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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 : D3 v- U! s4 L( `3 f- ]& Darchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider 5 L: K! h, d$ D, [6 V9 pBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 8 ~! \2 _( ?6 B* A( Ecity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.: c8 u' j7 N; D According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,& e2 h7 e& `; a9 |1 m9 T5 f 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of . Y2 V M* y# i3 I+ UManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within; l+ S; W7 q. R hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among 5 L6 i D: l; c; |* ?. a& Q) Heach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera: C3 x% E/ _) D and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is% u8 h; W. C; g& N( C* n | harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are# V% k+ j5 K/ M! @ descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and 3 x& _3 T/ l. S& N1 W( m yforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I. }3 t* _/ K# @- M) t( r r was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great, k) y* B! P; F4 l7 e1 J impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,* [6 ~9 X) l" n- [& w0 s and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong : ^% B" u2 m0 d' Mhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment + T' x: F2 j9 u# `' W& J) Eof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that3 b3 U8 C1 R3 i( t; s6 l& X V% [ no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are) ` }6 X' M8 q" | only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a / v. n: M5 H. s9 j5 ]+ tsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government. o, f. p% y9 W1 U want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move( ?" x/ H B. \: X' S to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is+ c6 M0 R5 C M u6 F6 d2 q "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 3 @! q1 _; @# S Othis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are ( Z) V) ^6 e% G$ A9 S9 h# 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' n9 s+ w N* d "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make+ }6 g, s/ M4 y money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was- y- S5 c7 {, l a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a3 F- z, y2 x; L3 Y parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across ) ~9 H9 Y( _1 P7 gthe 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' q/ b. u. v1 t importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for " X. i/ {! {2 R4 _1 _! [8 h2 Rdevelopment.

Hutongs 0 F+ O0 N, b/ d9 t; L2 Q7 Rin the old days were residential area where people actually lived5 n6 t6 O; T8 u there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions- w" q/ ?! |! p in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not* D8 W9 O* _2 u8 B1 l! M1 V have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you ) w/ X5 j4 U2 O* ~will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.: \9 ~4 m4 H0 X* B( @8 { Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date0 J2 B @3 l8 r' b4 Z8 @% j0 z to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used - f6 a8 S7 f6 d: v! L+ w/ cto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses* L) j; c6 r) k. R9 o5 J4 B: s0 ?6 A support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically - v5 i8 p( J/ C( k9 }unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to 5 m0 d5 g* J# H/ Clive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, : i" w: r- [" q Y( R0 ^hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 1 A- ^/ S6 B9 u+ Dbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the / u; V. A3 [+ P% X$ X3 J$ zproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be % L6 I+ ]( ?; J5 krenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong! i& @* o0 C* p& E Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how ' F! k: T% D t/ A3 e. speople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be5 O4 B) R0 D5 g& Y" j' x6 I1 R torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished- T& L, @: f% H* i5 B memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".- u- k, Y C6 {# a0 p! g Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 7 U; l; M7 g4 y# r% M) F% U2 xaligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially ) g. [ P9 Q( N4 Z; Knon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image # ^, H$ H C h6 H! h' X1 w% P9 pof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these ( A o5 T+ P; b" p1 @7 q9 P! }Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 9 a1 A3 X( _9 P% }0 F0 M1 w0 cpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they7 N& ~" c$ c1 s1 _3 j3 ~ may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some ; k- n3 L: S7 d- D) c: k) Eof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 5 u# J& q5 ~' A* Y: A"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all& U7 X* o9 a$ f3 ?5 h people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise2 ]5 w5 ?: k1 R$ b apartments are the way to go? No.: D$ g6 I4 l; T 0 @. W* u2 p4 [; R/ @( }0 u. B ) g3 V* o- O- b

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the! h9 g6 d. D7 u9 `# x situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this U' F7 A6 `' j/ e- s+ L( y1 ]8 K& u'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make' w0 n# i* T% r4 b( x0 h! s$ a no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so k6 @+ I5 a$ r5 X B+ o' yfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant! a2 z: b9 v+ R! k& l resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 3 b! d. i1 q* l5 bBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is, v. |" h! p/ t' ^ 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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