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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 " s6 p3 R% Q( ?+ J: L( `7 J7 }architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider4 _% z& [: k9 P H$ t3 r) O' l Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" ' C1 k1 H% c6 Kcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.9 w3 B: Z ?# b J! L% ~ According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, ) x$ @5 r' T" v3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of7 B; J* ^% H. H o1 E. @ Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within3 m5 o2 `. Y e5 A* Y hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among4 ]2 U" W* R' ~, [ d8 V each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera ! o9 R d* G& m+ V; b; q7 `, Rand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is ; |( }0 }- N1 w" ^6 ]( M$ `harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are9 O1 b( r- [5 q1 t' Y3 Y descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and 1 H. _. A- J9 ?4 S( o& {forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I5 V. k- r, V/ x was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great! V$ e1 ?% }: ` ~9 ^, ~0 h impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, ( e0 A& o! ]* U2 eand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong 6 V9 y9 Y+ B, Ehas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment & d- i# `1 t, N; ~of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that 6 E- `9 f3 [% t/ Q* Mno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are9 V' \; ]$ ^& J% a$ Z0 p/ q only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a# t% j$ U7 P* u/ G% ? sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government7 u3 r2 U4 |5 D want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move2 V u$ f/ D: Y# {+ q9 O. m: |% I to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is5 ]. V8 x/ C+ u1 T "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, - S- D2 t% c; d G; u l1 B; mthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are4 ^( G$ V- K: }3 s8 C- N* ] 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 to7 }/ @) e c1 i3 o4 ` "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 7 D( e# F2 \5 l1 X4 ~+ K0 S+ D; Nmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was! a, P8 T6 C# Z1 K a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a: ?. B% y8 N$ P( i p parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across; P+ H* t7 x4 v 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 E: h4 f3 M3 V0 J3 Yimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for ) A. p/ ]1 V5 k6 u; bdevelopment.

Hutongs 3 ~- _" T& ]+ d" ^' |+ F8 {! n5 c d/ kin the old days were residential area where people actually lived4 G4 Q. {) T% {9 f there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions 8 T: u2 E$ C( ein hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not& T( \2 A. o6 p; P$ z$ Z have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you % f7 E8 ~. N9 p" A; r Gwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.$ V: s' C/ [/ p/ R) ^3 z7 ]! C z Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date- s6 v: ]* r! V7 K to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used 7 T! G5 b: P$ x' G- t; o. O: Fto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses X- A& K4 Y( T/ m7 asupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically: X. M7 Y( J, M& L unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to 3 M( n H2 o5 L$ g/ ~ Z0 d# x3 Slive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, & t; B; J( J# j5 L0 Y7 E6 ]hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the3 K+ a: |3 F: d+ @9 ~# T$ ~/ z balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the' V5 y! h; G3 N; K9 _ project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be, B; n, p5 j) l; A2 o renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong% Q0 A9 e% l! P q Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how + M" e3 n. t* _4 V9 E5 x1 @people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be0 A& M; O4 e0 U4 o2 G torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished ! _! \5 Q( w3 m" Jmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress"./ D$ C* U' j4 V% _ Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 8 b3 o3 n7 B" G, f8 Z; daligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially k+ [2 e# s. v+ j! k N1 J: [non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image . q( }+ y. m0 o4 Hof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these 9 a$ D. O$ V+ p" d& m7 BHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 4 ~; X) f3 ^* O% v) m" M, opeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they " z& {( B" o" p/ G3 Xmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some . g) i5 t. I2 x0 ?6 S5 L; bof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 7 G9 ]% D8 n" E. e: ?"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 9 C9 D/ \5 U9 J' o5 Cpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise6 g8 `. d9 C. z4 q apartments are the way to go? No. ; A, m/ D( j! t. e2 u; ? e 4 X9 [5 y$ D- b 5 y# M' W# r1 ~( L" v

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the , Q+ E, k5 e' @! Osituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this2 z$ P: T3 J* h2 }# Z7 Z) D" j" P& l 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make( n9 G8 D9 }: ~2 X2 Y+ ` no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so ]8 L5 \2 ~/ _) V fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant" t$ o3 R( V0 d/ h7 p2 {2 P- q resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless" H9 S/ ?! B* ]7 M Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is1 q: q1 a& F; d* _3 `% b' A 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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