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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 - i! H p: M8 narchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider* c" k0 E# w& R. u' W0 l. W Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 3 f$ r/ m/ q4 o: h8 {' Scity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. % s4 ^, j' e: U8 E/ V( ~& \' x3 M6 |According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,' W6 D+ L+ M3 D 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of* \7 u5 m n: r0 o& V Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within % j# H/ B/ ~# dhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among7 r, l3 q5 l4 j1 Q0 z each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera# Y( t) [+ w' P z' k and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is" [ P0 o2 ]7 W1 l harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are 1 X+ A+ ~4 G6 [ |. sdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and V9 [- _% n, o+ a$ y% Qforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I# }0 _* b; C# P; m* ~4 n3 `+ f- f was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great1 ?) P) J# [1 @7 [/ L0 L impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, : b5 p. l h7 a" qand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong, W% c7 K7 s+ v5 e7 z( H$ j has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment2 G4 S7 K. N/ Z2 P m' x2 A of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that, N1 }" {9 g0 a- k$ H" M no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 0 E7 q* p2 `! Q8 D* T7 [% j4 Xonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 9 ?) Q5 F9 a! f1 {. n' ]sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government! ^& O: W0 P, Q( `' l2 A7 U# A5 \ want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move * P1 j) X& M% q8 o, o* y7 Z( lto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is . [: C4 r7 p- ?9 m5 _"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 0 g% u1 R: z' L9 T! S& D3 athis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are) D2 }. U, s/ y- V; @. v! M4 K3 E 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 8 |1 X. E2 t# ~! n' \0 u1 a- w1 E"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make% B* e, J! T0 ]; q K money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was) m* I& H* m% g/ Q0 T a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a - _7 q4 O1 t; x" Kparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across M4 l7 g" T0 i/ mthe 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 cultural2 s( M, C0 ] `- S9 a importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for* f6 ]) O+ L p; c4 Q5 b$ X+ z; h development.

Hutongs # X8 w, b: A9 q# r" r4 Sin the old days were residential area where people actually lived ( {' Z% o8 S" [: ]" Qthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions |0 O$ `5 }) Y3 Pin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not8 j P: }4 O# d* X2 M/ n( z have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you7 ?+ b c( X) n; K3 C/ J7 T& o/ n2 n4 i will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. c$ b* W1 c9 d& x4 T' m Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date! e; c, {* K2 H5 ^3 ?* V to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used # i$ f3 d1 s+ ^% Q) N, `' K3 k8 Pto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 8 r8 s) i# D9 a' |" ^support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically% z4 h* o+ W' ?7 T, } unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to4 B5 u' x' ?$ W+ t, {2 |$ W% p: i) j7 E live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,% a$ Z& _" c9 n- U. @ hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 2 T* y S5 C9 h/ X2 j6 \% w. jbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the! i7 U) I& E+ g# h* g project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be: G5 \! M3 `- C9 O2 v renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong ( [0 i. i$ j7 ]* h7 IMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how" G" j$ X- J' i" C) D people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be$ ~1 x6 ~7 N; a% R0 w+ P: \% B9 b$ S, Q torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 2 e1 s5 }) Y( @memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".+ E/ I: Q" z$ N2 t1 G8 D. \: e' n Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 8 N$ e9 _2 ]! l3 \aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially* O4 D6 }2 Y; Q! X" l3 Y$ e, ^ non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image ?6 s$ _% {2 \$ @- Lof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these % _% s" O. U) y/ h" W$ z1 f" j7 BHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those # F2 I$ |3 D2 p8 o2 {6 Y! zpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they $ b6 S2 I. ^2 P( `: M, H3 P3 _' dmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some% C; O5 \$ c1 u9 a of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 8 L) A7 p4 z `5 P% o1 \"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all4 C7 Z# q6 ?- ?4 m6 c people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 9 b9 [0 `) P/ Y: n, ~apartments are the way to go? No.+ `, N/ S: y% m: K ] 2 P" ?1 r; y/ X& ]: w+ D5 M ' @7 B/ }2 r5 I6 f2 e9 }

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the 4 A( ^0 {* p7 O) jsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this, [4 g4 t- v, Z 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 3 |. h4 m: ]! P$ D2 @0 ]no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so- g; w f. i3 Z* D fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant4 L' G. f' I/ v# r) r3 O1 _ resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 3 m& ^1 I8 c4 \# O: s5 s8 ZBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is $ B: a4 n ?, i$ w; \! zunlikely 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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