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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, its9 Q( d( Y& u9 r6 W+ N9 z
architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider: j" I7 b( |) d. C
Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"
v2 j, {3 r# D- M5 S' n# [8 mcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.1 z2 A1 G5 \0 S% Z4 s
According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,8 q7 i1 \6 R2 J! B5 U- I! u
3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of- C. G' o2 Q5 ~, n
Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.
Within
( z% ~( A3 G' xhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among1 E; x4 j0 o/ \/ A6 B4 Q- [
each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera
3 i1 i$ r3 F0 `, ~7 p$ Iand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is
: q+ L* N2 C( @1 s) X# i8 Eharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are
; H7 d' A6 J% J6 S0 q+ ?' {8 O& o8 {descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and7 M9 a6 G8 n: z! x D4 X+ v
forms of culture emerged in hutong.
I
u2 ~$ P" o6 Z. f9 j4 _8 pwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great
( T) \: Q5 k6 H! ]1 ?3 G0 m) K8 }9 Aimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,1 w5 G, s3 n, _5 k
and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong( x9 }- a3 ?5 ~* h$ r
has a history of more than 400 years!
Since 1999, the demolishment
, z! }' |- O& g) W% sof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that# r1 O/ ?- G% d3 z! r3 O
no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are3 K2 x! l0 P7 A7 y2 Y
only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a9 A. w- G) U9 f
sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government( o! N) `5 h n
want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move
$ e' W5 e3 s$ |$ W+ ]6 Ato the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is
* {. d9 i+ A) u$ f4 u"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,. n& l: v6 z6 r
this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are
+ S, g. c( |. \: Gstill 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( V" ^" q$ d. R( j3 L$ Q
"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make% i6 W2 {: G) a5 u, `, t& a2 ~! z
money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was/ I. y7 q# S3 q. K( l% S
a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a
# y2 x- U( O% v2 `6 Cparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across9 O( q) U1 ]; O8 [! S
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 cultural2 F: h( i0 Q$ W z
importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for
& K- ? @- Q3 ^+ S% Z1 s' |development.
Hutongs' A! H" B% H" ~' T
in the old days were residential area where people actually lived
) l" ]' j) j5 j$ q( g9 o& dthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions# C8 i3 N& Q! E( L! b' K! O, Q6 n
in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not
4 Q) y% |0 ]% `9 X$ y6 thave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you
" f- c4 E4 E2 |/ x. n5 l7 hwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.
2 m5 n+ H; `0 o/ h5 V% \2 v! Q+ T/ uFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date
0 h3 a7 u+ W, O( u+ Yto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used2 _" m- Q B% Q( R4 H8 d
to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses7 [. k$ Z3 o5 b- s9 {
support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically! N/ C T2 Q6 F# ]4 N4 b% c
unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to
5 |4 _" _: C# @8 Z; Rlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,3 J. J+ g% Z. b u/ A
hutong is only a tourist attraction.
The best way to find the; L) z2 x. \ v/ a7 L3 M. I5 q/ P
balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the$ K2 u; M9 J! [( N6 e
project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be1 L* J$ |: d* b l p' @ w
renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong
3 ~( d" u4 A1 `6 p1 ZMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how* p2 D0 Y9 Z- h" n& ]5 d, C
people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be* T+ P+ j4 I' W3 R4 B
torn down or transformed into something else.
TwinkieDP:
I'm sorry that your cherished$ s1 J4 l3 r4 I, V/ o5 \' M
memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".: s" P: n# K" z: b* g) t2 b
Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are
/ e7 b, a; p0 Y- J; R" X/ d4 ^aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially
* I( H _: ~* s) ~) R: h* Vnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image
. u* c4 Q, h/ q- c- dof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these) N# p" V$ p; R7 }2 x
Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those
x4 r5 U; N7 b$ V; {people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they
$ W, ?% b3 Q/ ~8 n4 l& Z+ L9 x1 k3 Hmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some
5 a2 U+ S" k4 f% P* F1 o0 uof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before- o. h5 l* I9 B8 A% `4 Z6 s0 x
"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all. r6 V$ I1 x. t; C. c
people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise
, m! \! F8 x% ?) zapartments are the way to go? No.% q& t$ N, r6 G) M
) O+ r' `* t0 E
; K; q* P1 B3 T i0 x
Howard Fu:
I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs. But the
1 q( M; y3 k' M; ]) Y. Wsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this
/ [) S2 ]7 M9 k( `- E2 U'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make
; H- ]: |2 a: K7 X& {no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so
' K9 b, K+ X) K6 b$ Rfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant
4 ^7 t6 N, `& p% j) h5 _9 mresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless8 H. f8 q7 W5 y! ]% \: N+ B
Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is Q: V# r0 ~, ?7 u' Y' [+ p+ |' l3 W# M7 R
unlikely to happen too. Sad!
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