city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. + ?6 J( z$ U& u1 r1 Q6 Q7 AAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, & U# G3 m9 E: @" v( J3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of' A6 d% l9 b" g% X! Z9 z Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 1 V. ~; U/ A- m. l# _" i K6 R) phutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among h: `: j) ~( K& {* A; t4 L2 n; Q# R each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera( ]) J% C! c7 I; n8 X' a and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is8 ^7 u: D5 o0 h# r harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are % j/ m6 U1 b9 F4 E! j. V6 j# Odescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and* t3 t& l2 P, @: ~ forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I8 a& n+ M" F" o8 L- z was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great 3 h' s- V3 ?4 R3 s0 z1 w$ Jimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,& F5 i! l" M9 h" i, [5 p and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong ( o$ A9 B9 E8 L9 `$ o) fhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment / ]: J) T# t( X4 v2 Aof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that8 m0 Z: c" }6 x' n. G N4 t, D! ] no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are: y" c* A0 k* w, k3 O& L only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a) k/ c" C, Z+ i2 v3 z sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government % [! Y* |% c( V/ ~) D, twant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 9 c) l6 C: d6 N8 ~4 Mto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is! g! [) ]. u* I9 r4 M "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,: b% P6 @) }* C" y1 N( G this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are - w p4 a/ P+ G! c0 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 to! [! p2 _& y" t# r9 v "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make ) V: h5 t8 ~# g+ G6 S$ [" g. @money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was 2 N4 c% m! X" B- Na beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a * G, d p0 u$ V8 e! J. E) t q* nparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across& z6 l8 L& r i6 K 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 2 \, m5 W# k$ G1 |: Nimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 8 Y1 @: j* f0 M' e J( `$ @, I' C+ ~development.

Hutongs- `8 X1 V3 V- I in the old days were residential area where people actually lived( x8 |9 k8 \& |' _) d6 L# r0 d1 c there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions# Q0 v. }/ s6 M+ G& O) g* o in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not , w. a8 M/ S9 lhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you3 ~7 R' L+ w# g" _4 j# i will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.. t! [- C5 q- w3 l/ c1 [0 v6 ~. y3 x Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date8 j2 b3 K5 |8 b7 K1 T to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used- |$ ~+ r1 t8 n, f to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses$ }$ ]# c$ C' I$ l M/ c9 ]3 e; B* } support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically & `& O. |! ], G; b4 kunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to - j/ P5 u1 C$ ^5 Ulive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, $ ~; S6 f! J* U- P6 \/ Shutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the+ V* P' Q, Q/ z+ C) D6 B balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the" |6 ~! }0 i3 z( C3 d& Y' b: S project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 0 b. s4 ?3 q: W) U; D8 F' D# wrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong 4 A! d( N8 E" h( C, fMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how* A% R6 O- P4 e" `4 \' X people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be 2 x k" A# L/ U$ Z2 ^% xtorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished $ s5 U! M8 E$ omemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". , X- U/ C% y9 x+ A& S/ R& S* l' {Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are& h3 m+ n) r- K U aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially # ]( ?" x r# o& U5 ?. Lnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image& y0 b+ H5 V( y$ T: i* ]( o& E of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these # W. x$ w1 V6 O) W7 @# i' ?Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those' S6 Y- }$ R l) k; H people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they , O( X/ x0 s# _8 q; q4 qmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some6 w( a- k& d7 h1 u3 j: @: k! R of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before/ v( a6 A+ T; f5 I% X$ o ` "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all) g5 ^5 C& M- f$ u( D( `3 b people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise / D; p4 C" y9 b& Q+ }+ K' h8 [apartments are the way to go? No. $ N9 p# B, f# l $ N& h; P+ q0 i+ o+ [( U ( s+ U1 B# \* v" T& b! L! s

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the ! ^, K* \" w& Fsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this " p( B. [1 L! z- W( r4 E2 [; _# t'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 0 p+ S2 K0 C( Q* D6 E, x+ qno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so " k9 u6 r1 }" @: ^! a+ d7 ~7 _' Ffast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant% e( Q: J# `/ ~( k: @ resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless9 \# L- M% k7 ~( b. m& ~/ [ Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is$ O y% l0 V, f- u! g 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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