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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 ' T4 ]0 C* v+ T; i8 [0 Narchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider 8 M) B" }, _5 o, g2 c oBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"5 ]9 B* j1 k9 J# c+ G city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. 3 _. M& u M; g! sAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, ) ^) H8 N' h; S W7 c% i! U( P3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of# }) L; r% L1 G Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within. I; m# _& \8 `+ [: k0 g" P# E hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among, ~+ L0 O* V6 x n each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera % W& I3 C# K5 D) Oand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is $ d% b7 V" e9 b0 fharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are ' n" l: ?. y# O; ?+ rdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and% r" F( G' e$ s3 t0 U forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I7 O4 `) \* A8 c/ s C was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great O% ]$ e$ E7 Z( d. i, u+ A8 n5 \8 d impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,. K6 p4 S. [0 U2 {) r" { and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong; G1 Q5 W0 W/ x7 T6 g; ]1 P2 P has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment 3 \- R5 w3 f) h8 l) Yof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that3 V5 I$ a/ z: M* X. e4 g5 `& Q no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are . q* [5 C% r) K9 E( P- ~! Tonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a' D% p9 F: I1 P/ J1 n. o! }- W sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government+ n& N- k3 |6 o P want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 0 {5 r' i3 y& n# gto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is# b& V1 c+ @1 R- b$ ]+ D- c "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,6 }& N- i- B1 X3 s this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are. ^* n9 f1 X5 D! O 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+ H, t! m6 ]9 i2 ?, W* ` "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make * U, }% B. ?+ T9 Emoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was( w. E# I; ]. ]# i1 v a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a # U3 N6 O D6 z3 y% h& A3 M( o! hparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across* W% g: j; N# X3 {, }3 P 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 ' ~' }8 |" i9 x8 E, {importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for! S5 K0 H- o( J& x1 G+ u& I4 | development.

Hutongs& z3 `- S$ c. Q$ k# E in the old days were residential area where people actually lived M+ R4 c* J, ^: p, H5 `0 E5 Rthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions+ |$ c9 j( r2 [- y5 |$ U1 e2 P6 ^* ? in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not : B$ n+ Q6 ]; ]1 f$ F; Xhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you : B {7 U. _* W, Z# W" u$ j5 Dwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.1 d4 D0 e1 x0 O Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date 7 J E( t& l+ K) t: S- X' rto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used6 X* y, q1 ~# j$ ^ to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses + z6 e4 k5 I( i4 C5 L9 ~support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically( h, @) Y! `' d" ] unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to. d: C" X% N% f4 D T) a- n* M$ _ live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,$ H+ f3 _+ P5 A: q7 ] hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the , e+ }* w& I; ^& tbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the4 E6 u$ Z9 E* s project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be ! a$ m. ?& J. B7 O6 ~, Yrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong: s, Y. d5 a! n' r; J Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how. z B$ n! W$ h8 U; A4 i people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be 8 x& Y) P! Z8 K! ]0 _7 ptorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 2 l% m& E$ L' j5 z- X' jmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". ! ~% F4 [; R6 B# u ^Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are - D+ j2 }$ G% O! k1 E! Taligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially0 N1 ?& J& \1 n) t9 Z0 [ non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image$ Q ]2 q1 E5 `$ A/ ~4 M6 _( U, b of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these $ n5 [/ G7 s) c4 BHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those/ q2 c& P5 C# w1 ^ t0 [" G people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they, v, m$ a0 C( e! G may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some) q9 t n: _! u$ h( t! N of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before6 l/ ?3 }. k! X5 T& _ "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all7 |) c( D5 L4 u- c5 V people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise/ K4 l c7 B' ~2 q apartments are the way to go? No.) x0 X4 y# U2 [- ? 5 X _# K, t9 p# r! h # o6 Z! S3 b% @

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the $ J0 W% Z+ H. {% n" j) P- Jsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this ; c Q: @1 z1 T'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make6 S4 c' c- X3 C$ E: M K0 e3 } no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so# |8 b/ b) Q: s1 p% { fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant. e( j: H2 G7 H/ p resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless9 N1 r' ~/ V% A. f& ` Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is% g3 A! b5 p' M! T2 V 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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