服务器里的北京 - 老北京网

 找回密码
 注册老北京网
查看: 6637|回复: 1

A Hutong Discussion

[复制链接]
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 |. Z; P' b0 L& F architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider% ^5 J( q* p- _$ Q, W. Y Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"" l. |' z9 D! E8 y city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.( g! V0 R" ^5 r- R5 H/ j) _! ^, H According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, ; {. |3 d( q. \8 n/ e% q3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 3 h0 g/ ?+ B4 A( T1 J( IManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within ( K$ _- w3 c1 w/ ~+ P' khutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among 2 D! c- V8 @& i+ Zeach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera' O3 ~" ^6 F2 u& r) X and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is' |' F& G, t) d2 f, \- b harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are - ^! y( b, \. J9 \" e9 K+ bdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and p R8 m7 u7 Q3 ]# K+ u/ m( U forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I! p5 r/ ~% z! Y( q7 @! S was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great* U& g; s5 W/ R& x3 U5 c2 L impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,% b" `1 w5 b- m1 w: m2 ~ and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong $ Y% n0 j3 {! z! M5 Y# ]( e& b3 chas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment # ^( o0 ~; P! B1 L# z$ Q4 T) aof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that 0 o- |- Y' L/ @# w" W( j/ @no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are , q4 z# \ R" S- o3 `4 h1 b9 U, {only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 1 _" t' a* R% p" X( m1 E' Gsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government; V3 N* b O7 c want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move) u r% u* Q+ L- ~ to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is * p$ g9 J' {7 t( Y- @2 Z3 p) C"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, * W5 }# t/ Q! n# @/ [this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 8 M9 v; Y$ W- B. Q( Fstill 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 to6 {! H2 c+ h" D "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make7 y+ T0 J0 s6 v money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was5 ?6 f& l! z; s5 p) ? a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a ; p% z5 J: v/ X' R: s J0 Gparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across ; m- I' ~' K6 f. @5 bthe 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, N A. b$ H) u; [ importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for - B1 p! d7 P$ X2 H: [# j& Odevelopment.

Hutongs% M1 d8 U; K& Q q3 |, _. [: g& U in the old days were residential area where people actually lived h' B' a! z8 Sthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions2 N8 ?' y! Z* \3 u4 d% r in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not: m1 e0 j6 `1 _) _6 r* v4 x have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you 3 F$ {8 g6 w% Q+ Qwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. a. f( d3 n- UFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date 2 {; N- L1 ~& ]( a6 |: m- sto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used W: q' {1 }7 x$ o( j f6 oto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses + d/ A7 k6 ~. Msupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically5 t9 p- p1 i$ D9 P0 p( g( L" P' a unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to / D& C+ Z, L$ q4 b6 Dlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, ' A/ A# z5 e Y$ j! _7 o: Z' _hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 7 n7 {" i5 G0 S( P- e2 `2 vbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the & H4 M# C# X9 [+ W# [9 j& oproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 9 |9 I- y0 \, A Wrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong5 r8 [& U% z2 R Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how8 {6 B, S' C% ^ `2 S# o" m& |$ h people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be 4 V( n: F# S) g7 ztorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished5 O6 g N5 K, r- {' ~+ k4 N memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". x8 T' U0 ^5 m% ]: YNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are, y" n4 M& d$ `6 D aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially 1 L$ X0 S" [8 s% @& v' inon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image * L% d" @" |) k" lof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these * F/ B" Y: F$ i: f" NHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those* b8 K% k9 ?: ?% K4 J$ `/ k3 x4 @# y people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they" G( o0 z+ `" N( ?% O may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some$ L7 V Y! d$ T) l5 x2 r9 a! m) q of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before$ H$ n. ~! a2 o1 g8 ?1 Q "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all $ \- @5 L( v7 B# A% W; h$ i7 L$ Cpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise! C, M3 W% ^7 `1 T6 b# a% C; b apartments are the way to go? No. V; Z: a4 I' j# R ^/ F & L4 _6 A4 y1 F8 C6 b* j2 k+ s: { , x& R; U. n& @: F- o9 F

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the- t) Q x% @# f; J' ^- ~9 C! b situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this* O( |7 V% F5 C7 m 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 3 E4 ~ T- {7 G" D3 R- Z& Jno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so% |: d3 ~* W6 k; ?) U, J fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant & R4 ]; ]3 P2 M7 Sresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 5 a* R$ o) r; x" R9 V( j) N K- rBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is1 L* d) S, s) i+ n5 U. v S 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!!
您需要登录后才可以回帖 登录 | 注册老北京网

本版积分规则

2000.11.1,老北京网自创办之日起,已经运行了 | 老北京网

GMT+8, 2026-2-3 06:28 , Processed in 0.127757 second(s), 17 queries .

道义 良知 责任 担当

CopyRight © 2000-2022 oldbeijing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

返回顶部