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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 6 Z7 V3 W6 I% W) Iarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider' ?* i8 {; F; O" M Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"7 X3 B. q. x! l+ g9 a7 X city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.4 p( z0 A& \5 v7 U- P1 p0 i( ] According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, % U, P) i* g. b5 c3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of# ?8 e8 t; E5 K( L& B: Z) Z Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 2 P, p A; m" k7 K/ h: D: f# g% q! Ghutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among " ^7 \" d* R) a" e; P' @$ n5 A" leach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera % ] j1 d0 B- d0 ~, l/ E, Yand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is a7 k$ J* b- N" Bharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are4 K" N7 `3 y4 h, o2 ^/ C/ A descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and 0 _! m+ v) q5 @$ B$ e3 ~2 w) aforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I / l4 Q# |$ w" qwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great + K3 c# W1 r8 |$ k( Fimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,2 \) `. e$ s+ o& t' x! c and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong $ v; \4 ^5 Y* @9 ]has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment 1 v0 L; u* \) R% D8 p \' _of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that 2 s I5 I3 q# r8 ^$ rno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are3 J* c! R6 u8 U2 @ only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a X3 d7 Y& B6 psort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government 4 i9 L2 A! N( N; `; Nwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move ) ?! ^( Z; b2 U9 A: Q0 ^to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is' |- l1 g+ o6 f' _0 F, z "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,7 H& _# E7 l8 O4 M3 a this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 8 n+ B; U/ s( l$ `& |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 to2 m) Z1 `! b1 _+ Q& v( g5 r "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make ! }% m1 u1 Q k5 K$ cmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was ; t6 J! z; ]" H1 ^a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 8 R) R, W: ~; W! n& B" O; f7 @: n" o7 X& cparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 9 y8 Y# L$ k) ^$ x9 r' Hthe 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 cultural8 m2 M- L' b! ^ importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for ; t$ l! C% x( kdevelopment.

Hutongs& x' ?# C$ r" c% ~$ n in the old days were residential area where people actually lived $ I2 B) a6 x. x& ]6 l" e4 t; pthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions& l) b9 ` V$ g in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not' ^2 L% t* m" l have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you % u8 W' V% h: S* H- fwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. 6 J7 X/ B# F( |: o) S4 @Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date & h N$ I+ B7 \9 h( A, hto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used8 l% u6 V# p3 a' Q. P; q to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses1 o$ k8 F, q( w. l, \% U, a support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 7 J' T F9 ?! G9 aunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to 6 R5 c* d, c$ r0 D7 R C/ U: x2 Tlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, & M" [) j6 ^6 D( d! T( _& Ihutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 8 ~+ j4 }' L& u9 p9 @balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the2 K. m+ l- _" }8 l; k X project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be1 a$ F# M/ P$ q: U renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong ' N9 E# R. Z/ _9 D. kMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how * s& Z- p: k6 z. S/ O6 Y/ Z/ ^. ~people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be 5 {) [* J1 }: q: Z, Q* \4 ttorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished2 \8 L$ v3 ]$ I, t- B- K, y memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". 2 i8 K8 H& m( `Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are ; f! r1 G+ n1 J# @% Daligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially ; q- G! a! N4 t5 ?, snon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image6 o. B% N5 R# A$ t- @4 q of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these2 g" R( m5 D4 Q! o+ f- y( j Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those1 |0 L$ b$ Z% ]. X people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they' O- @% @; V" H1 C3 N! Y0 w m7 F may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some) I% c6 z5 ~4 i( h of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before* E5 h( S/ ?" K% q: x% f "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all4 Z8 P: F. J) k [$ ~1 u, l7 j people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise / w$ `1 L( q. q. C$ M# x) ~8 tapartments are the way to go? No. : o! p+ c+ b( b* {! W3 b5 } ) n$ N l9 m2 L. D# J' s & }1 |* O9 z) I/ E. [

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the5 P7 ~8 S1 Z; ?0 k2 v situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this: x4 O1 N, R6 u6 R. O, {- f/ e+ g3 s2 q 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make" X. a' R) U q& Q no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so 6 g; R7 W3 h* U Yfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant : {5 N4 Z* I/ D/ B* |4 A: z, _resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless. t9 D3 h$ M& V5 ^9 V' A; V8 g! G' X Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is+ ]6 ~! x8 x" n7 V$ ]+ H2 r4 X* I 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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