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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 ! a% q( F' ?# ~' ^ marchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider ; z' ~9 _+ ^7 W+ v M0 }Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 6 c0 i8 O/ Y8 |8 s/ hcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.7 G8 g' f- U K c1 A; T( u According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, ; j( Z6 m; l. K: d1 l2 b, j0 ^3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of$ z( o8 }- H; X( s& \1 I Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within4 q! W/ P7 D0 x; V- e+ m, K4 m- P hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among . S( o+ i4 O) m% x r* peach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera # m8 F+ `$ S- s6 |+ Jand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is; q/ C& o! G- L& Y harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are) z: A* F6 x) v3 w descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and5 m& |6 F5 A+ ?# E# u forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I / A4 S- P/ x- y. gwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great5 K$ z+ L, S" T+ C. } impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, : c9 ~! Q9 C) C! p% {and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong / {' h, I/ ?; }9 W3 s+ Thas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment/ N9 S9 J( ?) X) x1 J of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that . Z; i/ z Y# H/ Yno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are - r, m$ w1 l) b+ U# Eonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a3 u2 Q% j4 k* ]9 w; R v: e sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government6 }6 M' L1 O8 c: | want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move$ w! a+ B- D9 w2 ^ to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is1 ?+ x! q) l; p, k "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, / @% Y- x1 ]; X6 C) S) L jthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are/ \. m! G; W" J5 N+ ]# D 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 ' h- T% z( V9 Z% W! H8 V"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 6 K+ o' O+ O! P" @money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was: a4 S5 w5 z0 { a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a% i" A9 [1 q5 ]- c/ M) c- } parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across ( T2 n# I) g' S9 i8 v$ I9 d7 vthe 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( H! Y* D- `) T1 Y6 k importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for6 N3 s1 {/ D4 I development.

Hutongs 5 I8 H' w( [% H* U. tin the old days were residential area where people actually lived ; }9 H7 p7 z, _$ |( A3 v% }there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions / g' X4 V! V% t3 e% I9 Sin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not : d0 `) ]9 B4 W ehave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you* N1 K/ i, y) I9 `: c# t2 ]: v will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. 3 v% V' r& F& s# _& | {8 ZFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date9 y+ `5 L1 I2 D: ?1 B to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used & x5 D9 l; b r- W2 t- q/ \# M' ^: Pto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses/ y! b4 }% H1 ^' B support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 0 F7 r! z, E4 g' f. e: xunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to; M* X8 E$ Z8 J8 \% X% y/ F7 { live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,4 D+ `6 i4 \5 ?* d( T hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 6 [2 O/ J9 b; q# Wbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the , T, ^$ y- g7 {6 v7 O. Wproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be) l- ?9 K. _$ Y renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong ( o: ?0 }9 ?% g. x) z( e9 _Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 4 p2 k) e/ j. x2 Upeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be , ^) Y3 u7 L6 J( ]2 @) r/ k% rtorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished3 R# W3 U, W. c- R! [: v. A! p, t memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".$ M' H; \) @7 k( j Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are0 g; n8 o8 b1 R a0 }# { aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially5 S% \9 ^% o3 y- o" ? non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image" ^: u; ]2 c+ @9 _ of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these0 A% |9 ]6 H, o+ R+ d2 r0 {: } Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those$ x; s8 e' z. S+ e: T" \ people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they1 S1 J* Z* \& X* p may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some: z0 F- T' t2 W& g; u) D! y( A of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before ( M6 `3 W) H8 D) @6 T+ X"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all5 J8 E, [1 ]7 y7 F people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise1 [% c6 G i1 y/ E) \ apartments are the way to go? No. r5 Z3 W& D+ P! j 1 g: d" B0 k( \ 4 ~3 C7 X9 A! J6 t5 \

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the( J {7 y0 y3 r3 t" W& U9 g! U situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this% y6 S5 P; i, s& V; m 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make8 t$ |/ _8 {$ Z! ^ no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so 3 d# U, ?( b5 K* ^1 nfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant C; }1 X" P, T$ V% Y resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless/ P+ B8 {7 [% [2 { Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is* y+ X: u, x, f7 ]2 t 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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