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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, its0 m3 s2 ?- |* x7 A architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider $ r: y" V: u" y+ h1 |Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" : d' ]3 |) ]6 m7 E* B0 D& Qcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. % X4 j; |$ p9 F6 M. hAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,7 ^" W4 P N O3 _9 m 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of. X- ^2 y4 ~2 L Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within ) m5 ?) y& r; ~! N- ohutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among8 u6 V* i: \) @ each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera * m( [3 ?( _# h6 c+ ~! N/ O1 H- }and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is- G" r/ _/ g7 k0 c$ h harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are ) L4 \' j2 d# Z" L+ k" o6 y/ E" xdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and 9 O% U& w# V' C5 ~- }- N- [4 k( `forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 9 f1 F/ [4 a) ] Y7 \was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great 0 e$ e( ?0 E7 f+ e$ w9 timpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,' f3 U% `& q" b and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong ; |- o0 X/ @5 }. V" Shas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment ' n* C6 M2 I5 Q! s+ l& D' c* pof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that7 a+ x5 _4 @+ A: o/ p5 @: I no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 4 `0 F" w" J9 D" U& [! fonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a) S' O: [$ ?/ a4 O, z9 b" W- | sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government 6 C6 `$ S# p1 L" c( Bwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 8 r4 I/ |8 g5 S& m4 \/ u) Uto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is ; B7 v+ D" N, _' }- h"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 6 c3 B% Y( J8 `. nthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are; H0 j9 g; W: Y. K 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 to4 f, m& P( Q1 o2 e "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make6 Z7 A) B6 |% q: {! p- s6 n money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was( w8 k( B& N; z/ E! d1 N a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a : W9 W( w1 J. kparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across6 o( y" _, ^3 T! e! y! A 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 cultural2 R6 \$ S. ~: a# j9 _ importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for$ n7 R# |0 ]5 g2 L9 W development.

Hutongs% W% N' s3 c1 r3 N# u( Q6 J in the old days were residential area where people actually lived , R) f- b6 Y5 Z/ Q$ E; M& s- vthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions$ D5 F! t. y' |# J0 v" h in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not : F* w' W7 I7 e# khave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you ! g! _! ]# D( _8 B9 W7 _1 G( }9 _will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. # _8 O R+ u! A9 T$ m% SFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date, @4 q# u2 N' A3 C: D6 O to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used + c5 O; q$ c* L% V" ?, fto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses& a5 V( K& K$ @1 U5 x support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 6 E7 p! D( x6 w2 F8 E( j# {unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to+ {4 y! s7 h1 o; {- M/ |6 y- U live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 1 E7 m( p; e: r% P2 u; D7 [5 Ghutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 8 J" L3 ~2 ^3 t7 F) s3 O- H# N3 L, Hbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the" t, t7 Y9 ]6 _4 P: K; @; ~ project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be4 D, C- J% s. l$ o' K/ H% h renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong . T- v0 d/ o9 O+ |7 } rMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 3 E: C# K) k% V, ]2 Ypeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be & q, D* B1 i8 @1 G3 O% U3 X2 ^torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished3 a+ C" p- A9 Z U' U memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".6 o7 x5 O, s+ K0 c; V9 [ Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are' v7 l( p* a' P: |) j" [ aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially / a& d" i' b% onon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image) [" K0 i2 X) F; |! w4 a& w, O of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these$ l' e5 M+ n+ L3 R4 A: @ Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those # u! v7 h/ R+ ^( ?0 x# V- o8 cpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they . Y9 l1 |5 x* o9 d$ M) |! @may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some ' l6 A0 P6 K% x5 x0 C3 ?9 t8 [of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before& _, {6 J2 l! s2 l- Q1 P/ n "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 2 Q6 |2 I- c' I$ npeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise ! T7 i* w( ^- ~+ ]1 @" w: L; Mapartments are the way to go? No.% c* `6 F$ Q" _* M; h, c: I ! m5 p9 O' {, t3 { , `; t1 l# L6 J J& [

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the * H# X$ k' o: ]3 P+ n* z# d asituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this . [6 v/ \( ] f. t5 G; N; P'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make0 E; o1 q! t! B' V k no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so$ q ~$ T% d+ \& M+ `5 S fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant : z5 }2 \% T l! Vresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 8 O. i: G2 t' ]) d9 cBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is + d' h; t b$ cunlikely 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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