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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 G) i4 f& P$ @# [2 G1 D architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider- ?# P$ l4 {4 v; G Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"% W5 f- c0 R3 d2 W E# F3 f5 [3 w city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. 2 @0 @5 Y0 b4 |3 u! l) p2 UAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, - u+ _) R' p2 `5 ^3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of& `4 e2 d6 [! ~ o/ j1 t* E$ i* L Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within! L' m: _" F" }6 o( ~ L5 j hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among2 T }% U' ^) M2 q each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera+ W [4 ?) ^! ]* n and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 2 L/ K4 {2 E8 O% `( x9 ]$ u8 ]harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are2 N9 X8 h& Q( M; i; D descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and+ M/ Y. {: @$ b( G, m4 B, b/ f) ^, y forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I1 O( l0 w' J S6 |+ j was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great" g6 X/ C2 e5 H1 F impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,) F3 {1 u% N9 ?( z6 M& y and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong 2 |& ]9 j' M ~' W. u" j8 D# s- s2 fhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment& ]) }6 v9 ]" y/ ~ ~ of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that 3 k/ T' `) ], Kno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are+ y9 X- D D2 c }3 W only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a7 U( k/ r1 r2 u. @+ |% Q( v1 H4 D sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government 7 `6 b) Q: T0 C$ D) i, Uwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move: h9 l: _/ K. H9 ^8 }: z to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is , ~* P- H. M* F9 G7 y. w2 V4 U"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, ' p( e/ p* L$ H. ^( @this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are2 g8 q L: Y8 r 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 # Y, }& z- J* s, J# R, r"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make: H8 `4 D6 S3 i( |& u# u; o money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was 5 F9 g ~, M* w+ ^) oa beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a ! G$ P" n+ K: j7 O6 P! M! y$ Iparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across & s; e Y' n, r s, q, Athe 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 7 H: q) q* W6 }5 i9 d# Oimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for & a; ]8 T! A) `2 _# x4 }development.

Hutongs" d( x& X, R. f2 ~0 l in the old days were residential area where people actually lived) y! U+ a8 k$ b4 K# [/ y there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions : {6 D6 M0 ]& U' t& _% Gin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not6 [- W. p U8 t# v1 R2 c) R4 {, c: F have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you , q% j: u. w& o5 Uwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. 3 D9 F6 v/ n+ R6 H: G9 R+ HFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date ! ^% y3 v8 X# S! f' p+ ^1 b4 T+ ?to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used1 M$ E( F! G7 P1 D4 P: T, T to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 5 K. }" I5 }% H" J4 g1 U. ssupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically * W2 {! \' k, E$ q. E. gunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to$ g9 e' M% p. G live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,5 a) S: K2 e* X' P( Q hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the1 P- x7 t7 u; j$ x3 F0 S; l balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the % e' N0 N4 j; U, q2 Fproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be4 S: \' ]# x* o* q- z8 C2 n renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong8 N1 m3 c2 w0 v9 T0 L Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how : [$ Z% V& p: v0 S6 |0 epeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be: d" {( z3 P9 G; W! S torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished" F& a x, L6 V memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".. h1 m' ?2 s3 U3 G# P1 p! r Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are ' w& c4 T- a9 I* x- ^aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially# g+ Q# M) g/ ]* ]3 ^! t non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image3 f1 I0 G+ z9 `9 X# i5 P of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these& F' h/ N$ D! s% r1 r: x! G Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those+ [6 @+ \7 z/ P people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they - }: W* @) G$ P6 ]3 ?1 @may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some * Q8 O: p1 \5 c# H1 @of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before ) A/ R+ b$ r s4 O( ?) E"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all0 C* h1 z' g" T+ D people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise7 ^! O$ ~# h$ ~4 D6 b' O apartments are the way to go? No. ) Y; T7 U5 b V% y j. a* p % P8 C6 T/ J! x% l# g; R5 h * u9 ~0 q! O1 ?- A

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the; d# ?6 F5 s2 W0 B+ `) { _ situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this4 t( a, i+ V7 G& s# { 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make " m, \! E8 j) Z/ Z) [3 X1 ~no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so9 M5 `1 M: N9 @0 r8 j T fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant" i# s/ W# H1 w- W' ` resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless ' l6 J+ B4 a6 C2 wBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is : C' b2 n1 d# n- T4 N: xunlikely 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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