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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, its5 H9 E5 Z' Z! b$ F0 k F# h architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider- e W1 K/ B \' r1 z6 q4 I! q Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 6 h' c+ Q9 w$ hcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. # }0 K [" `% ZAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, 7 y& h" l" H0 X) D3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of ( J4 g, e9 b& G# T! x% SManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within : x4 N8 r' ], l- B( a; ~: y: hhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among " `5 I3 s. m7 N( C, z, q. Peach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera $ o$ }. x2 D: w: hand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is" `' @0 Y m5 W2 E harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are0 M7 i% p$ Y, z/ h: @ descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and 9 C1 k6 _0 Q% S+ y( t! D/ f; Vforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I& |+ g8 V. r7 l# Z( S- ^ was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great 9 ]! w% B% ^) mimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, & ^: G c/ y0 `2 O+ V: r7 L' t4 r8 C( _and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong9 D' F$ s" y* r) T has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment ! t- E, Z& i) a6 S& jof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that+ p$ H* X: g0 ^1 u- o" G0 Q no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 9 O" h6 t- H5 Konly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a. |/ e2 X l2 d3 Z3 M sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government4 X" R1 v+ X6 R* j1 a h N9 H+ ~, X want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move8 }! @: G! x) B6 F to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 5 V9 F1 d: P1 x"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,, y; x; s, F2 O7 j+ G this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are $ K1 b7 `6 k8 r/ b1 ystill 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% Q0 s' Q! k4 Y( ~; z, C0 D "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make ! X9 o0 w5 L; t! i: @money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was * s" d* G/ K* I! |a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a+ Q e8 I1 `! f# Y/ `- `/ c4 w parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across + ?0 \7 ~# h: S% T; D1 Qthe 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 / U+ \% b% Q- M4 P( y. Uimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for0 w; q( b9 w& C5 S. u. y' O development.

Hutongs 2 a4 u6 a( p9 ~5 [7 rin the old days were residential area where people actually lived4 [/ z/ `5 P: n4 D" Q there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions 6 Y: B/ Q" I' o, Kin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not" w$ d% C7 m- U- {* j) ] have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you . u/ ~3 m) Q3 ~7 S3 T7 i9 kwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.; E+ Q& m. ]* W Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date1 }' K: o, J7 A' P( E0 t to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used + s4 @8 y- @4 B) s0 F% }to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses, _- D+ d. E9 j support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically4 j, G) W' d9 I4 j' z1 v9 M/ Z unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to 8 {! k! y$ l* h) i& Z, }# U/ s3 [live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 8 b8 A t1 T/ g" L5 dhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 6 Z; {* g6 `5 }" d5 jbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the' t5 G* W$ @+ w project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be: o( y2 K/ H7 ^! l renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong ; G1 G: X9 x8 T5 Q* A" nMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how4 A7 X6 C' ~ i" T% G# |6 T people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be 4 C6 F: C( I7 a m- Ltorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 7 {) _/ b+ j1 F2 D4 F6 E0 n" m5 K" fmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".% Q9 q% u7 }9 \: N Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are5 ?9 u5 m! x7 S3 L1 Q# Z$ m aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially 4 _4 Y# [% R8 Q8 n4 Dnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image4 S. |+ A7 i: r% [ Y- h. T of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these# F: u2 Y* r K3 k& j Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those9 N2 |& ]7 I: w+ j& X9 K- L people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they7 i1 A6 [* |/ C8 ^1 z2 O+ N may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some ( m8 j! o& Y' j ?: A% Nof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 8 c7 R1 W ~9 n, S! Y! ["modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 0 m# P' r* H! O* a: i2 Tpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 0 B( m4 ?$ [ d& Q/ j# @. {; Napartments are the way to go? No. + w. d8 f; H/ Z , w9 I5 e% r# e# p+ m * L6 {1 a! D, D# T# N( Z

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the- ]" Y/ M4 {5 d8 p0 d+ z situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this% {' g. i1 Z5 \) |) q# _ 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make1 w( z7 P3 m! F x+ x6 X. ^5 Z no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so7 X( \4 R# L8 u" A$ u$ a$ B/ A fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant+ q; b3 o1 l- K! |1 O A resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless6 }$ ^, v- N n& H- B Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is + e; p# g& w+ e7 yunlikely 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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