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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, its2 a0 T6 o# f% E$ A7 A8 T5 ?# ?$ G architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider ' K, a" B, q6 e# A1 jBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" ; e8 s5 t/ P9 h2 g$ xcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture./ X& _$ c I+ U* e! [ According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, v, w& d, E1 n# g+ Z! a 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of8 X. p3 F* j3 |( R; [ Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 1 z% {! F( ^( w. f5 @8 f: C% nhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among 9 c+ o7 B6 U4 g% i' |1 s) neach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera; _7 a. ~5 b) U; Y: v2 [! e and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is ) y- N$ Q9 m% Jharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are ; S& V( I8 Z: y* G8 Z" Bdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and) h" `2 v. N4 G% W forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I & s1 d$ J9 @6 S- ~$ E4 F2 Hwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great9 C( `$ |/ ]1 q impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, . D+ b6 _" F+ G# [1 W iand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong ' k$ q4 Q8 ^! c/ \( Xhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment * K7 |0 |' f$ u! x+ G4 bof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that : p# o2 t3 \0 Z, wno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 5 \) u% i9 o P# monly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a) a/ S5 N0 h" z% } A( B sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government: k ~ e1 c0 J! | want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move, L' y* d/ d# A5 d to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is6 Y" z: w( i+ i: r( t3 u+ R "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact," c6 u( x! ]/ ~8 `% z this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are ]8 _# L9 @7 q+ f8 z7 c! \ 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 to7 m, p. p) S: `+ ~- q "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make2 t2 t. j8 C# U0 d2 n$ l) { money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was$ G5 F) o9 w/ b4 U1 V0 [0 o a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a8 L5 A/ p7 a7 U( n( A4 n parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across, x0 a0 ~* Q9 {/ R 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 5 I7 }) c. P1 ?7 T8 _importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for" _7 N* M9 ]. o. l7 ^ development.

Hutongs 9 h w6 T; `" m& m6 d0 Iin the old days were residential area where people actually lived* ?3 v% K$ I8 |# w; A there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions4 `5 t) D' G) w6 D in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not4 b2 q0 w+ T% W/ E, v" t( p have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you ! _5 E$ Y# o3 ?8 \8 X; V& a3 Lwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.4 O1 Y& h n9 D+ X Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date ( R, w* s2 y1 l# {. ^) l2 H' Ato support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used 3 E- D- {. H# U1 z6 k' [- D7 N/ p4 oto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses& r: k4 X/ Z' `1 a4 }4 [ support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically, J( w5 z' {, t: c unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to + Z0 |' e2 y xlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 6 ]' C5 z6 ~! n. i0 B* V9 B dhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 1 l* M5 z! i4 y, v/ k y1 q: bbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the + k/ i/ R5 [5 |7 Cproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be$ T) O! n6 ~7 w% k' O2 `+ b( m+ P renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong 0 e) q2 G0 W$ D, sMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how ' q3 T$ k% U. `: g# Vpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be/ C/ j3 [" M, D/ _9 P3 c torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished a6 ~) Q9 |6 T6 w; i! Omemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".1 C2 O& | B/ H4 } Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are & a) U \5 t; O- q: x- b) s4 _aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially- P) b, W6 s4 }4 K6 I- ^3 l# r non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image9 d2 M8 R" M, J& t of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these, z0 `0 l" e+ {9 O Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those/ Q; G/ M$ V! {0 d( r( k% S people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 7 _& K6 o: k9 Z6 Fmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some; g# A x) Y, S1 F of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before ! L7 {5 I- j7 x"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 7 q* d/ E: c5 o/ Z) `people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 5 {( y! _0 U) uapartments are the way to go? No.! y+ j+ r% K; s4 i1 b* x& A 3 T4 i6 S6 w3 X+ g% B/ ^ 7 }- ?( L7 g1 u+ g5 k7 e

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the7 L% X7 t$ a: c3 c situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this & X7 U# B4 q2 B4 x# B'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make1 J2 J' U I3 b4 I c3 r0 x no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so , V& s0 l2 q+ A. d+ Jfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant # l9 v% B/ \" ~' uresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 5 ]8 A: _6 F, @6 I. {9 iBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is% H# G0 l" K7 m. ^. B% _( j# ~ 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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