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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$ f5 r2 V1 P4 } architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider( k- Y) O( i. } Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"& }) O4 M- A5 K: H6 ]. @ city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. 2 j6 ]# b9 E, O4 h2 @$ HAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,* |' E4 ?1 J1 m4 Y; p/ N 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of * z# f+ `" p% E/ e, C- x' j8 i! rManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within5 y/ [. T% G" r. X, ^% v0 M9 H5 y hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among9 p4 b. A* X; C% S+ T* [$ E each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera 4 V" C7 `4 q6 e# O* U! u% Hand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is * X( C3 ]2 G6 o0 I2 f5 p7 ?1 t% ^harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are; ]0 {+ q4 r; i+ r+ D' A descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and! O1 l m+ R: Z* c forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I7 ?+ [. V+ N6 m2 w( l was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great 4 W7 Z. J8 L) p: ^. d( aimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, 0 S% R$ j" w( ?. fand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong6 T( e1 g7 y# U, a8 R has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment: q# G! f1 J& C# X t) M of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that i& y/ a2 a" o! T/ t( l no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are % S O3 g+ E0 K3 m9 F4 y; o( yonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a) F; E2 a- Q# X/ ^5 U8 x1 M Y sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government 4 A, x2 z' U: m0 V6 [want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move, H5 U+ q, D/ l to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is ( L' f+ j Q2 a2 E"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 1 c7 i$ h5 t: z2 ythis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are- C4 O; b" H [3 X. x 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 to0 S& K( U/ S- Y! h$ r "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make9 b( @& \7 e& r N# a0 \ money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was 2 E- Q$ ?0 _9 Z+ ~4 Ga beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a 4 T" a" k! Y4 ]' G/ `parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across5 p) R* d, Z. ]% a- M+ R 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* ]! ?6 J/ m: j X! Y) Z importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for. w, w% ], Y$ I0 R: U% f+ I0 V$ _ development.

Hutongs 5 y1 P, Y$ ^" bin the old days were residential area where people actually lived* `9 Z9 |1 a1 u. J there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions0 h) m) \/ r8 m% j; K- M% _7 n0 v in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not N2 g9 ]" e+ J ~% Hhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you # j3 E8 J9 j7 x8 v5 d, nwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.5 S8 O2 p% c: m8 h& O Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date * r' T; u, y4 Q; w/ Q! lto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used ' O2 q; f0 E" U9 \; Yto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses % U$ w5 Y) U; _5 M6 z+ I& b. {support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically6 A9 X, z! ]! T/ E unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to! o5 F" q0 T" Z3 h live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,6 q- |3 N3 y x/ N/ w: U u hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the& y( E) b/ g: E balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the+ P: p& c- t% b% `; h+ ]7 P: w/ r project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be5 W, k0 y( b7 v2 t renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong 4 F3 M! l' U8 A. e$ E; nMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how ( o- r4 p! s. n- p; Bpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be * Q$ A* B% a8 B8 c3 o: etorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished1 @% l! j4 R" y memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress"." v/ {4 I2 i) L1 i/ l; j% V Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are, z3 f- c' w9 a: z" d' ~0 [1 x aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially; I7 O% }' y2 v0 z( A9 m non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image$ C# U- x' i* j& q of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these7 q3 v$ {2 [. z3 M Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those' `- ?0 n8 G8 j4 I people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they + L+ b# ]- C* S3 ?$ s# @0 X7 gmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some / R" j, X6 t5 J8 ^4 z0 W9 Tof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before- y/ ?1 T T% S% v9 |7 b T "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all. H& h/ C0 p' m people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise9 T. m2 |6 N- q* i! _1 \" } apartments are the way to go? No. 2 X$ ~8 K7 y, x% b/ R3 t9 F _( x) a C# P3 M* x l ' F3 M* T; D P$ i; F: m& w

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the! N' y( `- _" s s# O situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this ) R- ~3 q5 W% B1 `& U1 \7 Z'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 5 y. @( b7 y2 V6 Yno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so 2 o5 Y |( ~* ~/ m, [) kfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant& |; a8 j' B3 t. t resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless( v* \- w5 s" H; O3 Z6 I5 H Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is - X' W6 x6 l' D: O6 [ i& aunlikely 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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