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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 e" V3 Z1 h% v/ f9 P9 u% m architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider 9 x) e, s' i7 X& GBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian") _" i2 u+ K0 \9 ]" n0 s" Z city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.# T: _. T; O" s8 q4 { According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, - ~- u4 p4 l) P# n; H4 J" h, o/ K3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of7 ?$ o! U) m" g7 v% v) u Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within; q2 Y/ U7 R+ n" n6 D" b$ l: ?0 b hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among ' E) |: n! x4 b/ u( t$ m) `; d" seach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera# C; z$ b" u( y" |- a and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 6 P) u2 L9 V4 n- U2 X# yharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are# r4 @1 ^( a& p, [/ M descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and + l1 S. S9 t9 m- n3 ?' d3 wforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I) m6 r( g: r8 d! h" k6 ]" O was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great' n) ]; L8 T6 j& g' S impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, ; Z% M- L! E2 j5 J2 v0 band we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong 9 y, H. x# r; Hhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment 8 j; }, ?- P/ S b1 R, K; R5 }of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that 5 b7 H" N0 A' Lno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are* d i2 v% x2 T; D O only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a # Z7 R; L$ ?5 k1 J) lsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government% A1 k* l9 N. P. \$ Z want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move % n+ x$ [2 I) f: `+ nto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is3 u6 X# z* I9 ?) A# M6 } "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,. V( g5 K9 r1 P8 x this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are, l+ |* {- X% t0 X/ ]# C! u+ 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 " h" \* y+ t2 o; e7 p) X8 w c"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make/ \. n, u% j% ~4 Z money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was ' t+ z n5 w& A% T( Aa beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a8 [: k% _$ o+ C* z7 U4 } parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across& Q7 @) D" J$ v0 E% L+ {( U( J3 B; @ 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 cultural* T b" S$ N S, K. U importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for ; H/ t8 E6 M adevelopment.

Hutongs2 @7 B* h0 v! Q$ Y" y# L4 n in the old days were residential area where people actually lived ; F+ R0 d7 o) ~ J) q4 _) v- Ethere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions. ?1 M2 v y1 e in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not o) ~: g: j, o have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you+ H$ x4 ]) m7 U2 R) K" W* j! P will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. / v( s+ y( I8 o7 X+ s4 p- l; A* pFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date $ [' x; U* ]" \( }; K3 Vto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used! K+ F* P Z0 s- i/ @/ e& g1 i to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses& t X& X( }4 s) j6 x support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically/ X" H& m' z7 Y& d+ H9 b& e unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to+ m% t! @4 U3 B0 A( T7 x6 e7 R live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, / i* x* [, t1 r" d; Fhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the $ `4 A) H, k$ o ^, zbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the. h* z1 M9 _4 m project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be : {5 d; w) w/ H# ~renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong; w% }8 M' C0 v4 s: r7 H$ p# e& V: `- r Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how# u8 C' c# E) I2 _, v people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be . N2 u H1 X3 e# N. x- H% T4 X7 o* Ktorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished . c" {! T7 {: F2 g @5 t/ Ememories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".) S1 | q$ ~. Q Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 0 _- d- x( y) a4 Jaligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially - T1 J3 |- B$ L- ~0 V$ M0 Inon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 6 A$ w3 U9 ^. d r3 Vof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these * I6 y2 L. d+ G. U" F6 ]Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those( l7 z' s3 \, x" v$ k) W* b people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they : {0 k2 o% X* V3 |7 G1 u: h' M/ Zmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some& b( ]7 [- @9 I* h of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 9 d- i) U5 z+ Z1 } V! N"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all ) T8 ?8 r' X" N* E/ [people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise: Y) x: z$ \, k8 {' t7 u H! j+ [ apartments are the way to go? No.; z; ~% e0 }7 T2 z 7 z; Y: t v( E4 n+ T 4 I: u( Z8 `+ F6 O. E1 k- J; g1 _

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the ; D2 {9 M. c" y% L; ~# Q& vsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this 5 z$ \$ O% I* y) }6 l1 s'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make t+ q* \# ]+ _2 v! dno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so : {$ g, V" H, ^; \. ~; Bfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant6 T5 d/ q* m4 N* F resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless ! C( w1 J" E% m, G# V+ o. {( W) bBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is9 f0 D/ K& k4 A+ ]9 f- 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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