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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 : D$ p+ m$ ]2 I$ `0 \+ `: o; Parchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider% I" F# F/ K ]2 D" C Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"9 N7 ^3 W; V7 |- ~ city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.! x# S0 N* Z( u& ?0 y According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, & J0 M; R# }, x9 L& o3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of ) K5 k, n" \( r$ y5 hManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within; O) E" e4 o# ` hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among* d2 z! B* \* Z; r each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera 9 \9 n) t3 m! n7 b& X' j" ?and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is + B1 W) H' b* \$ r" T5 ]- Y* Xharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are 9 C% D( H% c5 c8 e, Adescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and K& g* X% B+ G0 t4 Y2 Y8 u forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I. i! o+ O7 @5 V/ Z. y was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great + _( w$ _9 t Y8 ^impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,& C7 J w9 C/ ~ and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong9 W6 K# P0 Y( u& _, o* U7 z! W5 m* ? has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment 5 r6 z$ \9 Z* D5 k2 j! P2 [of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that 6 z. T N3 Q0 Tno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are / ^" p8 e V1 S+ d$ C# r3 \only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 4 U: k. f% k: ]+ f N( |8 ^3 [sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government# S/ Z8 m0 m- J8 p want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 4 H% v9 b N2 x+ K- j7 gto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is7 X1 T" |. k3 s "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,9 S4 M; H. b' B this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are3 @, x) c6 j, P( ` 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 # r7 @5 J. d7 H' I; k6 e, V/ D* `"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make % n* A. _$ F' m9 D6 E1 D D# B8 ]money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was8 v8 F/ q+ z1 U- ~: I B& ^- Y. u# U: t- P a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a % h& G0 |: b2 Oparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across ( k( K' r( @. {6 w6 w: Sthe 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 5 ` c$ w% V* I$ m" H1 Y) O6 Ximportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for" e# K9 }4 ~' G/ ?- y- W development.

Hutongs . v4 ^) o: W1 { }1 Uin the old days were residential area where people actually lived: ?7 e& G; r6 X, b; U# P q6 R there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions' Z \# v% F' m/ w1 k' l( U5 e3 W in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not! e& i# ~* P0 Q! ]/ Y have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you- K5 t1 |% K- S( j# X. n will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.; q3 _4 s5 P! n9 W4 {+ l' H+ f) S Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date- |2 R6 f; W+ m5 J! a to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used 0 D; s6 j9 N; @& T' _to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 0 \" Z" y/ J/ J/ s. r, msupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically0 A. n! J+ d3 M0 W unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to; ? }" { Z9 U live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,* D. P7 j/ P* Q9 E3 w/ P+ l7 z; ` hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the5 {. m) u Y3 m4 E balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the/ O1 V7 }2 b# k# i1 y project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be - R' q$ d; [2 K9 s3 [2 T5 j. y5 `' ?renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong. r/ v: J. X6 X" x, ? Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 3 _5 T. k# r; l2 F: Wpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be ! E/ i" q6 ~$ _9 M" I/ Utorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished . i2 M2 w R* q& t+ ~memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".( F; f( m4 w" r8 K" y1 t1 f7 V2 ~ Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 5 A3 q6 P2 F3 o( S: z$ Taligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially 1 H# [4 x ^1 V% {+ vnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image! i& v) e, D& g/ k' G of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these / u" G6 {' m! A, H7 R" y+ |Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those! \9 m& Y. I+ k2 {4 T people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 5 u! P4 c7 B5 `) [may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some - f* p6 k! b- X$ T3 N# j6 F. xof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before # d$ Z4 i0 @. o6 u+ ]9 B5 x, L. D"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all& ~- n- Q- v- W people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise $ {4 T7 v9 d6 ?; R8 Z6 N# P9 x$ papartments are the way to go? No. 9 Z1 s9 Z1 b/ e% s0 G 5 h' N" h0 r" C# D( `5 C $ ^9 J$ {; B% U& D

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the' C1 {5 @7 S6 y+ x% H1 V# q situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this" d* l5 _" N! n, z( J5 } 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make ! n' A# d" g% P3 Bno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so) g- ?" n, T2 T8 _ fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant7 q3 |2 N7 G. ], h$ U0 h6 M6 P/ A4 R resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless . Z; H7 s8 k$ R/ r: ZBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is / v5 w9 J. ?! w6 w' F6 }$ ]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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