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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 " u x: {9 P& H& ^! tarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider) g! x/ [& V- Y Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"( m0 q$ C. _. b( ~ city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.% C( B3 R! M7 w! u' J According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,( i2 a& \$ ~3 p3 Q: @ 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of . i! ~+ N% d0 P5 ]; rManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within5 ?- ^+ g, }' Q, b. q hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among ' u2 o9 y1 Q- c) G, f! \each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera$ g1 q$ M/ t4 j0 R! O and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 6 s& ?; x7 ?' [) C% B' N* O# ?harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are 8 R- W; d$ ^4 h2 E8 D N' edescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and 7 W4 m/ I& k1 Jforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I) z8 J5 F% k; h' ? k was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great 3 D+ Q8 m$ U7 m) Y, Z9 ?8 fimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, 0 d8 Z4 N% M+ u2 n+ Jand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong6 ]) t8 \0 h9 H has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment ' z+ K, r( g# m' |- gof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that 3 Y" n5 I1 o) `3 R# q: sno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are % |& F, q. l$ ^5 Y. N5 l1 b" }4 Jonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a " E5 x9 {- T3 O. J- _% z& {sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government( A* t, t: m5 r want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 3 e- l6 t( |! u, ?' E: P" vto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 1 j% g' w& p4 u5 V2 Z4 H* F4 I) _"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,( y6 D' G" H# r! }; I this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are b0 p8 C- j- A; h- l6 Estill 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 ) V7 L9 V4 ]# `8 R7 l" p"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make$ ^- M9 v( `# m/ N- i y money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was ' v3 L" Y5 ~2 d1 c2 t0 ia beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a , I! K( {9 m9 w, V- U, l: R* Xparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 3 r) _ N1 `$ K( lthe 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 K" o& n( g/ J/ S1 b& cimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for. v8 S* T4 @9 x$ r. m" R development.

Hutongs2 |/ \& G5 ^6 \5 z% n in the old days were residential area where people actually lived 6 m) q1 H/ p- }& |( k6 K4 R. Mthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions: R$ K# w) n1 y: B6 G in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not% E6 i+ g3 W2 J' F, j" a! { have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you " _7 b; h6 Q% W% R! F5 }. @will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.$ k0 ~% a. _$ L+ {2 ` Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date5 p: m+ n, A* O6 z* ]8 {8 T to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used . P: }. v- P$ B$ i4 P# fto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses! Q2 t- a1 E( N/ ]% C4 }. S( V support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 6 Q% d7 B7 d) S/ Aunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to # Z5 }0 Z2 T' G! W' xlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 0 H' t' L4 ^" i5 Y. l/ D: lhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the% K1 |' C2 v8 ^( O balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the% E. \& }) ^! W. g project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be - u; ~0 `3 S2 Y" b+ u4 P _6 urenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong5 P: x0 r5 ]! G Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how; F* M8 [2 c: |/ |( U) n: W people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be+ k- \# o3 E0 B9 y* N torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 3 v ]$ R9 S! c1 m+ p6 b% [- \7 n1 Smemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress"." q* V7 S. b& P) r Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are , b' P3 x3 h( X1 ]aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially # ~, h& F2 e) nnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image! g0 A6 }$ J6 `/ m of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these ' H3 x- T8 y F0 I7 o0 a ?Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those ' @& l( C+ ~( s/ epeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 2 g% N k' y0 T# v2 r) zmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some ! |0 m8 }$ `1 G Bof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before2 a- X2 h* y0 V a "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all( R6 }# P( p I people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise0 ]+ z! ^, V9 V* S0 Q) t8 Y( D4 _8 ] apartments are the way to go? No.% v# O5 `# |, n & J! l) T W, r1 d ) \: |1 k9 h& Z. K

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the! f% y4 {0 [( ^ situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this * w" o& Z4 P) `' k4 |( P) r) S'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make . {) A0 C8 w8 c# hno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so- E( N; a. H$ `8 ~: W9 d fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant ' y5 E7 @; O) \0 x6 @6 {/ o& ?8 vresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless6 h" ^* O/ D' U3 w9 x% e2 |3 D7 A Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is 7 |: `' U5 H5 g7 v. }+ Junlikely 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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