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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 ! G. G: ?" V4 {. l) B! Tarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider+ n0 m* [+ Z+ p& ~2 \3 Z Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"! S0 r% z$ l- L6 x) Y4 n- o* Y city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. ) M" g% M; q# @! CAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, 8 \9 J( |1 T M; ]3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of : m h3 z; ~+ {% i# ~+ W8 hManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within# N) |" I; N, G l; O4 r hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among6 @) N5 n5 n# i- Z3 M each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera 9 r) N( H$ x; b6 \* s3 sand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is # e) c% s$ m, gharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are ! m+ ~! c9 ~" s4 k" R% W9 ?. Odescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and 6 Q- q1 g E* t1 g6 l; G2 oforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I ( M7 h6 H. a3 j- r, Q: A9 |- owas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great , q/ U% f) d9 y! O3 j8 d6 w& Gimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, ; B# \- E% e4 |: B( a$ g3 iand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong ; X* F, N2 E. E7 W) v, B% uhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment 0 _- i" h2 {, V$ x' U9 O9 qof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that3 n1 }: C- \, w2 t no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are& z, U- l0 \( G& B5 e only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a; A6 i9 t- C9 g. v3 t- h9 u( s& E sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government 3 ?7 S7 @7 [" h2 f0 Twant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 5 a! \0 b; K+ u5 W3 H4 {8 Q0 Vto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is . _) U6 v! p4 |/ O"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 0 O2 E: ~1 Y0 W& T D$ I! Uthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are* w8 r- p( O$ }+ }& z% P9 y 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 ' l3 r' N; D( P+ z8 }"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make% S$ H1 J* `/ g2 p money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was5 E1 |4 a1 J$ W* x a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a7 A& F( k( [$ \8 ? parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 5 p& D( b3 F: s" jthe 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 cultural5 v- R2 d( w* |. ]+ [+ b( Z importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for. r# W/ s+ V' }/ i development.

Hutongs 4 V: B7 F& R* M# {in the old days were residential area where people actually lived0 B2 L% Y# A# F" r) V0 O there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions & s& K; }& w& E3 O8 {$ |; F5 Din hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not! R$ R! f7 n3 f$ L/ c have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you* s8 L: Q4 R- [0 | will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. g/ p( U+ M) B6 u; qFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date 6 \ D, I+ V9 s! Z% S/ u# F% \to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used $ c/ |: ]: B! c4 A) e: ~to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses3 \3 V. N* h) x0 M! J* ]' o) g) { support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically# G/ P. e) j: b- y, X% O unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to . q% {4 Y6 H) f1 r! j7 Glive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, ( s) N, {/ k9 |' X) Whutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the , i; F D+ `: y* S8 X8 vbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the! G V4 E! y3 U, k+ K9 k project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 0 F& \, ~* b) t( I5 }- v% mrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong : M+ D1 f6 K1 ^- |, j: t( WMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how) b3 Y2 x+ R1 M l, S% W people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be 3 f2 ]" V2 t7 h1 A5 V2 Xtorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished + S2 ^: B6 f7 e4 fmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". ! k& A( b# p& I0 }( y% yNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 9 P: I) }* i7 @" _# O! Faligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially# j! [& j1 w0 U, |. `5 l3 ^ non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image . K( n' I3 H+ i$ Xof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these) e3 I+ Q J0 Y+ l Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those / g3 l( B5 ~' _' Apeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they . a6 A {3 u4 p; S: _% wmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some" n N' @4 H: N" k, k of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before) D2 x; @1 b' c8 }; \, a% t "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all ) d, L5 e O- g$ N6 j1 tpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise1 w' m& s# {) q. m5 n7 M4 d2 c: G apartments are the way to go? No.+ ?# k, Q( S: L- u, X " {5 m, L$ Q. r4 I# F 5 O) V# Y6 r9 |. J! p

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the6 b! C% l) S& D& e/ k3 h situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this O1 x/ O3 F4 ]6 ?$ _# D# M 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make' T' }4 {2 S0 c, h$ h( P- P; n G4 h no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so' l+ \9 j+ c! m fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant. u* p1 \' t; D6 F; W resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless8 W# C" g. i0 _$ K* ?2 h8 g9 H Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is % m1 Q9 L3 i( U' _0 F! Cunlikely 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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