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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: w% [: h6 ^/ [% L) A* ^( k; R architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider* j- Y: L$ J7 e- @1 M! L Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" % n, z: C, ~; I( k8 s. Ccity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. 5 I. I1 B; g- `; k6 qAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,8 S4 s j$ b7 ^' i- j/ x& |: A 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of $ L6 b* w# f4 f6 d) Z. p9 YManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 6 e- X+ F7 p2 x' _7 _6 V5 Thutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among# [ ?# W2 Y7 B5 B# c2 }; ], d/ G each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera' O& b% x7 F- Z7 i9 T and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is( j# R/ x7 t' e( M% H harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are, D& e4 w1 {/ u- { I descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and % c" u4 H# l, G3 ^ V; p7 @3 k" Kforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I2 \( r: S! o4 u& [- f was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great* u' p G/ F7 K) Y) V1 G; } impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,) X' K' h8 O e: X( R& Q( v& A and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong7 _0 I: G! Z* i3 V- L has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment+ D0 D- v1 B. n, C/ N) ^ of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that- w8 a! J5 m9 ?, Y8 S/ A/ z" U1 R no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are5 j7 n4 }* d+ V( B. L2 V' ? only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a# u& [+ e; }! m: z sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government ( }6 e$ ?+ I7 _ O) ]want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 8 h+ y) [) h% ^; Cto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 7 t. _ G9 L" A. ?0 d"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,7 i r4 a! }3 Y5 j this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are3 s3 R, ^( V \: u 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 to % \# ]3 }7 q' [! l"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make- @9 S/ q5 f: Y2 L4 W7 p9 I$ q money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was5 p4 x+ k8 U% ~- w2 `2 p a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a ' Q" A0 Y% a9 ^$ ?0 }parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 5 w6 V# R5 l4 X6 P8 `9 Sthe 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 X1 d4 Z! _3 s# O' B5 { importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for ) U+ R+ K* j7 m+ R4 F& ldevelopment.

Hutongs3 w6 j9 ?0 M1 D& n/ t( ^ in the old days were residential area where people actually lived; A- B/ F7 `5 L0 t( M there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions$ g$ K2 {- q: N O! Z1 |/ l in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not' r- l* e, v8 T3 @ have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you * i9 l0 ~2 F# {: j. Y Nwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.4 y$ v* v, H/ m Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date : I. u7 Z; G6 P3 Z3 {) X/ nto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used * P* U$ c7 Z( U. S4 }; ito hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses; k! h# E0 d. f3 W. \* T7 ] support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically% _! b+ p" a1 e0 }/ t unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to: B; G% `: v/ y, E( G, X& P, K live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,- i" H) `! \2 q5 \ hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the % W1 i, i; L! \% ]' ibalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the 8 k, k, \; G% a' p+ s5 Iproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 2 Y5 P! e+ a1 c( P3 k: e; t% X* Brenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong 3 s4 `& R3 f1 N" s: ?Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 0 m4 J* ?/ x/ D) P: W! l! T* ipeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be) Q3 @# u* E8 e) K, r3 R% }; L% R torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 0 T2 m0 d6 F3 x5 |memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". # J! B6 d! J' `( }Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are9 B+ I0 J9 k9 d2 } aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially1 v5 v4 H" N- f0 m non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image3 \; D+ N9 P- E" {% s4 U of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these ' y' D2 Y" \- R }: I0 dHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those. R- ]( X3 I: ]( I, n6 a) e people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they4 @4 f# G% w4 x% m- U. v may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some 3 C }2 o7 P8 \5 F R6 F7 ]! eof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before/ L# o9 X8 j: X! M7 g+ e: I "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all2 x+ Q. T: N, x; m people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise % J6 g1 M* D1 x! c! p7 ~$ Zapartments are the way to go? No. 7 {' y2 c; v! [$ G! { + P" q. F3 T; r5 o( D. N' J ! ~5 u. u0 o+ v( |6 l# u( @

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the/ e0 |& d8 `9 z( K) E situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this$ _% @" |' Z$ y) W: ^) J: j 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 3 u9 P: U3 T9 |1 Qno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so& ~5 @( w1 v) Z7 ~: c fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant y: x8 A2 B; w. [% }$ J( A0 H( z resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless- d7 Q. }6 p. z* d Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is* m5 U: U c6 B% {5 i( S2 y6 ?7 ] 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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