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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, its6 h1 q2 w) f! G1 L; t' X, W architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider % s9 j( Y: ^& Z2 A7 oBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" - k5 R- u3 k( L4 l( I2 Hcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. }1 g) T" ]" O2 m According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,+ L. n' _6 t6 O% |+ G# Q: s 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of3 c4 P5 L) T: u4 u5 p Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within" V8 B7 y' X; H* K7 y O3 F hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among ( `# x2 U; P: X! r# i& s Peach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera ' G" |0 h/ M# S$ U! d- Q: aand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is - E2 _( t7 v/ H8 H9 v+ Rharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are8 F" J4 k8 z! \( m2 m6 n descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and/ y0 S2 P V' S; x forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 8 B1 h1 V& U9 H$ Z1 _7 Bwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great7 q( J: h2 @1 D5 c impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, ) @3 }/ M$ C: Z3 K1 dand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong8 D. B" i4 F5 j8 { Q( B has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment % b+ [: F3 V' ]8 l9 vof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that# k; D, |6 s1 |' k( M no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are w- [6 x( D7 T( w: Lonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 9 S, v# E4 V6 |+ Csort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government % W. k/ V6 O3 qwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move g/ {4 N1 C ?& i4 ?* l9 D2 fto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 2 P/ X0 P& o* g) p9 `"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,( R' u8 o( G- `1 L1 n' Q9 \ this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are6 ^( O; e; d) ]% v- {; p$ t9 Z# f 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 ; l. b; g# L$ {"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 5 r& p8 r8 V, K. X6 xmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was) k2 d# L4 w0 |8 U% {7 _) K a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a4 a% j |) b' \$ O- C- ~ parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across0 c/ R" S- {( @/ x M; x0 d/ L 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 9 K8 r6 N4 |+ N: Kimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 5 \8 |- Q2 K" c9 `. H0 K8 H* ydevelopment.

Hutongs . p) [2 S$ u; X) f0 ~in the old days were residential area where people actually lived 2 Z' A |# X9 ]8 r% Fthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions' C5 \, a4 f2 r+ l' [* h* |. V0 t in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not: I6 A( y5 Y/ ~. L1 ~ have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you. J' d' s+ Z7 s- b will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. y4 [" C* r ?9 L Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date' j9 f# [& f$ g. |/ | to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used& e7 ^0 v( _1 _ to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 3 O3 X' f( ~- s0 ksupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically$ q0 ?; P; {% V7 j unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to c" w! T) m4 L R) y0 g) o3 N* wlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 1 ~) q3 C2 e/ m5 S1 c5 Yhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the + C2 l3 {& @; t1 x7 vbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the+ c7 ]8 w2 ?0 [' X+ x5 q7 G7 A project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 5 s, X- m1 A4 }% Y" Grenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong$ A6 B, q M z# B# i/ I+ C2 ?$ `% ^ Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 2 y1 _$ J: v2 N/ p6 ^3 Cpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be " [% G5 s# Q8 q- G3 F, E) p$ htorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 6 i5 I+ G( ?" N: l) K, |memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". 8 U4 u! W! K) }% [' P+ eNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 3 ?3 k# p/ P! oaligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially - L1 E5 F/ c/ ]. C- K1 j' Nnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 9 v( l C) P- ` Gof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these# }" ^+ e' @$ G& X Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those" o3 \& ^0 q6 d0 P' d people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they + g* z; k8 h! g- X2 U, rmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some # C3 A: m: a }2 l+ E W& Sof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 4 M9 l( R; Y+ e1 w' K) j"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all z! _/ m0 i$ v$ a people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise / _0 k5 Q5 Z& k* X% {: xapartments are the way to go? No. , y+ R$ {! C4 o " s4 X% ~1 x" h% ]1 _ 6 F8 b6 N3 o4 l2 [' g1 r

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the9 w' X5 o/ Q! e Y* P+ H2 i situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this * ^, k+ X# E5 o0 }5 G6 P'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make4 {1 M; @& ?, { f$ k+ S$ g) { no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so ( @, B. `3 u7 h1 mfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 5 C/ D$ U& D/ \* |) |, @% tresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless - B1 ?) M- R, q$ z' O M3 G* j5 h' v+ [Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is0 w+ d) u( K9 S# k( J- U 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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