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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' [. V2 B! I. L architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider 5 `1 [/ @7 U) V# b: VBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 7 d9 n* Y) p- a8 Xcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. 3 P7 h" X9 T. y i4 _9 o5 _: ~According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,% ^/ n' N# z5 n2 {. }/ M 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of6 O( \$ _( b5 ^( ~" s6 |5 h Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within % M+ P! h# N* Y# r, h; s6 J3 vhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among4 l( @/ z1 T& j6 `+ N7 Y each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera8 n7 A6 a7 c( t! K( E6 x and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 8 V, f7 q0 e' d0 d1 o0 Tharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are L2 O+ z8 S9 L$ x( ` descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and( n3 O$ C& A: I* d# z# S forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I ) J' k5 R) A1 j; L! ^* Jwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great; ^) W4 U# ], e impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, " [ r+ B; ~0 y0 aand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong - h" U0 }( Z# x5 a4 w5 ?3 c, _has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment E! Y% A$ f, Q, u4 Iof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that( ^ |* a2 v7 h4 U9 q no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are # a6 J' y/ p8 ponly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 8 V# J& r8 v2 z1 y9 s& R- msort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government( {4 L. \* z/ O$ p @8 C9 @4 ]8 k want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move6 G) n) f: B _1 V: L to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is0 |* w/ d" Q8 q: c "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, % ~5 P$ `) J i- T& ~4 a Wthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 5 C1 C1 {( m B" s0 A+ Qstill 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 k4 a0 |( |: X7 ~+ D"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make; [% w0 j: C' {" C money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was $ y3 L; r( Z6 D; M; w1 n- ~0 i1 Ra beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a# D5 }; }) K% \1 Q* D. t; X$ Y; } parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across% o; O7 y( P2 C+ Z: [0 q; Q the 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! X& a7 o. B# M' ~% y importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for! D3 e- `) ~3 @ development.

Hutongs7 _, M2 M" m- O5 S+ |/ T in the old days were residential area where people actually lived ' X! @1 ?3 ?4 M4 ]6 P' l7 lthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions ) w4 s- O2 f/ j& G5 ?9 Vin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not f% A' \. M4 Z6 O( ohave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you- F7 r$ D _9 C) M1 b. g will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.% q) z) a, h. s# t$ g6 g3 w, m5 G8 X Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date, r" J7 \1 E8 a7 T, ?7 S) r6 V to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used , [7 Q5 \& Z2 x- \3 Qto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses/ I# @6 W7 i+ k' Y9 ~5 C! j& Z' \9 ^ support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically , i+ `3 B T9 o: n5 V" h! n! {unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to n' c- m2 M+ y2 U; e live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 5 R# h Z" O E$ h. ghutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 6 z% e# {5 j0 w; g$ ibalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the( J& ^7 p' K; V3 K+ P project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 7 _! [' {7 J2 ]5 R/ j6 J5 Erenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong ( Q0 t4 ^3 I3 V6 Z. D& e+ {Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how) p, ~# d9 }+ v% G people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be- a1 }. H9 W. D6 W3 d: u5 A torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 9 p. E/ p8 G h1 V5 z) pmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". $ d8 E' }1 Y1 Z& t0 `5 l; ]Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are& x+ J2 ]9 ]. d: c7 J5 o aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially- T- D. ]. R! O! e- N non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image ! J U& @' |, t3 G: Z4 Pof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these0 T- V1 f$ s. V4 f+ i" I Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those0 s$ B* |* O9 L: V/ P4 x. g8 l( r" P people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they W2 [8 h t9 V& N may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some9 J1 b. P4 }. I of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before * t0 e5 P; I$ E"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 9 ]! {$ n1 E9 V$ ?4 Vpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise- z) u* q7 d7 z, ~8 X M- y2 r" m apartments are the way to go? No. ( I3 W3 w2 Y( }3 z ) O) T' U7 Q6 d# ~ ( x1 y' x, s% S' h& N7 c

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the% e3 b, q+ J+ B& m$ S situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this3 E" Z. l2 \- i7 ~3 g 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make6 w1 Z2 l! w$ V L) l' y no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so # {. a* b" D4 @/ @! z& Ufast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 7 U$ c* F' s7 T6 O' h8 R! R, Cresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless / o# c' v5 y+ q, x. g5 TBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is / p- K; ?& e9 ?7 E4 uunlikely 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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