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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, its5 J$ X4 e9 B1 l architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider) P$ x) B5 }. W' K3 N; } Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"% K7 s9 ~' L$ J city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. z, R1 M5 e- W: t0 U iAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,9 H/ u2 D3 C- }6 E 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of4 Z o5 C% l, R Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within ( P/ ]0 w8 Z/ U" e3 @' w6 R. P$ ]4 lhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among + D, A8 ^& y- S* L& Seach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera ' g( ^# D8 V5 C. b& Rand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is - ^' L d! \2 Qharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are8 J7 P9 j5 t7 q9 a3 f descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and2 J6 [5 x- d r7 d( f$ y forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I : k( S4 K- |, J0 ~6 W& ~, ]+ ywas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great. |$ T8 f7 ~$ [. S, }& E& v impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, ; [; L, z: h0 M* F! Kand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong ) n: R- b% w1 ]7 F; l& ahas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment" p4 w" v( Y* H" V6 Q of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that* i$ @3 N6 E; a5 X6 p# D no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 8 c, u" @7 c8 [! z* K* d) e7 u- `only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 3 @) I9 W8 B( K* d* asort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government% j1 |+ F9 ` R) q want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move, ~; T; z0 u; m7 v' Z to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is & S" l. e/ k9 `, t b"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, ^# p2 z1 L; O; athis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are . T* q( \- Q! ~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 \" }- u: [7 Y "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make" O, b" P$ N) `% ^$ r3 H/ l% f money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was! s* n9 `5 _2 m. |2 ^/ E a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 2 f. A9 @! x+ [2 h0 h$ ]parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across& u0 i2 R0 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 / s# ~5 C6 O; G/ I7 Bimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for * u" a+ ]2 P* kdevelopment.

Hutongs : s. A) |4 Y: z& T# R6 O. C# Oin the old days were residential area where people actually lived 3 Q* A! o2 J w a! zthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions# d( j7 l8 ?2 o3 u) k8 B, x+ M in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not3 y4 i8 b7 \$ u8 [# C+ R have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you* Y, b" a/ l7 N will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. 2 d7 C; A9 ^6 C, UFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date' N2 Y4 R+ Y2 h7 w to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used% x5 K. N0 j; t! l, P to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses) c! u/ t# r: E# b6 N support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically6 p; r8 d. [9 D! t6 S unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to 1 @$ u& T4 y( G9 C, r/ r* elive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 0 Q- M1 y5 D* o. V8 c/ \ j* ^hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the0 J) ]! h9 B5 R6 \$ O% c5 r8 i* r* v balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the 8 E9 A( F8 }$ `+ zproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be ' L- C. ^3 ~' H& I/ z: Qrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong + \* m) |" r$ g- S* w. F, x" d7 P! _Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how) x" B P& Q( S$ Q1 E: i3 R$ j people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be" W% w0 f$ U. g) S [! z" ` torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished' v* c& ]# o4 O( B) O memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".+ ]' _. ?/ }8 ], ]/ R' ` Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are7 ^" g& u% |9 u+ P aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially 7 l, u+ i: E+ M! G. Y5 ~- onon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image) d9 r# x6 _0 J, g7 {5 M# P of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these/ J" v& m& E6 d2 Q+ }4 ? Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those2 J/ ^, e- D B i3 t people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they1 q: K1 e0 }+ Y" i& l- t may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some " Y& {, Q& x" l' Wof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before: s4 H9 a, R8 w) { "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all . n* u1 z% n# N( w% vpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise1 k I/ S9 y7 q0 ?! b) D. i- y( A apartments are the way to go? No.6 v- L9 o! s, P. A, G4 s6 [5 p ' f" S1 J5 p$ z! p* L . H4 f$ U7 J2 h0 a# N

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the$ M5 _. O% \; @ situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this 0 ~+ `! v/ ]9 d'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 9 H& | k0 [" X W) Nno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so / I( I, p& Y, g' a+ M; }% T/ Ffast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 2 J6 L- N; B: `5 Nresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless5 P6 z9 \! Y/ h$ m Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is+ I9 ^4 [2 k8 }+ a/ e+ V+ ^0 N 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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