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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- |+ v0 k$ _9 Q2 v8 G architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider" l2 c! }4 L6 \7 U$ ` Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"6 L% a2 {1 c) ?4 E/ d, u P city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. ! y, S; F& U! g+ h' o! xAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, 6 x+ Y6 [; P- r3 L d9 C6 g3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of0 g) k. r8 ?$ h' }' n: A* v Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within6 g8 Y( d2 h4 W" S7 R! U hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among . |' ]" O, p" X1 p/ m9 oeach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera N9 U( y5 l) b9 @ and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is& _2 X# `! I2 M! x harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are2 `2 a! e2 x- G" J descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and4 e7 o9 N+ \# E# Z forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I7 r$ B" L+ G6 O; {/ T6 i% n was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great; }1 ?2 y, d4 ^ impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, # t+ K- }+ N6 G. Z' Jand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong 7 \' r& @, m7 i+ c t Vhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment / k2 t0 A( c4 Q5 S- y: Vof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that* m* t5 k' a4 s" ~' N no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are * g/ l% Q2 B0 d3 I( `only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a: m. D' ~; @) [ sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government e; o' O) H- j- X: l( E+ fwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 4 ~% o L7 h. C" o3 I( H/ Q$ k$ Lto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is/ @* ^ ]1 g+ |1 L" U "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,3 ^9 Q+ l& N+ P* R5 A4 U S5 t this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 2 a0 k7 m$ q* `# Qstill 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 to9 D* y: n3 B3 x "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make2 B1 k! Z4 X& i9 Y( S9 M( W( ? money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was0 K3 X% |* }! P. x1 A( m! Y) p a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a/ ]7 y& K/ g3 {( z' V6 E! c! q; G parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across ) A7 _: t# w( o( u! {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 * @8 ]" M+ A8 Wimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for * t& V" n' y3 T2 Q3 sdevelopment.

Hutongs1 n/ K$ ?9 p( b* m, ~ in the old days were residential area where people actually lived. F5 D( Z/ d% ?7 m* l there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions* ]" f ^4 c, o1 A in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not$ g3 O# P) h3 I- t have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you7 a( d3 P( f0 n* B& J1 O will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. # c- f" K7 ~9 R9 r* ~$ ?" [$ X6 QFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date 1 V' h# M+ K! c# s+ D/ @- `to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used( n# ?# W9 O: a% S2 h8 y to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses / T3 P2 n, i$ V6 N: Msupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically : k' [8 _" t) ^5 `unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to + S) X2 X7 Q" r' I7 Q! v8 R" w+ flive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,: w, Z0 n' |, M5 a7 y8 N" e5 n hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 6 x0 D. ], O4 Rbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the8 ~1 I) v4 d3 q project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be1 k& H0 t8 A! t- l3 f5 x5 w, R% M renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong # k5 s( f. C7 _# I# _" }Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how4 `. v0 D( J$ p& z people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be) U- w1 k) s- U; a1 z; h) h* l) z torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished ) r( k" @# A! n0 x3 M- O2 dmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress"., D% ]( L; b: v3 M- t3 n* H! p Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are0 c! y% y7 ` H K4 u, k. t6 F9 Y aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially7 T7 K. X( \ |; u non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image- W3 a2 M4 U F4 q& E of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these S$ E* A5 y6 }Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 9 U. ?( [& m4 O& } i9 W9 Vpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they, A, x" |3 p' j' f; ?6 S7 I- W may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some , w: u6 K5 B# _* a6 Uof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before4 m1 U* _3 s, s u, U; W "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all% G* ?. X5 V$ X( N# R/ Z! P people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise: f, L% {0 i2 @. _# C# z+ V apartments are the way to go? No.( R9 _% y- V0 H! Q! ?5 W1 z# P- T* W $ a3 ~: Z. A+ V% R* e4 w ) L/ @8 M1 ^/ F! p

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the 9 p, A+ ]( P5 Asituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this 1 B0 f [3 s4 B) { u+ P1 K0 A'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make1 M, y( m5 b" n h5 W1 d no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so# K9 o+ h; Z& ?- s& ?: o/ y* p fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 1 j) @( X6 d: F* [resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless1 q2 g: m: I% K Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is5 s$ X: d+ J7 Y; t p 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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