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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" c2 h+ f- m) W, q architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider8 @+ D" d2 F( U$ N4 k Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" / {3 i& f) y& d6 ucity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. - R6 h* ^/ Z9 _! l- f9 ?$ ?According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, - }/ P/ [ P" o: z3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of2 a+ y* p" Y3 |5 H, O& M Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within4 J& z( u2 k3 ~- E' j2 c; y hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among ! S, k% t; [9 C; H4 peach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera + A o9 j) D9 ]. Z' }% a% ?and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is & b! T( r- w' P! f/ Qharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are ) a( V! `5 s- c) C0 ndescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and 5 l( U* x# B4 ?. c$ Dforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I9 C" z* K* Y9 M9 {" W$ n) m was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great % |+ _8 K, X R2 |; b; g H4 qimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, $ r8 q$ E5 I& iand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong & V$ N$ b8 I1 [* t9 s5 f) l Z2 vhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment4 t# Y. L3 {( l; t0 Z( D3 P. m of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that2 K+ f( W, W) f. ]( g( g0 ? no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are , [- a: m6 Z; M# ]; W3 sonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 9 c# S# a8 ?9 ~8 v* `sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government : |7 V6 v. p/ @. K( M& V! o3 ~want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move a+ I6 z3 R6 X- i, T5 O to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is " ]( a6 |: W. q2 x/ P$ Z: S( n& G/ w"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, ! h' w" k% P" H# X" [ {& cthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are2 q5 n" y4 [6 R; A# e9 w 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 to6 P$ e7 j& ?1 Y& G* S% Y "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make / i! y7 o3 {0 r3 [( n6 p4 m% ]money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was$ y9 [" d6 F8 f- Z ?! c a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 7 F$ g- W* z5 R) F {4 X1 F; wparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across |% {) d0 c7 b) J1 u6 F @0 t# zthe 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 4 \' f: t1 B6 X2 y b+ O( B) mimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for# B2 x: u8 K3 Z& ] development.

Hutongs $ ^9 ^9 s8 U1 T1 s- Din the old days were residential area where people actually lived 3 k, O$ `: E6 m9 Tthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions6 d3 z3 e5 m Z& J5 ~ in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not7 q# U, z3 ~* S5 Y" L. [ have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you i( ]* i l2 X; O- G6 ]4 | will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.- Y8 w# h' |% q% x Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date, ?+ a& v7 d; q1 W | to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used $ W; a9 T9 l! X' I: xto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses ' ] v- [1 x" n$ a1 R" n9 z# w u: Jsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically1 |& A o! p9 q. c- k# d unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to. y* t2 Y- Q- H4 u live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 8 c# j6 H, b' q0 L6 l/ mhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the u" C; K' H0 u: Xbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the; Y9 G3 F5 Q1 Z* \ project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be: D9 [0 O+ Y0 Z3 P5 ^* d: I renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong$ T" T5 N* h6 p: B1 X: G Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how( P9 N; e. q9 v" r1 M/ _ people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be( t8 j( Z$ a8 c$ P+ v; U torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished : f' `2 I. w9 e# @memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".2 E1 G( N8 c" _ Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are! f. S5 I7 M- z, t9 Q$ t aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially* F& n% q: K! h$ A" O+ d non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image % H7 B* v" t$ z! j2 c# z+ ? f$ Nof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these1 m- I/ d. I8 ]- A( |9 t4 o Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 2 ?, a5 |/ l2 |3 N: M$ [1 mpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 0 O- v8 Z) W% C& vmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some 5 H3 V9 I0 l6 b7 O4 sof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before ; \8 I/ z& w# Y9 K; y"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all ' S# j7 G, h8 D* J5 lpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise* W1 x, q$ A; Z) C5 \ apartments are the way to go? No. . \. J2 V, u w' V + j( F; n3 L2 U% y # d4 g- h, a% m5 S; b% U' q' f

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the4 ]% o6 U; `5 t8 } Y% V5 m situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this; B+ d* u, b7 d8 l 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make / ]( O _" G* a: ?3 V" d. ~/ {/ D, zno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so ! M8 V" O+ T, v q7 f4 Bfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant# W+ @' N! T: m) w; g1 o resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless , h$ r; z8 n% C6 \3 m. xBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is % c% p& K$ S; r) l ~( d0 G4 Vunlikely 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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