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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 & [* o. r* B0 f) Oarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider ( Z: @6 ~1 k4 V" m6 i& m! H/ ^Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 6 k7 R1 c6 {+ N' bcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture." _9 K, _* v0 \) s: E- J According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, & `- r9 C9 d2 Y/ o% |3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 4 q6 I3 r$ u* L! V; l3 x C1 wManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within6 ]8 v. S1 G5 Z9 W hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among0 c5 s# X3 L" `* k each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera 3 U# ~' b% `0 g3 rand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is6 T! G) f0 P) x- s2 x harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are/ [" F+ A9 s# B1 S$ Z descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and1 v R9 A* _( z2 o" @ forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I / p4 v3 E) F2 v/ Jwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great % }1 q8 X$ _: p' \( {2 Z9 a2 Z# Aimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,6 S& {" O/ t+ |2 F% U/ \ and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong 7 Z. K1 `3 F6 u9 o B) \; `! dhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment5 Z$ G" ]/ Z$ h5 I0 z0 v of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that# b" `! ? F2 R5 B$ z no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 2 w! {. ^1 e$ l) A! h$ lonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a % @" M# ~, h2 n: T( ysort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government . E% g' c5 A3 \. K* ^9 ]6 Rwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move* y9 e+ O- L+ N7 [3 G- D1 ?% x to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 8 V$ j0 O2 Z- [ y( O"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, * q, G3 D3 m( K0 d0 [/ j9 z* D: Tthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are8 t0 o$ J1 u8 Q$ E 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 . u4 I4 P6 g9 R) q! L: r& ?$ T"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make W' O4 s! u8 \" r* ^" g( R money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was ( V) R1 t4 a' l+ Za beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a* L1 N: d0 I. P$ u parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across ) ^$ O9 i% {, S! Rthe 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 u# N* {1 s/ ^' Q% Oimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for' F& w& {: z/ J- t* Z development.

Hutongs9 _- ?7 t% Q$ v& c' y) L in the old days were residential area where people actually lived 6 o8 m) L; G) b x' _there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions : K5 v+ v _1 oin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not % Q* g+ w$ r# ^3 _/ K4 a" X% U# {have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you' |1 L) {0 D" Y ]' H1 v4 q will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.( [# N. \: {) ` ?" }' U* t( L! ?: H Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date3 T' \9 U9 w4 v9 ~5 `0 P$ n- N to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used. o; r. ^" g$ ]' V& X: @ to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 7 f- m, }. h; p# Z, S: G- @) @support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically g" j! ~. A) k, | unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to9 @- j% V0 @4 ^' r- A" | g live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,/ b0 J1 {" Z' |( W% B hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the , I, H5 z/ I( y& m7 P- I0 lbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the3 o% f% t) P8 }+ ?8 ~1 _ project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be( R8 O. `- l8 o4 C4 E- v renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong( ~+ q8 {$ I. v Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how3 V, C9 @+ h7 a9 ^0 U: J0 ~4 i people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be. }* t! y l' A* j. T- _" x torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 4 I2 I9 }7 ~& p' ? c+ fmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". 3 S/ Y& j2 ~1 \1 GNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are$ u8 i& t, b5 f- Q aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially3 p1 Q! I1 f0 R7 b4 y; O& G' A9 m, x non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image $ R4 f4 ^) h [& D& s* `$ {of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these% T! G: v& z! {7 N1 f7 ?) F Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 1 M& Z6 Q! w7 {3 s7 L# wpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 6 X4 {# |& z( f9 a) Y1 c0 Z% hmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some 7 K1 ?) t2 X! h. vof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before: U j. l8 M% }0 e; M: g, S; C" Z9 n "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all S4 {7 z, I5 k% apeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise0 |+ z& Z$ _9 P6 q apartments are the way to go? No.6 v$ R5 O9 k$ _+ ` , C2 D" c, r7 h+ ]7 m' m 6 }9 b$ Q& e* y" n& H1 s* j

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the % I! n5 f [: e$ }+ ~. ksituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this : K# |/ w- f4 O: d# s7 p6 q'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make) V! _% L+ V4 z/ ]4 X: G no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so ' U4 q' [( x( c1 w7 y5 Ifast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant x8 G, I" P5 J" o( h! t8 Lresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless F! k# h3 f: k, pBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is8 G: y. Z7 L# x+ { unlikely 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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