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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 5 A) g! T. k: ~8 \' d. b5 ~architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider8 S( H$ A8 o0 b5 u0 i$ S7 _5 @ Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" & J+ a) R- c" C9 |6 Kcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. 7 c$ g# U+ t. h# _According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, * g5 C$ C K5 `& k; W1 A4 h) U" ^! `9 i3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 2 h- w6 t4 V6 p, t" y3 ]Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within8 q: c( B! Y8 g: U& O, ` hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among , i* n. D7 X9 w! _each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera - [8 f8 O4 m* ?and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is # A7 N' _! X% V6 n. \harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are/ b+ [# ]7 O+ B( z, v+ [ descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and ) k6 L5 w* {2 d0 ~forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I) D# w* d/ p3 q6 \! u was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great ' A; e) S @0 _4 j; j, T) X5 u8 cimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, + Q3 t9 ^% {. |( S% Tand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong : e, a5 `4 W% G% fhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment : z+ u0 a( s, z1 _) m( }of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that, b* Y+ P& g$ r2 R+ q8 ~ no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 0 D+ ~9 {5 C7 d% H% d2 i9 _1 x# Nonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a9 I. L2 i- ? v sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government $ H. Y' A& _( ^1 T* g8 y; T. n( t* lwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move& A! e- i1 Q% s1 B8 g: f' i$ r to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 9 o' `$ D: G& O" ^) V"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, ! @" A! M8 c; F7 H; o- ~this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 4 U- o5 n- C. W+ xstill 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 @7 R4 H5 y* T. B' d1 r. ^ "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make % l3 G( h2 S1 k: p6 a3 }- O8 c0 imoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was 5 h9 Z" f% P6 @, {8 D' E! D0 Za beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a & }/ u( l) C4 y. N! Uparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across ) e3 ^6 C9 o* b: jthe 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* L9 t* I0 {6 y- o importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for % q9 I* h( N% zdevelopment.

Hutongs, u. S( Q& G8 B in the old days were residential area where people actually lived h5 a* X1 Q( e& O5 D1 \- J0 }+ d there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions+ o4 d) X7 s4 a) H in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not F" f5 i3 L6 b: B9 \3 M: K0 p% R have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you! j1 V0 a6 ^/ d0 E& ?6 t' V3 i2 D will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. & Q/ c& Q* |8 V# Z+ V& M0 K4 R8 uFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date / A% v1 p* a' Y4 w* z; D1 xto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used2 P/ P1 o* {8 e$ c9 o; F to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 3 L0 D8 b+ N- V5 Usupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically; v# a3 t9 q. T7 H( D% q; T' K unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to1 |/ ^% u& {4 }5 U6 E( I) \$ G/ O* K! N live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, / s+ Y8 {) T8 z- P, l$ v% Nhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 1 P) n% f9 w7 ?/ O" }1 Jbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the- w: u! D# K6 z+ S8 J5 M! P project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be8 `3 ^* y3 l8 D2 f5 G renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong 0 w5 ~4 `0 |: Y! N. q% xMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how4 R ~0 k" S: B+ c [ people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be E' V% H. U: m5 R' H" E% G( _torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished . J, |8 m. X7 |1 x) g, t2 Tmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".: n/ a: f' ]4 e ? r Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 4 I6 ` s7 |+ Y8 g. V) F. faligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially : Q& W) j8 j7 n6 X. C+ b2 R7 F) [non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image% G7 U4 L2 S/ s% L4 ~ of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these ) b5 F5 v6 C) u; p6 y3 _Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those. ^" f8 H2 J- i; \ people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they8 M' `7 S. \+ g) v4 `$ Q2 W4 e may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some" P0 P7 f; d4 F0 v. L- p* c/ M of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before/ @0 ]: G+ ~" v+ l0 d "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 3 T5 f. H7 m/ F% @2 h+ J5 Ypeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise$ r, p4 U6 d: G* {' D% g/ O2 v apartments are the way to go? No.. P" M$ a+ H- }: P" n4 Z+ I ! K" t) [- u# s3 W J1 k! { 2 m4 @$ h) |5 U8 g7 Q, V

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the; q) V a" y0 n+ ` situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this 8 C7 {0 V6 g. u$ \/ Y8 c$ ~( |7 c) e'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make0 R; e: N7 ^$ A8 I, K7 Z. y. y, P no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so4 j9 w4 {+ {. {0 t' W7 J; @, n fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant ' Q2 G, C+ A" Q1 K4 Kresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless : c6 o R: o- T! R5 oBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is5 \; t9 D) r, t1 H9 C) k* l8 e 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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