UID5538
帖子
阅读权限80
在线时间 小时
精华
威望
日志
相册
注册时间2006-2-27
最后登录1970-1-1
|
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, its6 z% f, s2 C9 i7 ~
architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider C/ o5 G0 N: n8 L- h" G4 I' `
Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"
4 X: R0 L- Q8 H# N9 B5 Jcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.! i. M( `2 ?: j0 J3 D
According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,8 W# {( Y+ z0 \. v8 N. s
3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of+ ~$ Z9 j3 p- d9 v, r% `! l7 e: a
Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.
Within
" X e& Y: T. }0 Whutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among
[' B2 d& {# u7 G' G, \3 x, a3 b0 Weach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera4 o3 s. @# ~9 s4 y9 t M
and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is9 c0 F2 K7 E7 e M" Z' c
harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are
3 S8 ^8 p m6 W$ F' \% p) Pdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and5 N% L" x) ^; b$ [( t# ^' u
forms of culture emerged in hutong.
I$ v% {1 {6 Y/ z: M7 F& k
was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great
, b3 s! u6 A" t; X) q* J8 V2 Rimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,- f1 n6 ^3 b7 p8 I0 S ?1 E
and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong2 U4 F* v# u- E% @& U
has a history of more than 400 years!
Since 1999, the demolishment. a" y/ R; w3 Q+ l9 E7 b% b6 @8 E
of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that7 G% f2 C3 @2 A4 F
no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are
0 d( T0 d5 u4 g8 Lonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a8 c$ Q. h: p4 \: Z
sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government
' S" ]; {' u4 U7 T, Fwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move
- d, D7 k H' p' E& Lto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is
) c* K4 D" v' B5 ?4 S( {# N, c+ G"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,
" }* x8 n& a* R* G6 mthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are
7 @- d0 e( W8 \6 ~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. O8 @: D+ V$ K( {3 e5 g7 b G1 A3 P
"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make6 B5 x3 m$ [7 e" E
money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was
+ i: r- o# B6 W, c( i$ d2 `a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a
% ~0 E/ f0 I- ^1 n2 _3 k+ e9 Gparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across
0 a+ C b7 L% ^. P4 cthe 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+ N9 o- o0 B- D# _' i
importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for
- g. b# C8 t$ k9 [2 O& C0 D6 Wdevelopment.
Hutongs
% [# r; P8 S* `) I7 g7 din the old days were residential area where people actually lived
. h" u. ?# d7 c- |; R+ ^2 Qthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions3 T4 L* I" u5 h8 Z. K+ D) g+ \
in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not
6 A1 V- y+ i8 T5 R& Ahave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you
! z8 N2 V, L. _( nwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.
- m" G% p% K; l9 M1 W# r7 zFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date! `+ ~1 }! R; P, N; c+ S
to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used
! }4 ]& M ~$ V% W. n1 G: n3 |& Ato hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses
! \5 d" B# z, n8 D* ?2 m% R3 t$ f9 i3 [support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically) n0 i' _4 X, b! b
unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to
! i) E& A9 W6 t: Ylive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,4 |1 M I5 B; H+ n1 f7 }4 t5 Z
hutong is only a tourist attraction.
The best way to find the
w+ p& u" F0 Q5 X2 tbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the
D* H t6 |4 y. x, u: X2 nproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be
6 h# ]8 C8 Z/ U. u R* w/ |9 _renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong2 R8 Y$ V. `( W
Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how' M& O+ G" j3 S8 G8 b6 }8 D" E
people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be5 d% Q2 P/ Y3 \. @: l2 w" b
torn down or transformed into something else.
TwinkieDP:
I'm sorry that your cherished9 g) B q& L5 i
memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".. V0 C" q# [2 A6 P6 T
Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are
+ N% T7 r7 R' ~) aaligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially
! q. i/ M% _+ N: s j9 J3 n: [non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image
5 b7 _/ r: ?; v! r8 L {/ }: sof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these
' C8 T8 k5 S4 N0 @9 IHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those$ X, l+ d0 R, J* N& r. [
people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they
; q8 E4 {7 e. b- r! j/ Mmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some
$ r, U; L/ H$ W; P3 U0 g3 tof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before: m* e- W; f& X8 V: s0 O. ? v
"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all
4 c- N1 F2 W" ?8 d2 Xpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise
3 r; n$ n+ L8 Z; T" p% s5 capartments are the way to go? No.
) g. A1 n |: V 7 \. w8 n' j f2 Y Q. Q1 Y0 |
) Y1 U; }' Z3 g5 T3 Q
Howard Fu:
I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs. But the
& i- ^) J' L9 m: ?" Osituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this+ z8 U+ u6 o* n2 a0 H7 X
'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make
. S( I" a& C/ |7 A" Kno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so
8 h# P! \5 x- ?! E. |9 B+ w kfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant7 q, S9 W' B0 [. K. ~0 z4 [
resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless' S. l7 y1 B+ |2 Q B# n
Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is
6 z" ^" s% k7 wunlikely to happen too. Sad!
|
|