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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 ( B* }# Q3 B& o+ Qarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider 7 i) _" X, H, W2 c) }Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"8 n3 Z/ i) q+ W5 Z% L- r city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.8 D' o5 ^4 ^4 n" f2 i, R According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, 4 B% ?: ^& J5 N: g& s3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of! I. v3 L t8 c' B( X* X, r Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within# T5 w2 Y0 I2 k& ^7 J* A1 q3 L# ` hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among ! I2 Q, S7 i7 m. H2 R/ [# weach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera ! k3 K3 A* j w5 h3 }% _* G. Dand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 7 ^* L {# W" [+ Y& D8 B4 aharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are7 \" ~9 | G" q descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and7 |* F" n! M) Z7 D3 i forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I ( W3 b" `! ?: E- N) dwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great ) q& S4 k( w' O1 N8 l' L Zimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, 6 j" ]: c+ E" s) @7 ^& x4 m8 f5 yand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong - x7 C' u* L3 C2 whas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment% {- N% r, @ ?' p7 @$ F of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that1 f0 ~4 r8 k, s1 o# N no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 0 d/ Y4 l+ q! h1 R8 ~; o) M9 h0 _+ bonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 2 s6 r+ C- A) l% i6 Lsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government0 E3 w6 |* t+ E5 f7 j' ^ want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move - @0 n H' {" R( lto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is1 m/ ` j3 e w# n$ p8 l8 b3 ^* i "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 3 b% Y; Z1 e( N bthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are " B, [( |8 G3 ^/ M; b9 fstill 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. [+ p7 Q; \2 Z" E% K& a "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make+ G: l8 C7 h: _8 z# H- u money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was / ]4 Z3 v' X1 x5 ^( {# H8 C/ Z( _a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a % B8 N0 p1 v! C) E5 w2 {parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across. L) x) ^" Y8 C6 Y 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! j5 W& i* ~. }- M u- ~( M! r3 | importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for/ H' y C- o: f; |. e- F' S development.

Hutongs8 n. d3 b$ h# L$ y& B. U' U" m in the old days were residential area where people actually lived 7 B n& `& ^6 g% B: i8 othere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions; m* T. H* s- r$ k5 t0 X in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not$ N* r2 _. K2 a) h3 L4 r2 N have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you# i! ^( H/ h; J' M* o+ d2 i will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.+ B3 q+ t, e9 C7 {3 S Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date& I7 E9 ^! K. ~1 M0 O/ [/ p2 y to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used ) t2 }0 V) p1 i+ C3 J9 P0 _8 c* Dto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses& J- t, Z3 s; k1 ^4 @ support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 0 [2 J; e8 Z0 z& F" Tunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to / H0 X% u+ L5 {; n9 T% Plive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, . ?; e. j: S3 s" V5 K1 Hhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the / j' O# k# `/ h5 Q. w- }0 nbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the ' }- _1 z/ Z9 ]project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be1 g# B& B( X Q renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong6 h7 t7 j. q4 k; a Y0 T Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how ( `% [9 a- k7 W$ \. P! Bpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be2 W* I8 Z% [" \& o5 m' r torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished , l0 k0 t3 i8 [memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". ; a$ _( ~ o5 ^& [; F! A! R2 i; R! lNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are , n# h' w4 l, L ~$ _7 d' c- o! ?5 Baligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially: \7 g& V5 B, j p* r non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 8 c) d( ~$ y! u6 a: L$ A1 Eof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these + y7 F4 t8 n/ v* `1 c; q RHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those2 \9 b1 o6 `1 |/ a1 l3 ? people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 3 ]' \& d0 w6 M* r' |5 J' Gmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some' B/ ~/ S, e6 f: { of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 4 A) z4 w, q2 G/ C"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 7 m! w3 S4 T; z3 q9 P# vpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise8 l' j( s, U: C, z# D; a apartments are the way to go? No. % @ q; A8 f" q {: Q " |7 V' k9 F( L ( E8 h% j! \7 n4 c# S# a

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the J( E) ?# p: J& J3 n. | situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this ) N/ T; q& v7 T; p2 ~- Z0 H'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make- h% C4 H% z& J& P7 B no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so # O5 l+ x h9 Z, K$ afast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 9 d7 [3 Y$ W, ]7 l" K, uresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless , @9 S& }7 U/ X/ u" G$ A* g. EBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is% A* x' s7 ~, H: K5 A& n- e 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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