服务器里的北京 - 老北京网

 找回密码
 注册老北京网
查看: 6267|回复: 1

A Hutong Discussion

[复制链接]
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 8 J# {, ^# W/ B# Sarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider9 ~3 G7 l& b, m. G( ^! g& D2 Q Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"& ] a. d3 h3 P! I* r city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. + q( C4 L) B4 G. k1 l0 IAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, " K! W9 q" Y0 _3 _3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of / Z8 H# r- d, n' Y1 s- q$ J1 `9 RManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within3 d h; [4 z+ c/ e hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among: ~- \' S; i' F o each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera ! `- `" V- U5 x; _and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 0 f1 ]3 {+ K( c% @' ~8 q! L+ [harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are / N9 K4 V" h' ~* Y+ E) n% Gdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and7 _' d3 T3 z6 [0 x" ] forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I0 t" T7 t( D5 Z1 l was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great% x7 f9 g2 ?4 [8 N+ W4 w impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,1 _) S9 y2 Q' b9 a3 \6 H and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong 4 m+ D: k) F+ z' Jhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment " Z" A+ r' G/ Qof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that8 |8 R6 T! @- Z: ]9 L( U no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are1 y# i# a' H8 M! Y only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a9 L; Y e! p" Z& p/ A8 W sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government0 b4 C2 K* p4 j$ y _) }/ A want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move# c& ?! N* ^4 A1 P to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is $ c* E1 v# }5 U! X: Q* b"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 0 }4 {% K' X8 N; l/ L0 Hthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are $ n: ^2 P& x* n- g' A) fstill 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 ?: f! p: C' N0 @" u7 n+ j "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make & f% j3 F b! j0 mmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was0 Y6 E" M- J5 Z, j8 A7 S# \ a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a/ ]' m* Q) l. z9 X3 V' m7 { parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across# D$ Z9 B8 u6 A X4 ]8 s& D 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 H% [3 |& ?/ `$ s importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for ( H4 F2 g7 \, e6 v9 ^development.

Hutongs5 S, |# f2 _& z0 H in the old days were residential area where people actually lived ) j X1 L& }" l& z+ V* Wthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions ' M, J9 m( R, e* V" tin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not3 T( m# \ Y! n0 a, Y; q& T have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you; \- `$ Q2 I% [7 H: X/ H+ b/ A k; ] w will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. ! m8 c! f; O5 t% W2 YFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date8 X3 F8 V' V$ K/ J! ~6 ~ to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used9 @) L$ w8 g# `# @8 `1 ^ to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses . o! v# ~7 ^6 R2 l& \$ z/ ysupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically , N! }! C& ^0 |! Lunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to. q* E5 C6 L8 n/ N; v5 J+ Z4 O, W live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,3 \& v0 R% L0 i8 J hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the6 B" l1 Y2 x$ Q/ h balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the7 q+ i9 r, o+ z0 W, k project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be + \4 K, @2 X: Z7 I4 t# Jrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong2 T+ c G9 |/ i: D9 t3 Q2 A3 K Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how + W5 \! g6 M+ K. ~people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be% d* ]9 T# i ?: j2 s7 _4 F: m torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished0 t- n5 O) z& T" r+ t1 G memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". $ b# \, p. a7 f9 Z* m" f' S9 LNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are& S! l$ u( Q% f3 W8 |( ` aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially / j4 P5 f$ z% d9 mnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image - M& K8 S2 O5 h3 Lof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these' S6 o2 _ E- {3 L( j Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those , n% {$ l4 q$ m3 epeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they; c# k# d% z7 \6 W1 l1 B may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some y& R/ T2 s/ k9 c8 Tof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before + w! s2 h* C9 a9 V, J"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all # Q( X T1 h6 gpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise x# J! Y) {. k A4 K* ]' H) \apartments are the way to go? No. ) E4 m# |& o( H6 D * \8 I) C! H9 N* u M : S1 x5 q9 M2 f% ?% K

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the. }/ g) N5 C; D0 N( ~ situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this . f0 O1 u# w- ?+ Q G% z'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make% Z+ A. F3 j/ ~2 k9 E5 S$ l no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so / ]; h7 u: n2 q R% K, k9 Efast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant ( n( ~0 H5 ]2 F5 C: C1 h8 ?resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 0 ~$ j8 `6 c$ Y, KBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is5 e9 u; y: h% h( 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!!
您需要登录后才可以回帖 登录 | 注册老北京网

本版积分规则

2000.11.1,老北京网自创办之日起,已经运行了 | 老北京网

GMT+8, 2025-12-8 17:03 , Processed in 0.119342 second(s), 17 queries .

道义 良知 责任 担当

CopyRight © 2000-2022 oldbeijing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

返回顶部