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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 ! L, o; L" x: U* v4 {% O! ? \architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider6 D! X' V, U& r- b: K Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 0 p% f: ]. Y+ S1 ?) kcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture." @9 ?# `) b8 E4 C+ a According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, , m/ M9 `8 |- K: t1 B3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of1 B% f& F- G1 F3 a( O( b Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within. W2 W* N, v, D( L hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among 2 s k6 `& y% geach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera: N8 E Y: w& p$ Q5 C/ x K and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is9 b; a* |- e5 p @; W9 {5 u harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are" {2 J% i. ^- b6 r. `& a, V descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and0 ~6 R8 I0 t: X0 |" [" F0 { forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I4 P4 V/ K8 z- S7 n was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great1 Q9 ? o6 X. [$ R& n0 \/ l impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, 0 S2 b) ~; _: Jand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong# i, R: A! X. S+ P has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment! j; \1 P4 D% T# y: W2 R$ n2 u of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that _! a' y, r: }/ t1 X. gno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are ( ^4 g9 S4 U- m- g' t( \8 J3 Xonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a7 ]" Q6 N0 n9 m; w" X* s sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government . k$ W1 f& o* d Qwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move9 x: a) \# ~6 ]6 o to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 8 p, B! J3 L4 V$ Q"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, / |7 y+ T0 N1 |; _0 C' Pthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are7 n6 }. Q. {7 q2 ]; Q6 i1 Z 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 + Z! E# D1 N& N) y3 M/ ~"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make ( @1 o# I' m3 L% I, {. q& M( hmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was& q9 l( Z8 Z, n7 p4 I) T a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 4 I W* k" t: Y; U4 [parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across+ I7 n& K) Z( N' v3 N* V5 n' c 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 1 \' t% O; v }/ U* k0 r2 kimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for) R R: U8 }0 j( w# z3 s( } development.

Hutongs * e z" ~4 k' n) I# E$ r- _- hin the old days were residential area where people actually lived+ d) f$ {% j0 T- ~( H( Y there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions0 i7 b8 j( _1 f& I! v. \1 D in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not & U$ G; {' J8 G; ]! Hhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you+ {9 I( t8 a( t will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.2 x! ~3 E0 K9 U n5 F Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date * G4 P9 t4 C C; k- gto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used* r5 ]: r# ?: e% D0 i2 m0 y to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses % ]+ H1 |) i! |1 jsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically3 c5 w: Q0 G2 j7 T4 [3 ^) D2 U- u" O unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to 0 S! r3 q. U# o! i. klive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,* x. T( {# Q( A! z hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the ! A9 n4 d9 _/ kbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the& F) _9 _7 p$ F1 G" R project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be- o3 G# }8 l- o9 t c renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong: \2 F* c9 L9 W Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how $ R/ D0 t: H A) a4 j$ p) Zpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be 8 Z# k+ g3 M+ Z E; Dtorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 9 D; Z& P9 ~) o! ]memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".! C4 a+ w( R1 {/ Z! P) W( D$ k Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are * t. {9 I' s2 oaligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially 9 ]' p0 k$ s7 j5 ^ K( y! dnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image; S: e6 D" f; F of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these 1 N& \# c" w7 I2 m+ q. h5 y* YHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those! N; L) G4 W1 j3 O' e% J) J8 H- ` people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they) t' a5 i% @1 w- _- d# {4 t may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some 1 l z) [% u/ aof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before& P) w# V; P8 K "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all6 u. X" U; \: ?+ M/ x( c people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 1 w. f# A! _- D6 ?3 f6 wapartments are the way to go? No. - Q; c! E3 y" }! j 7 y2 F/ @+ t) q- l2 b5 n# m x , ` I$ R; N- P3 o2 {, \. I

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the) |6 z( _( m4 z9 ^. p7 {1 X situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this ( E# F+ ~) a1 [4 l2 h'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make8 a+ J/ Q1 j3 a8 b no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so: X6 L4 _( R3 A" U6 W4 C fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 0 P" p; K; I; |resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless$ K) j0 v8 v2 u' X" ?8 ` Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is ' W$ }% K- P i0 Z2 t$ zunlikely 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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