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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 3 f4 y) W f8 R- h$ e% e; j* karchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider M6 ]4 ~, e2 x2 t/ R7 h Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"0 |) {7 |- n. g6 j; I* x+ e city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.: d9 X1 `) e3 A According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, " w' V- B1 H. X T3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of3 D! L/ k/ v2 i: M. ~) M Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 7 ^8 M8 d* x1 F8 ?6 g x5 hhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among 9 [) X( U/ e- b3 {each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera 6 w( P$ e1 R6 h7 z- fand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is . d! J0 r7 {" q6 lharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are- E8 M4 | C/ P6 W7 C* N: H descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and0 o' |' b9 U1 [3 p* n forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 4 g& x# O# s0 W* p. xwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great " a& `* H4 ~7 W8 G/ uimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,) P1 O; j1 s' j: h and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong2 X& `! m7 f5 C7 J C t3 u# x7 M has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment; b4 p7 a5 O4 I& X5 ` of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that & B( N+ c2 X1 W5 Pno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are , R& |$ N( l: P* w+ G; f' s, ponly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a' g7 b3 j) X: t! [! D5 O" [ sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government, f1 |1 K" u% E( [; m* I want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 5 ]& b, B+ r6 Y# C. Lto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is. U Q E- `+ v$ _/ C7 X "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, ^4 J, H. |, K h/ Y/ q- w* |( I2 athis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are4 W+ q' E8 j1 O% K1 d! Z8 ` 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 to8 c7 b# j# R% ]7 P' z "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make. P0 ]2 n7 X9 Q; A6 a2 K- G$ ^ money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was' p! g+ n6 ]' e5 R9 n2 s a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a+ Z [6 w- M8 u: X0 x: k parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across ; P3 n- R, _* 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 cultural' k& r% d6 A. V) e; R( q) ] importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 6 ^( {" s+ f6 Z: \1 bdevelopment.

Hutongs ! j4 Q/ E/ [' G6 @6 {1 W& xin the old days were residential area where people actually lived! [) S9 f# X2 P3 _; ~ there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions% N d, f; p/ F m8 @ in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not t( y+ S& c) Yhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you 4 s) ]# s4 c {: J6 ]" mwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. 3 I$ a* @5 ?+ n- V% T& f! x% VFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date9 M& F! d# l( e& X. |, {& G# L0 c6 r to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used% X* g( \$ |: o to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses% X! V3 j8 K" m! A9 \4 `# k support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically9 s/ i5 M9 a" Q; Q; |9 K unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to 0 M' {) x" K" u' K% G+ j6 c2 tlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, - L9 h% e6 j: q/ L$ Q' @" I" N7 ahutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 2 G: G+ z& Q" g1 T, hbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the% l3 ^, ?0 B# B+ E- Y; Z0 C project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be2 n$ T. n, ]# v. n6 I renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong( J+ p0 L8 m/ m5 E8 f% [7 T9 J Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 0 v9 s8 q8 a) t2 }5 S" ~3 Kpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be, h: b" t' s: k i. u( u torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished6 S6 ~% H1 N* Q2 k3 X memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". , J0 }' V% E8 I6 v' E7 ~Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are / P1 T' x, @. u0 j. g3 i* i% r' p7 aaligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially 6 B0 b' x6 s7 K# a3 f* s6 Nnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image * t6 S i; R- D3 Rof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these + w! z/ y3 _# m2 ]: P3 n- zHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 3 n& S$ K$ }1 u* w% Gpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they m1 `* p0 t. o" v' N+ ?( C$ I+ ^ may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some & `' n; o" G/ E' o Qof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before ) `! h8 y. W2 y"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all + M; R4 Y3 m. T: Gpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise - d6 N9 Y+ g5 b% c. s' [apartments are the way to go? No.& D$ O3 o" y4 x% N8 d# x 2 v6 H$ P z; ]2 n 8 ^- x4 u& t, X. R. P( S

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the& r f; H; h8 S7 ~0 z# n9 G, L& | situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this 6 |" |! N- |) y6 M O'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 8 e# ]3 U# }: O) U. eno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so ! P9 ?+ {- W* r$ V5 z# Ffast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 1 A9 d, y* G" j7 {6 I cresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless7 ]" M3 `. F% Y+ K G. L- U Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is 5 g0 k% g) V0 gunlikely 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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