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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$ R5 Y4 w. \, {5 I, s+ P' I architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider * G; R! r. E( m! BBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 7 P& V1 D' A# N& d7 K4 [! pcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. $ N7 j7 R8 u! X" xAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,+ T5 C& l# }0 m/ [0 { 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of3 \4 l+ c& e1 b" o; y% @. n Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within1 c5 h3 r2 p% R, K; \0 r hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among * \, r% p7 A1 Leach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera 0 H. J, e8 F; yand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is- B2 ^' U" `: B9 z* w harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are( g2 O8 U, x- B6 e3 r$ ^3 G) ] descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and - Z3 f5 n' |+ d, Q' f+ t/ |forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I1 N% w9 i7 d3 P! r8 K0 r was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great 3 w' y9 C, e) C- [impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, % W9 z: v* I) x( e6 q3 vand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong9 W8 e& W. ?* j has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment! h7 }* l8 m# m/ s0 `8 g n of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that+ [" Z1 Z* r+ p: f8 k no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 8 C$ ?9 V1 p7 C2 v* E5 Monly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a3 k$ S: h: X5 X/ e sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government7 ]& H6 u& F% Q6 G! } o want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 4 g" M8 S4 f' {" `* @to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is' p$ N% y3 @0 f7 x6 { "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,9 t2 f1 C& o1 o* w8 C- T/ w this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 4 M9 [$ [. H6 r9 n8 p2 a4 U4 @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 i1 K+ ]( c6 v3 ^! V "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 9 F% \ I a2 v6 g" l- j" {money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was2 n0 _7 y4 [& e5 {5 y5 x a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a/ D7 e H5 W4 a$ }$ c parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across! N/ p5 G" z( |8 n- d 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 3 u( G' Z R( h" k1 i; Qimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for2 \) w, i. L/ q5 G! l0 o development.

Hutongs9 @3 K! R+ ~1 D: Z in the old days were residential area where people actually lived3 g3 B& S* [3 ~' ~% v7 H1 P there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions0 M- X/ [" T. v; z in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not ' L$ n2 M/ }/ x0 \- s# Ehave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you ! h/ ]( Q) \8 C0 n$ f4 L$ \will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.+ n; U* `( J, q$ C" C6 v( Y Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date; @( m! p! ] Z to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used0 X, a4 w: e' h# S( t to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 2 r& y7 E/ s5 S- rsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically* U( O2 _3 [$ I unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to: N ~# L8 _ c J5 Z' Z live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, $ {5 g$ g f4 C9 Xhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the6 c( ~3 Z x' S- n1 ` balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the' R% k- h3 k! z& S+ z- | project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 8 \6 {3 @4 w* t+ a( C$ ?) Vrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong 6 Z; J1 g/ s" X% W0 y8 d! {Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how6 P; K. A8 X5 O: R0 p# r6 N4 Q/ Z people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be+ }6 ~3 X: D2 s; e; Q, G torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished4 w& b+ v# l. `- u [' u$ v memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".; E- q/ e1 _& v- l0 |- x$ q Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are: O' \; i4 i& f( ~, m9 p1 k, p8 h aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially - i$ {; H6 N. w% \non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image9 _7 H. y/ E4 R8 w4 {# q, _ of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these# ~. Q$ q) C' i/ ]" [* W% y Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those5 e1 p& y4 j8 H7 N2 G2 {5 F people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they # o5 L5 [) P: a. t9 B7 gmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some * n( K$ |6 N, T% V2 jof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before* E2 P6 ?( P, D1 |0 b- Q; O$ z "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all0 M" @( x8 |+ N people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise+ C- q3 C0 X1 }7 a# n/ m apartments are the way to go? No. ; U" l; N. j% y {, C ( D* d: y" o5 S ~ - i9 A$ g% B2 w2 Y

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the 0 s/ b7 r' ~/ H2 g0 xsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this h( }! |; ?* {- L 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make y: \; R# X: B# }6 b0 T o no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so; l( X' ~$ a. I0 n$ f fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant2 |! J* l5 X9 t$ V1 b/ \1 r; n resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless, a& q, R! x+ K# y# r Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is# R/ P+ W2 g/ `2 ?9 N) Q 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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