|繁體中文 切换到宽版

服务器里的北京 - 老北京网

 找回密码
 注册老北京网

QQ登录

只需一步,快速开始

查看: 5988|回复: 1

A Hutong Discussion

[复制链接] 放大 缩小 原始字体
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 8 @2 K1 R" e( n; X- X. Yarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider- d6 l) s$ x7 R! i' f6 v) z Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" & I6 U9 x- ]$ z/ F* fcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture./ o" }9 X1 O# D According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, # B' I5 e% F/ w7 }3 X. N2 P O3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of - K, A) `; ^( L) h1 b* x* WManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within . o' i! K# t5 U" T# e9 [hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among , s6 Z# n2 |# m0 S" ceach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera+ c" \) n: h; B0 K5 s and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is$ [& g) a; {/ i" y- ` harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are / E: M' n4 ]* V( j' cdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and+ D6 M g; ?# ~ forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I' n* M% p. ]5 K0 h0 a: M was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great ! u) [) ~* R9 p; Vimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,* z# M1 f/ X6 W1 b u. C# U and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong 9 m+ v( A' @9 khas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment! _2 B4 d9 X' \" u' o0 i of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that ( s4 j# I, u8 w4 w* ` y9 c& dno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 9 z8 C/ o; t" w% d9 _& \only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a0 [6 t! |8 g% ~$ _ sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government' r5 B/ d* F3 M" m& g+ ] want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 7 ^# m# G5 {4 S6 L! K+ Jto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is2 E8 N' d( ?+ d9 C. u2 R# k "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, ; a1 i& L$ U8 s- N1 N/ }: tthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are ( o% o2 w# `* B$ r) @$ kstill 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 . X K5 S# ^. j. r$ _"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make! A- z/ y6 g3 M+ D' [; k$ l5 B, x money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was & b% n8 v+ x- X$ K2 W1 `# na beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a! T# f! W# Q% H" {9 k parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across9 C' M) T" \+ k; G0 {6 p! V) ? 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 cultural5 V7 j! P3 K8 {# X importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for ; B( ~ a" P2 r$ `% fdevelopment.

Hutongs& o. Q; X, b9 u H9 D% t( W) E in the old days were residential area where people actually lived " a2 q# E% P' C m. a2 e6 zthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions* J/ }% t% }% w" @; B/ Y in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not ' V& c, h" i. C) g' thave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you5 y* x' R/ [: D will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.& T& |& j2 v0 @ Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date3 r8 T! `' y0 L to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used $ U1 p$ z% ~! l4 Q: ?7 _% pto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses" ?0 x+ |# z! n% q' Z support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically " e0 O ]$ C1 }unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to- @3 y2 `/ w0 k5 J live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, . R- d6 F' Q* _. ]4 ?) nhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 8 D1 H3 U' q/ p _4 m, fbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the% `" w) K$ `- T7 V9 _; { project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be+ J; c( F- W* G7 S3 Z renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong4 K$ t: q$ S) Y( h% X" e8 D( @ Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how$ r6 M$ S1 y! H q0 z. I people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be# l* R) \5 ?& n0 i9 _3 M q* n torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished3 N1 P; d' o% H memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".- p, q. P3 c5 m( `% D; Q6 e Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are, Q7 z- B- v0 T' a aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially, v% U1 d% y) H$ {# ?- U non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image& J) y! A* A$ _. t Q3 ]( j% f6 s3 @ of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these " |/ H& [* x/ o0 l( S0 l/ L! NHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those3 k% ~2 E/ T( K A# h# ~1 t6 [ people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 3 c# j" }( W% } o/ {may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some9 q7 a% I6 J) t; ]2 X# ~ of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 7 A3 y; o# `% c3 `6 @"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all" Q# V/ f# M' Q! t) M people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 7 z- |9 [& H9 o4 L2 zapartments are the way to go? No.( E2 H a% S; h: o. a( c6 } M + l1 F+ T& ^/ M" j b U9 H; y( ]4 s8 ] s& [6 e. l

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the - N, [7 n; c+ {" j2 E* E- qsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this 4 |' ~, q; o5 {/ O'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make ( [: @% {" b0 J3 J' F" gno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so 6 e0 v0 p2 h( D# k/ Lfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant8 Z) B5 Q) @' \, Q9 E$ V. @ J7 ` resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless+ c% _) z2 q& `0 A' e Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is : Q! Z* C- v1 y/ Sunlikely to happen too. Sad!
回复

举报

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!!
您需要登录后才可以回帖 登录 | 注册老北京网

本版积分规则

上个主题 下个主题 快速回复 返回列表 官方QQ群

2000.11.1,老北京网自创办之日起,已经运行了 | 老北京网

GMT+8, 2025-7-4 21:00 , Processed in 1.200129 second(s), 5 queries , MemCache On.

道义 良知 责任 担当

CopyRight © 2000-2022 oldbeijing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

返回顶部