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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, its7 c9 ^% A$ ?' n |$ C) u( X& w) N# i architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider 5 B# K8 [! |3 B6 r6 w* eBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"# Z$ S8 l; f# \" q5 ?# o/ s city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.% s, t# G+ t; c# e& u- k According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, 2 Y' S$ Q- B0 ~3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of : S2 v8 d7 \$ H1 u; b7 zManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within/ s5 t% X+ p9 i hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among# P4 r3 I- H( m each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera ! Y' r8 ~0 G U/ X7 Gand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is - m5 n6 v9 }2 Tharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are " b% B4 I. j8 B7 {, C2 zdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and ! e9 p2 g' y; A# _) A S# |- aforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I / B3 Q. i2 _: gwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great 7 e! q* Y7 b$ d2 K8 z# |1 Fimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,, c0 [; z% M' }& V, ~* J# ` and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong - p' [2 O; J- `' ?has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment z/ z/ x8 _. d) w of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that ) K8 j- E o/ _3 j/ d [no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 7 [( f# j, V, I1 d# Honly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a ( H8 b7 t9 S* S, Bsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government * _4 |& u% b8 U0 b8 g$ Wwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move . ]* h) C5 T \/ M' z6 t9 |3 M1 mto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 5 X8 b( G8 m3 S8 m z% S! W"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,* P: Q. ^# U- p A& n this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are8 u" _$ ?! y7 c8 ^. I# Y. s$ I 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 9 P1 \( A$ L, c1 ]"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 2 \$ U( T7 a2 omoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was * U) I" q9 N9 b) J" i2 {a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 8 q2 V2 E* s5 e3 s; U2 P2 pparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across " i' |- L3 b$ q, Z! B9 K( vthe 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% ]+ _5 y/ E. j5 J8 F3 A" O importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for % ?3 C* {; s( L; t3 q6 Bdevelopment.

Hutongs * v l- J0 J% c* e2 Zin the old days were residential area where people actually lived/ N; `, ?3 Y" z! r* b+ }( h there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions * g9 Z+ E9 R7 u) }3 G/ n/ o6 Kin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not& p2 b0 t9 Q: G9 R7 L" j have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you Y7 d% I, r/ u+ u7 \2 p* }will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. ( k. }- [. N6 S( ?9 q9 ]- GFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date0 S' s! s. w; n to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used ; D2 Z& O% o3 G% Z1 r. t/ Mto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 1 z( G3 m0 N4 E! B7 i* \support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically1 x ?& G; g% w/ D2 S unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to$ y& k) T {; T ~+ Y5 c- ^% g live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,1 T- {# R, B: c) c hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the- n: u1 J4 q! O) s balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the % o2 J. q# b* n# H- R8 O7 |4 _; Dproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 0 g; C0 f1 _4 L8 H; m2 {, Erenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong X& |" A9 `; F* r Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how0 `$ K3 J. `$ c" S/ e3 O" C% Y' z! w/ N people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be , Y$ `: @! i, {0 itorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished3 @9 O% [2 Q- E' d2 u9 D( z6 {. E memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".1 ]7 ~! [3 B% R! b Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are2 S5 ^6 O6 w0 T; p6 H& C aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially7 w: M3 ]0 a% P& o non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image " \% Z: b( K; e2 e# Eof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these$ p6 F8 a# l# @ Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those9 p6 q, D% Z" A; S people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they * l. @& t0 `3 ~7 e; W' omay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some& s/ e$ E6 P2 c$ R) q of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before " {' R k% S2 R" R" ^"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 4 J; {6 f3 G/ G r# o5 N* Apeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise ! |6 q+ i2 G2 zapartments are the way to go? No." b W4 u" T+ W1 o: y8 B! i , W5 M7 {$ g2 f9 i % A0 N9 D4 S: _. }" W3 p! N+ Z

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the: U0 w8 j6 W2 e' ] situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this , v! s, w0 S& f'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make, i' r; G+ E' ?! d4 S) L6 S no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so2 j+ p& O/ S7 i fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 5 a' G. L# T# x- d7 |, L/ S) qresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless + v6 h* H% U, G) J7 aBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is q; ], n, A5 _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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