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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 8 f& w; r% q7 k+ earchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider 1 ^( T& A0 F% V: t6 C+ fBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" , j" S& I4 t G9 |. ~* y8 s% @! qcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture./ G; t5 G& O% n2 I& y, W% |7 R According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, - Z4 A/ ^2 Z2 ]* b# Y7 Y3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of4 S; `- h$ Y+ t8 z, I7 R" w0 E2 r/ W! c Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within3 J* v. m9 m0 j1 Q, @ hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among 6 P& ]$ ^; L+ v! j4 m @' [; [each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera; L8 C1 g7 h/ t! u. J and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is ! h! U( k% D0 Eharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are 4 H) r7 ?1 C, _; A6 ydescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and, y# j2 R8 i2 O, c* A6 t, } forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I ) H- f& c0 i' z3 ?( `4 |was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great $ o2 i) i9 a" M) u: jimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished," z" v1 @7 j/ t, q" l* Z) r; U" X and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong" [/ l+ z. i7 F2 }! m) i, ^ has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment2 U# ?# r3 X' m& } Q of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that. ?: V- K* X: D% l2 a a; D$ Z: O no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 4 d. B9 j! l$ N8 [only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a + i j/ j' e; E1 R4 q T( osort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government - R- n3 ]+ A: j7 D8 b ?6 ?9 k4 Zwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move' s9 d. M$ M, w to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 4 p% d* M2 B' O; M"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 4 m- U* [, B3 Q H6 t* I' Hthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are+ ~0 v5 G& p: I5 L 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% K1 @5 u' i ^1 i( u. m "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make ; B& O1 w4 Z3 H& {/ Hmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was . z+ `- O d$ o/ @a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a- e4 `$ ?9 _6 z. q3 M! Y parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across) E8 A' r4 G% n. A! I$ C 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 cultural ( m1 o0 D+ }: q1 Y- t7 [$ H8 Q* Himportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for* O4 @: M+ a: b! K; T4 G+ l* |/ P development.

Hutongs 5 x- }) H% q+ @' G l; ^7 yin the old days were residential area where people actually lived5 ]. \% m( [1 G+ ?% q there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions; I, {- Z. v; Y. G) s* s+ p in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not - F( X) {/ l9 Q6 N ], y- F7 p- {have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you9 ^9 [; c* U5 ?) n8 g will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. 1 s. @( ?5 p! t" A2 i2 aFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date 8 `$ w: ^1 `; I- Wto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used2 M$ ^; g% |( S4 {" q; s0 d" a: s to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses * l% G9 H8 u ]3 \3 X% _# Wsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically , |+ Y+ }. C0 q- t: xunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to: r8 o1 r8 I x( K( S3 d live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 4 `- Y* G7 x) b3 ihutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the; J* x/ Y; \; s7 L balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the 7 x) ?- A& Y% }# M: @, @' Eproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be. j$ j5 c' ^# L0 Y/ v/ z3 L renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong% i2 X3 `# p$ p8 J7 R Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 4 P9 w+ L& ~$ v/ Kpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be+ n/ U: N1 h% a6 p torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished , }( `; D B3 x% f9 X+ c8 X0 Fmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". }5 C% j$ ]3 [ Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 6 j$ u# \; J1 h5 oaligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially 8 w8 L, B+ Q1 v8 A/ Q8 c$ @non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image" F1 R/ }6 D3 T* R- j of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these, V- Z4 \# u4 p+ j. G9 x Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those$ E- N" m& ?* p people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 6 ^8 h' p7 O2 j k! v+ y" \may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some9 Q2 D2 R; y# z. N- ]8 {/ e of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before / S! B/ v6 [# ^$ u7 D"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all ' p. d, m2 f0 u6 Ipeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise) P+ L6 S; x Q& @1 _ apartments are the way to go? No.& }9 z, P% I; q 0 d$ A4 z( A/ h* C G3 S% Y8 S 6 V% @1 v) I/ A

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the" U7 m9 `7 }) s2 e# S situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this/ t8 m+ A$ s3 @8 ]5 k 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make - g# J$ o# F! B6 O$ u3 l1 A! Gno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so " p7 O, p8 C5 O. ofast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant - C8 `% [( K# M6 R7 iresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 1 Z' @/ X. `8 I8 I: p& n8 J, BBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is# b, Q( t+ }' M/ B5 I7 K/ X2 C 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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