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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 & N0 W% z9 z. e b" y2 L* {) uarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider: _. v/ F+ h4 r8 e: x! x5 u: g! ^ Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" ! c2 ]1 M) ~& ]city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.4 c9 _, a K0 p" g8 ~ According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, 0 h! D9 J1 v% e5 b3 k0 m" c3 v3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of+ w4 ^9 b2 k: V8 t1 @2 c" S Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within . r9 M4 z. S3 s; C! qhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among% S$ D9 h& g- Z' b# S6 ^5 V each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera 5 o1 X1 k2 r# _& N. ?( u* Q5 band Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is. B. }: z$ F) T6 I4 U8 B harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are5 j6 @# {6 {$ B( W, I descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and; U9 K% l( i# b6 @0 b5 s1 a forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I * `" H$ x' S/ R$ Cwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great" E2 E: ?9 T" t ~5 J; g1 [ impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,: t/ _4 ], R2 ?7 O' Q0 j: Z0 M/ o and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong5 l2 _$ z! O$ ^ has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment 0 U+ v4 T( p4 `6 Eof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that- W3 o9 o5 O# Z* F no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are- Z" d+ V, @# W2 |* V only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a s+ m5 M' V4 P& ~sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government . g( L( \* H1 ^8 F+ r, Q; f1 Uwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move5 E2 ?* M& t; r, \* @- u9 b4 Y to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is * O# w! `9 c' K8 K"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 9 l P0 z' d5 zthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are ; A3 m9 x; q8 b7 o+ ~+ K/ dstill 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 6 t3 J8 O. J8 `- b$ G' g"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make. N- F8 J- h" f7 _2 F! g0 b6 M2 O money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was! v9 ]( g2 s3 S+ M3 f, P/ _: Q# o a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a# `) `% M/ \ o7 O parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across j- k) E% b& |/ B" P4 L) p$ 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" Y. N, w6 c1 C0 ~# H importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for + j1 @( {3 W8 E% }development.

Hutongs" G7 e9 F1 U. I+ D& s3 ]/ q in the old days were residential area where people actually lived ( G C0 n! W% t# V- r4 ithere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions- @, \+ ]6 V/ ~( Q6 j in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not ( s$ x" k7 q( a. ], fhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you3 c2 d0 z8 k* C' s9 b will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.0 T9 r W2 F, m& t7 G& t Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date * ]# D; l+ V) _, G, H: q" _0 Gto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used; t9 r; c' d2 E6 A4 _2 X( M: j to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 8 n2 H& i) l% Q( S' Ssupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically & N1 s# q! p& Q+ A1 q* j" E2 a! L, Ounfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to8 p. l# P" n) Y _. A live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,4 S; v, {0 h9 _0 O: i1 i7 V/ b# Q hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 1 c! V$ s# d8 {: L5 Y Ubalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the 0 M5 h: w/ c8 d2 F% Wproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be . c8 e7 y" h2 u7 k7 E8 W4 a6 U) |renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong 6 ^- G5 P, i5 `1 H4 f9 {Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how9 |3 J) E( g5 H/ n* q5 c4 L people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be' i9 g. G' ]! c torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished& ?/ Z. [% H! Y4 w memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".( D8 q4 y0 m& t! w% v B! | Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are t& U% u' `! d/ m* a# M# i7 baligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially) K' m8 L' e& \5 Y7 S! v- ~2 ]1 J non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image6 f. g2 `* c& U* N) T E of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these 6 ?: i. r. g: H- d! V/ x; E' KHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 8 o8 C9 c O6 S: w9 Hpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they) N* i& R9 c' C* D; c @0 M2 J/ ] may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some 5 T" G. n6 p6 K, j4 y+ gof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before6 \0 R/ _0 o% v! w1 ~ "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all: f" |- u5 I( ? people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise" a3 o- |' D; }6 K% Z& A apartments are the way to go? No. , F+ b9 P, v* S' H& I$ s( \ " ^0 E) b4 l* i# s. R3 G - D. t& Z3 J$ H5 s: _

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the ! l- i$ t# t" D% Gsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this0 g0 h1 P' t5 u* x$ {* I( k- P 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 8 Y0 w; P9 g$ I8 d4 f" M2 R5 Ino money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so 8 {" T; t* y2 y: Lfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant3 W H" O8 q7 N/ Q9 ~' ` resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless " g2 ^8 J: ?) f6 {. E; pBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is , Q& |* J' T' U8 [* c( M% hunlikely 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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