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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 7 v1 `& ~5 O6 xarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider 0 J/ D3 @% R! f2 a$ T: wBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"( j$ g* i& Q7 M1 f; f2 I% N city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture./ t8 x3 C# c2 z; G1 | According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,4 x+ a& {9 |/ t* w3 L# A4 ^, n8 ^% s 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of- [4 H8 y( t3 D2 T Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within ( K) v; ]! \! c( Y% ~& Ahutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among$ R! F2 v$ V: z0 X) U/ O; y each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera7 J2 S5 `* r( X' o' a& J. E# _# O and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is . R, B- b$ _/ j( b p! U( H) vharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are. a t) X& c) C4 R" B$ ^ c descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and8 T! Z: W& [$ |$ g4 _& _6 I' ` forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I: _) j! Z0 y! C1 T" n3 o was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great, g6 n5 z2 I1 ]# ~8 k impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,3 [; ^5 C) D1 w' H and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong, W3 P. F, R5 D' [7 ?) S has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment ' e8 H" R7 O L$ fof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that9 K' G; d( G7 L8 w% m* | no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are g1 Q2 l8 v, Y only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a% m2 ?! r) m: x5 H5 ?3 L6 j sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government Q+ K( T% \: \/ Twant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move( P% o3 a* U# f$ `* u1 S4 l) ^ to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is# b: J z) u$ E, D/ y "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, + ~8 B5 h$ C! \/ w0 w$ @, uthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are' ~! O1 N& }, 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 7 H0 l% p( t6 c$ q"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make" f: ~2 H% i- U. g3 Y* e9 a5 G money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was: B; Q. U0 m2 {9 H2 Q% A a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 6 f! x4 Q Y) yparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 2 F3 P: {3 R* O- ~% h5 T, K: A1 pthe 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& M& ^! R2 K- X, x5 x importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 1 K2 O+ K) P& e% P6 A; [) _; ndevelopment.

Hutongs 3 J* j8 s% Y! T+ {- }/ ^8 kin the old days were residential area where people actually lived , s9 Y2 t- r& Q3 k2 q+ q0 \ athere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions # {" z4 M0 j: l/ M% b$ Cin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not4 V- e. c) h. r' o have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you : N# ?$ I0 }( v6 T+ `will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. % F' G$ z' u: A: o7 rFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date : @, ~/ ?: E/ n ^6 j6 nto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used& S0 I4 J; [$ A) ^+ R to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses & K l/ m+ Z/ Vsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically: b6 A- d Y, d/ z% u unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to- o" ]: {6 W( s live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, ' y/ P6 {. T( O/ Rhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 6 U4 k- O+ j% F0 [+ ?+ ~7 @balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the ( c' P% k& F3 p0 X( N! Lproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 9 z8 d2 f+ V b7 v- H+ Urenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong * g& R5 A0 H- c$ U5 W0 v& E( dMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how4 d9 o5 o4 F) N+ E, P5 ^ people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be ; i8 T9 d$ u7 e* V$ y. _torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished2 D6 c' t4 @& Z' A memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". # w4 Y; _1 X4 c0 r- X/ F9 pNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are ' Y3 H, ^1 x8 t+ _; ]8 X/ saligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially / ^+ U" |% X a- ~2 D M8 Dnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image " Y; i4 q" {. w! U. {7 P5 jof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these* n+ n8 V$ F N0 ?0 M* [ Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those; R( w' R# ~* a8 w. k$ s. x people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they) G! d% A/ a; V+ R may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some ) j2 C! C" c! ]of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before+ M, b7 w' k. w! Y0 F' { "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all ! S$ K- V' g$ V7 i# \' Bpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise# P+ y7 }( @9 _% {, w9 T apartments are the way to go? No./ u" H9 t2 L( w7 F8 ~% t( J4 e3 k6 O $ a |3 x3 I' j9 o Q ( U( ]- X! `5 s6 a) q7 R9 v

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the" u7 c* H% k" G# L1 T) c situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this2 t) J4 p+ L- d, A, m2 { 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make ; D( `) }# k0 C* Zno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so* x8 ^# m0 j3 P! z, v3 T9 D4 @: B fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 7 h2 d. r. p9 S4 H: Aresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless! X1 F9 J& h; _5 u! q0 D9 A Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is 5 G" |! ?4 Y" Y* ]+ Z, n funlikely 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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