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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' M# r* e1 c/ u* |
architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider
/ n% M1 V0 B0 U( G4 k4 J% ]' aBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"% D- S/ |( i% ?* y3 a' p2 d
city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture." {; i e! ~! o! q, X) o
According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,
9 q: u+ u: E: I- M8 y6 X ~3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of: E) V+ |, A' N; I- k6 I
Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.
Within, |/ |8 \+ E3 v8 U
hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among& J0 d" X# I: j( i3 Q# l
each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera
1 ^, y, W% ^ h2 q7 ~! iand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is
% f# N" y o% Y0 j7 x3 pharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are1 _# p, o8 S0 O3 R6 X5 D e4 C
descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and
' Y e0 i4 Q: l; fforms of culture emerged in hutong.
I
7 `* ]+ A' z$ H0 K- swas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great
5 c4 `0 J9 b2 m" g2 F( A, Jimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,
5 j2 P! Z4 a- H% `# A% dand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong
5 e" J4 H0 \* _0 G7 ]: x0 Jhas a history of more than 400 years!
Since 1999, the demolishment& o1 u5 ^0 H* J
of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that
% F3 b( s: G# |- |no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are
' P5 z9 z$ V9 S: j$ }' @+ nonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a
' r) o1 S& g/ v& Q7 H% gsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government
2 p& ^, }" @6 k: Q( z$ e5 A3 qwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move
- T5 J* J8 t u3 P& y- R6 Pto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is% V0 m5 v% ]" w$ B
"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,/ x* m( Z/ B/ b9 K
this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are6 C' p3 a+ {# R3 \# [
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$ q" ~8 N9 ^6 L
"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make) t4 u" J' k0 p8 i ]& N4 b# {; H0 X2 V
money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was; j% \; V* v j1 b
a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a$ u9 {$ F* V9 k7 j8 a/ D
parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across3 E4 T3 P1 j/ c9 B$ W
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 cultural5 I* P7 F! D( _1 a' o
importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for& u$ A$ i" G+ r: s- c5 }5 ?7 l
development.
Hutongs2 N$ i, {1 d& ?# K! [, k& [
in the old days were residential area where people actually lived. A( M7 C' W& O Z* O% L# d7 N4 G$ ?
there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions
' b% n' u# s9 S6 n; Nin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not
$ P* `/ A3 G( U1 K+ F: rhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you
. K- ^6 R3 q/ S) ~/ Nwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.
S# g$ W8 ~9 D6 ?. N& J( K/ fFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date! ?+ J8 [- {; ^, q0 e* G
to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used
- o5 d! L: E7 |+ q# K6 m Q, Dto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses/ y! w9 |2 M( y) } G
support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically2 b8 }0 X% t% {4 L2 V
unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to9 a. q1 k1 {. B
live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,
- O A. ~7 W% M4 E: P- P# Qhutong is only a tourist attraction.
The best way to find the
, G/ L7 |2 {0 h/ M8 N& d' obalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the6 U8 z, ?9 }2 |* B/ S, z$ b
project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be g) ?/ h0 d& u, s1 @2 r6 [! B
renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong
8 J8 l& P! R! n% lMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how' ?* ~! d4 N$ I# H* O
people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be3 ~ F* e: t9 w4 T5 R$ u& z: V
torn down or transformed into something else.
TwinkieDP:
I'm sorry that your cherished
6 w Q4 C9 `. G+ `3 \3 b0 |9 N/ rmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".
9 |; ?$ A; Z, t1 Z; vNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are
$ L9 {8 h0 S& \. G7 [3 J+ `aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially7 j2 l# x- H' J6 n( L, F7 x. X
non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image
9 h' `9 Q8 d- d& lof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these2 H: S' G- B! g' O: ^
Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those
& R0 f2 p- s& h% [) o; Fpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they2 b$ W% X: {9 N! \+ S6 H
may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some6 v3 t: q7 @! ?4 A8 M. w
of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before: Z- j7 J, g0 `3 Y+ a. u* O
"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all( ~/ }* C4 P/ H: N' F- T; N. y
people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise7 M& \0 X3 q8 j& U6 D. N7 j6 z) b. o
apartments are the way to go? No.
7 ]1 s( D& n/ h# P
8 k( e4 M- c& j) O7 ~, J& |+ j) `
9 h* h3 ?% N% F8 r
Howard Fu:
I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs. But the
0 ], t# [/ @5 v V" Bsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this0 B* U5 y; W/ R5 u: Z0 q8 A
'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make
$ \, t' q% ^7 |" j9 |. @& _0 c/ Xno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so
' [) ^( E! E# ?+ i% t2 g( Y6 jfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant
' E' X9 S) `& I* D! qresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless+ o4 u4 ?5 v; A9 J4 Y; O8 |
Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is' Y: e" W5 n6 j
unlikely to happen too. Sad!
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