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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 : W; T5 q( e6 Y; S. ]architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider * B& ^2 e$ @3 t& ^" V) t/ GBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"5 y+ o, r+ [( K. C/ t) m city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.5 G; n7 e8 D; {# O/ p5 H According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,- ?/ _& @. Z* x+ Y! g$ s8 D; u 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of' Q) ?8 w5 y& @1 Y+ H9 q- G9 } Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within3 |& ~# R- l" t. a hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among' q4 Z: b' W6 U5 J" { each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera 6 T2 k5 B6 ?% ^6 v# `and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 5 E* ^# B1 ]& B: |! R+ R* Yharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are" d* W+ F9 ~/ H* F2 P" H% X- { descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and 8 ~) x, ?& Z. i" J5 h: F1 h# e3 Y! Tforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I( G2 M- D- F7 J+ M& m was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great . o/ R$ B9 R% u: C+ I) K, v, g9 N# cimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, % t5 @, R3 t) b: |and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong0 d- ?- P+ e* u% h8 ` has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment( k7 L7 r. R0 I! O: g of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that$ G a& g( [1 {6 ~) \/ z" ` no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 6 C6 F: ~% P7 E' E% ?7 l' aonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a6 `; r4 K: N3 O( m/ B2 S2 c% {0 E sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government & R' N& z' [: \: nwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move4 Y( w; a/ I; o% r( W to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is! X& r. C. M9 K- A "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,& D" x* P7 t% h p; ? this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are . Z5 E3 K4 z4 \# Q Ostill 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 to5 |2 J8 K, k! c3 E1 q "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make & x4 {9 b! U9 a0 emoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was% e0 B; a1 u+ J5 \, Z- q a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a5 Y9 ]6 ]0 J8 e$ R! `1 V parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 6 D0 q! \! V$ k3 U5 i) 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 % V3 y! g& X) s7 Yimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 7 e# L4 ^' }! Fdevelopment.

Hutongs . c( @8 M# f% m( ?; m# j& Iin the old days were residential area where people actually lived 1 r# j& X" _' O/ r5 b3 Zthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions$ d7 f# s8 j/ |: ^5 U3 S/ | in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not6 t- n; G5 f0 w) t. v have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you2 |- ^; U2 M: h& q will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.. {. E/ G4 h7 D9 q; W- i% t+ W% v Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date 4 f/ Z/ U8 r/ G6 Oto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used8 ^# W+ O1 v+ R- z/ p& o! m: g to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses7 h# b& T/ `+ D& H8 {. g7 B support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically: q& Y" A+ |$ n, S1 q" P. o unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to ( c- p4 J- p" g" [3 a6 `live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 0 V! s6 h1 r; `: X; thutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the " ?5 L* G! O+ ^; N/ nbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the0 ?7 T' y/ d" C) B4 Y* |- o project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 6 |5 j% G& }/ L) C6 S4 n; lrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong( t0 b& M9 ?2 j6 l' p. z S Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how+ ~7 C: |) U! H2 j people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be7 ^- O) y* k2 L& w torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished7 z$ G2 E6 E, z memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". / E. _, h3 c! H! [: w1 ?8 ^Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are / R u2 d; b& waligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially ! ~" @# ^% B* {1 g) u Ynon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image - F# }0 V; O! L& {5 E8 `) M$ Hof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these1 y+ h( @% I1 o& \% U0 I* l' u Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those , V; V" X; w% K4 H+ g* Jpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they % L9 X* V$ I: }' q# zmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some9 Y3 u2 B9 f6 W of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 0 u: T' z5 z$ b' O0 W9 ]"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all& c5 n% j- f' \6 A, } people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise v# o% L# l. f9 R8 Fapartments are the way to go? No." S8 o6 K5 A* o7 E/ V5 D E i# m. V: p( B: t 2 F. \6 i, F8 d1 `' R

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the ; Y5 J& ~0 W4 d5 m3 `6 ?situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this4 y7 J! g+ o& \3 S- C) v 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 6 c+ P" V, n5 j. [+ Wno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so, z8 M( }' l% C: [% } fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant1 o3 s) t) e& S+ Z3 c. j) K. S4 E- Z resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless* ?+ S A, e6 A. Z6 S" [! B- o Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is + C; [# d9 D6 t# ?- Q% U. iunlikely 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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