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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, its9 x+ F3 W3 r# d, b" N architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider1 @5 O/ D2 C. ?) ~- `* `/ i Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"1 c+ S7 p4 J& J, h- W: s9 }; p) F, d city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.( _, Z- ^( w7 @4 E$ D9 w8 } According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, ' x; H3 X' y; ~5 E6 I% i3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of" T% K9 R: V! v! B Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 9 x4 S& D" Z9 j$ w1 x1 f& dhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among" C) g3 g2 p, W1 g each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera0 L: z7 x3 w+ }* Z% i" A and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 2 ] f! j; ~* A" B5 Gharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are$ f: l- V" O: S D- p+ y descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and & p( h4 g' l, W' g( F4 H. o; qforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I5 d Q$ z+ V. j- c" ~. U was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great 8 g, H% y# K2 m" A1 }) _impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,7 B7 P' [! \4 F) |% O \) Q) m0 l and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong6 M1 Q! }1 ^8 ~1 T5 n1 o2 i has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment y# F+ [) I7 j- {of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that, g7 a+ _/ y1 Q9 h6 O no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are : P$ {" @ P) z6 T7 vonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a# Q9 S5 i `& r" e: u/ y* R sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government / b5 j3 _. [; owant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 0 s: ] u% Y3 G; Nto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is6 S+ ?" y! i7 I: b# A "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,; o d) M% A. _! J7 R' ?' x3 U this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 3 N& T& F; }" t4 T) ~3 Zstill 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$ }& A8 j; Z4 |9 ~ "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make , O' c$ v$ G% D( l0 \2 }- Vmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was- u& C# @5 U' b5 f a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 9 U8 T2 L& F2 Y5 B, A1 sparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across " g5 \ p; h/ H8 G- l' H! c4 E, ]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 " D- C2 i9 D! g# [* B/ f+ U" S$ Timportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for) h( P4 F2 q T. e8 A- [% T( x development.

Hutongs6 `4 }( W7 \9 \9 F' Y. v' D! m! _$ Z in the old days were residential area where people actually lived / [6 e; }/ B1 |* T n; ]; othere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions$ R6 }, l) b! J7 [- N: b$ L in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not* m+ M: L9 m+ R/ G0 q3 Y% g; h have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you ! `, Y- p9 y6 Bwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.% |, R: i. H: } Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date ' A7 z* {! Q$ `7 H# Eto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used @0 V0 z8 D& n% qto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses * ^: r( D/ x6 b' C) x- ~/ W, z/ R) Nsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically# ^& c2 x: ?$ R" `- C. u, t! z unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to* ]* }, K# q6 \7 S, N; r live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,1 P; b# z, c4 d5 ? hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 6 K! p s6 B4 o$ @; O, tbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the' |( r% C% _/ F& S* K project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be6 s& o0 ^0 A$ W6 f h; E renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong" a# \' v4 ]' u/ O4 i Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 8 n) w# A3 O- a2 A! s' [/ D" Jpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be 2 c. E% N& U; d7 d; R/ X8 {torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished6 J2 S$ k8 Q$ ]# l memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".' X0 |+ c# E7 X0 C, d Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are , q* H& o0 k' E5 Faligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially& t% S: q: {" l/ Z non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image8 h! { h; m$ w% X+ F" v- ]; J of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these ; L( v+ j2 c: v5 d$ c" fHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those7 v3 N x/ ` h people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 1 M \- }) B: V: Rmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some" R0 O8 s: s6 z5 k) ] of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before! z: F ?; v: z' ? "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all( e& H2 K+ M8 J9 L people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 7 b& I0 S9 E( S& Yapartments are the way to go? No.2 n' a7 v3 X7 i- b& N - S+ t: H& `9 E% H 9 A q5 w- N2 ?# \+ {0 G

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the 0 U. k' v9 O) _8 e( Gsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this * J5 t4 E5 k4 S4 M) K* Q'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make* k* N+ k, @- E! @+ n, P no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so$ A( b! s7 P1 t fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant " T( D9 c4 Q3 Xresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 4 L+ C5 C m7 b. v+ J$ f, ^& PBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is4 f9 K7 d& m# O# @; L2 ]4 ~ 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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