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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, its0 U) U. r0 V9 p& z+ P architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider 4 |; d0 i% c& `3 |Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" ( V# h7 y( R P! D- |* R& ccity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. ! [7 @' F w3 n' L% k5 pAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, 7 \) c Q3 x4 _, U0 M3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of }6 i7 S& Q; s3 c4 @. C Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within / \0 S2 E" z, x d7 Ghutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among( g- @* C- `: e- q. a2 {/ G each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera7 v3 f4 X' P! Y, S and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is0 b0 r" u, v' F! n) c( o harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are - v6 T2 Y @7 N; h9 x( ?descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and " p: o2 m; g4 {6 k: D' cforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I , e9 m. R7 b* N7 Y8 u# z8 ?was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great & B/ h6 Y( ]; d) X9 \2 eimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, , X+ Z8 ]* O7 C" }and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong5 Q( A8 _8 A5 h has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment , P; V8 i8 q4 m2 m( T Z- p" qof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that : | o; O0 G" w2 G3 G7 A+ J! Ono hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 5 j) J/ Y, l6 K7 o+ conly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a7 V x% G! a5 b* X; v) J& y sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government # J4 q5 p8 r9 Pwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move9 x& s4 D0 d0 K! s3 F) c. {8 S to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 1 N! E T2 m a/ L/ s) e& G"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, * ^! Z# W$ l8 Tthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are - `+ _6 U) O9 ]% M+ P, J% |$ ustill 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! L" A" j0 h) Y "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make) S8 }' d9 o: u3 v/ _ money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was' H, x: S8 x3 a. W% _. X/ T a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a0 L6 D% ^2 L, i5 P8 Z parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across ) \2 {) P- {0 L. T1 }5 ^' w2 y2 Qthe 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 " {1 F, e l) y$ Dimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for9 c. _2 D3 [. q9 r2 A: Z development.

Hutongs. i9 J7 r# [9 X' M2 | in the old days were residential area where people actually lived 9 C" Y* |+ ~; w" |' O& h, N: Ethere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions 5 G% ?- \: G3 n( E& nin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not 5 G9 U7 ^, z6 d+ O0 R6 N2 }have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you 7 I3 I+ D5 V& M% ~' s& xwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. + ~9 e$ U9 v7 Z0 T. c( K. eFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date( f* X7 B( \$ K4 p ^7 t to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used+ e' m; q# z' B" b7 y; ~- @ to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses . A% o0 P2 N3 m; i- Fsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically( ~/ V0 M3 K0 A5 h! k0 f: K& A unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to / {* x6 Q2 D9 R. Y9 slive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, ) z4 v. o. y( j7 x: i# Z; K3 Thutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the0 N, L3 x; a8 |- _# N balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the ) @0 e' i0 T) |( M- x" mproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be" s6 `6 z8 c: F4 r renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong 8 b/ |2 G6 }0 ]/ Z. {! C/ yMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how + o! I1 m! Y5 F2 B5 Z R) O% s0 \8 Epeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be ( _. @- U% ?; a; c4 b% utorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished$ V4 j& V* i; J; r5 Z; d' o7 V memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". 1 F: D: n) U0 h6 F2 X1 r+ S1 g' BNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 9 v% i: P* \4 h$ h- Q2 g& @$ _" Daligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially ]* Z+ c H) F7 q2 M @8 ]non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image + }, d0 M3 r7 ~1 h, ?/ C6 Xof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these G. n6 k9 ?3 z$ V5 [9 O. r* i Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those" S# ?7 o$ A+ t7 j people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they& b8 t4 T5 ~2 N5 e: Q& ]7 d9 Q0 Q2 U may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some; a% {6 o- e# O5 y of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before5 L7 V" ]" H; {$ J i "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all* k/ ]' ]7 @ S; A+ K people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise4 x! V* R' v& b9 R y apartments are the way to go? No. " k; D2 G3 @7 ?2 S 4 S0 ^. n& h& H2 {# v % r) p; q! }7 ?5 M4 h- H% o4 c

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the 1 V, J. i2 W( U4 M( [+ Gsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this5 ]. x( b8 i7 C3 g0 k9 ?8 K 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 1 _1 m! `% [! ~ h* ]2 f* yno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so9 S6 c0 {! e5 Y fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant ; A) P& e. i" dresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless- ?1 a% w6 w* W3 U! r! ` Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is2 c" x1 m/ T/ l# L. x 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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