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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" p2 |" D2 s. b" a4 | architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider ' v7 W6 ?4 d7 |4 H7 [- T2 RBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"1 z, l" M, R9 g$ d2 W city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. % t$ a& `! g) t) x, K/ `5 HAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, $ \% y! X6 k6 y5 P/ R5 ~3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of8 P" z5 Z H' ~+ k" H Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within + m8 a7 S- H+ m6 P9 ^! x4 E5 E( Vhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among4 T" B+ x/ G% J7 H5 v each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera ; } M2 f/ f! F' {) ^ R& Yand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is" u4 X9 v* `: j2 \8 f3 n# a3 A harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are2 P$ A5 C0 y( G/ Z. ^! ~5 i descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and9 M9 h( p7 n* Q4 O( L forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 9 ~/ m1 J( j$ k) g9 I5 }was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great 6 s4 v/ O$ T4 U- C4 s" E0 u. timpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,' v3 m4 I3 f: O X& L! d [$ z and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong ) L! q. T% @! h" F/ zhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment & U9 b: e9 C8 j$ F$ s& Pof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that! U, x' _0 u& z no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are k; l+ q1 w5 F' t only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a # c4 ]7 p, `6 A) I0 H' t; psort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government 3 [. v) Y7 x, P( a8 L1 }want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move, \" H4 W% k) J" N* [2 o to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is - i2 n# [. @4 u4 L: [, @5 h4 Z"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, I, U/ X2 n: cthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are / Y, ~/ w( Y$ B& X" X1 c2 R- e- ]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 0 a/ {# p& u% I/ W) s"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make % c5 V/ C' i- T/ H+ V3 [( qmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was7 g! E: [- s4 _8 [5 p a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 0 F/ |3 m4 @0 | |parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across $ x( `3 S3 U' S$ b0 Athe 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 8 j" [8 k* N5 z( A* v* ^; A( B2 `/ Fimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 1 A! X& j& y! ]development.

Hutongs + w# x U' P! z/ A2 }7 B0 ain the old days were residential area where people actually lived : ^" O7 \# k& athere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions. _7 B7 r9 `+ p& K" w. H8 x in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not+ ^# X& O7 j1 k9 m7 ?0 f& d4 n) d/ w have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you0 c% k3 K! g0 b, I) ]6 a. c e will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. + e9 ]/ d: I& I- `4 @Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date 6 R( u; D/ g# H! q: dto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used , t+ {% V& G9 ?+ j) w, Wto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses9 c2 j) Q- N- K0 b Q1 ^ support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically + P2 [8 E+ @9 D; t) junfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to9 J% o; d% ?9 g( w3 p$ m0 L& i live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, / O' Y: b; y( n4 J! F; Y4 k( c% J# Qhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the# k+ W/ g3 I. g, j0 Y balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the , q3 N8 u' q% O5 n9 a6 n( Pproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be % Z3 r' q3 I! [* A7 {renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong ' | k0 r8 u" U/ w5 M5 P. gMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how/ k! r+ ]6 b/ G- `" L4 r) u people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be" Q; s) e" a4 @. a) m torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished, x4 @% K3 b6 P memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".# _6 }& a$ Y; l k) Z Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are, a/ b$ E6 D! Z9 p m aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially & Y: y. @2 q4 D$ P( v' Lnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image1 A, H8 c- M, a9 k8 I of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these) P5 I' N& ~4 \# K; X" n' f9 h Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those* Y! U5 }; x7 C, v u. y people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 4 Q0 i) e3 e2 M% jmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some; G l+ q8 T9 Z4 G- M& n& {3 ? of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before % B" x. ^8 Q$ S) Q, e9 S) J, e" D"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all - m( m9 O1 @7 }people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise) M3 N6 u6 q2 E* d apartments are the way to go? No. % C5 L" ?3 o6 v! w / N+ ?5 s+ O% v7 Y# s( s: q& L6 A 0 U# A; W" Y- C: z: p8 X. `

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the I" t" j1 v8 _4 x0 h situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this0 W' y# B! _8 I$ u$ q9 ?9 q6 H 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make7 d; C, |, X0 H. e( @5 z no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so 2 |" m$ J8 K3 k9 r: C8 w2 t' jfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant" o0 |2 o: `3 a& }% _9 w: Z# @: F+ S7 B1 I resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless- F' P! Q6 N3 L" X: u# M Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is; y! b# O4 g* e 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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