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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 0 P3 o, g5 n9 k8 P5 C4 Tarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider 4 @& |( s4 E, ^5 Y, fBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"2 Z- j' F: L* }) `1 y3 {" V city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. % J) e4 ^6 Z0 Z" ^According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,9 Z! A! P' g$ B7 t, d& K- B2 M, k 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 1 Y; j+ n, ^0 i. p) c0 I7 @5 ]5 s2 CManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within' C6 c T% c' q hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among 2 l! s3 \6 _( ]each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera 9 |: w [: ?& R! _2 M& N rand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is , }5 T! h2 ?/ `8 A; O: fharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are 0 a- t* u) a0 y8 ]/ s1 z+ K3 c5 r1 Ndescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and }! ?+ M" w. Y/ A! s- Oforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 1 I9 p8 d% x8 x+ g' D$ Ywas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great/ l8 p# v5 v, o0 M" T* ?# m impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, " a6 ~ S1 g9 q* @8 O7 i' o8 xand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong0 W' D8 X( }- Y" W+ k; P has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment" Z0 q1 w0 |: l8 r/ O+ \1 `7 F* ` of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that" N0 P8 T" w0 T5 K, q no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are* J, j2 }8 F$ |4 Z! d only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a " o# j r. y; ^0 M$ u' w4 ~sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government : Z$ Y, ^2 m! Qwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move \4 o1 W& @$ P1 G/ f" Oto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is ! E& D7 o. @! ?7 K"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,/ D. K/ J1 v2 D4 G" [7 o this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are! X5 N( X/ Y D8 D2 \1 S' N! G 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 0 G5 y4 k/ K7 G"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make ( J0 H$ N2 O) r( I/ S8 a* }0 q) q! A6 Dmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was 4 l+ z1 k' N# q# }/ ha beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a # T" A2 U f) mparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across. d6 W8 \9 f8 \9 D+ k. R* y9 L 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$ U! f4 V. e8 G importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for ; K0 }& Y v& r. o5 ]" ~( jdevelopment.

Hutongs# Y1 r% R2 ?( ]6 M- {& w& }9 f) g7 v in the old days were residential area where people actually lived* N9 n0 k' v2 Z" ]; {9 }- W there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions4 S7 |0 ?( C& z p4 Q0 y4 h' X5 g in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not6 E6 o9 [: t* a6 v have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you. C; h4 J) q9 ?0 K4 F% @# c/ Z will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.1 k; ?0 r6 e" b @7 [# Y) k" w Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date2 g( @& `# `8 S: e* n to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used7 ?) S; R6 s* F to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses/ H9 `* m* ]& q( Q y! X2 c support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 5 A, q% l6 T2 [% g/ [unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to) c% i# P/ v( ~, k3 V( [( { live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, " n; K5 ~; U# V# X' vhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the! T/ o) G/ J, }" ^; z9 u+ R2 r balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the 7 [3 v/ o* k8 V5 h! oproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be . K! \ k3 P9 Y: b3 w' Drenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong* Z8 v0 x8 Y9 ~1 y. c( C7 J" b J6 s Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 9 L: V" s: ]/ _: A( P: L. Xpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be5 {* O2 w; C. }4 F. s torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished7 J+ g4 g& o) \# h0 { memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress"./ t0 s2 |" J$ v8 v7 {$ N Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are. P2 m2 a9 P$ g9 ] J/ j$ a8 G% J aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially % X; l1 }! s; l$ w; U6 i3 T4 Nnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 5 H+ G- M; a& W Y9 X4 sof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these . [4 L: h/ K# gHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those4 _6 o3 t' f' |: Z$ K$ D& L: B people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they) A/ C8 m6 P% K' x- L R: p8 q6 k may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some$ ?3 ~3 z) i1 i5 H7 P v of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 7 G/ J# s' z, O3 f. h3 b"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all , `9 X0 ?/ D& i0 t" R+ C# M( q4 l1 Rpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise X! y4 g- ?# |# M& m+ R, `apartments are the way to go? No.# G# f5 `0 v7 ^4 y, p" D% c1 `) N 0 R6 T p6 X" X( g8 B( A' Z + y6 Y7 e: d/ S3 V3 y9 ~( X

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the ) Y! X4 V- L/ ?' B v" l. l. T, I' L( _situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this U6 Q2 j8 C* x2 N# t# I'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 4 |: E/ X: d, I: e/ Nno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so" C2 p4 I6 z6 L9 d0 P. t fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant9 J& V! v% U& p3 E5 a resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless- i# z+ }3 u6 Q1 I' R' t3 G Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is 4 p3 I( x$ J: 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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