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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" g0 ^) F- U9 Y$ t architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider }3 ^3 t$ W+ I# @, [Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" ; a8 m" \# U% acity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. : h" f$ E: T2 |0 QAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,8 x9 h! v1 P* P 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 7 g0 P- z3 x( k+ N m7 Y- yManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within7 J* u1 v6 _4 m6 G hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among 1 s& d) z- H3 C6 eeach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera0 D. n% `. z {* w and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 1 ^1 e5 \6 e1 S& ~9 j8 a4 b. Zharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are ( q& d! v9 }# Idescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and P8 C4 b7 y* xforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I - b- h( o {* Mwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great $ c" F6 S( [0 @( ], B$ O: fimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,' S* m3 l) |3 n7 f( g and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong) |& Q/ f. B# Y- w has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment 3 f! O4 d0 v2 I4 O9 @1 vof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that$ Q) M" u; p1 I+ [1 v no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 1 s- J+ x( m- _only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 7 H$ F( e7 [! Jsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government " h( T+ x D) {7 e( m }want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move % O, N( q/ l( o, @to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 7 E! n" a6 \3 p+ f8 ^4 r) d"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, ; n9 G! O, @ f$ M9 Athis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are / {9 n' w4 W3 Z. }% sstill 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 " a% i& I4 O& {) x4 q"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make/ L7 L# E' @! e- e8 } money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was 5 U. a+ p+ b) U3 a% n. D8 u4 H0 va beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a ; d+ r$ e' Y. `' c$ Vparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across" q$ ]; E: |2 F' r( P7 G 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 0 R3 p+ b# j8 w4 _, h0 Gimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 7 @* ~- j2 b v9 J7 q1 }development.

Hutongs/ Y' n. J7 z" E+ D: {6 K/ m( g in the old days were residential area where people actually lived. b5 {" Q, |( a9 x there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions 5 L1 F" P9 a( P' P: t6 [3 Q: Z4 [in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not : f. g& ^: e- H4 m- {2 Ihave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you ' q/ v0 E: P+ h$ f) F* I f/ N. G Zwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.. e4 O. J+ d' m" U Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date/ S! _/ z/ Q' g to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used) ]" i5 e; m3 I' A/ s! U to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses# K1 [, }6 W: B support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically6 X* i) T7 z+ t4 H: e( I: |5 a/ _ unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to6 T: O8 u3 f E* l x live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,. Z! j0 S) ~3 f. o3 q5 @ hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the+ d8 ^, d* M6 p! P balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the! ^" `0 e) G/ [; J8 Q h' l project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be- F) r2 s a/ }( z! h+ V renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong+ ~0 R5 {. u3 m Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how" A- l2 e4 s5 t% \$ } people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be ) n/ l- _- j) L& B) Dtorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished' @+ S6 h: ~( l3 d memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". 7 ~# l B# @( O9 t* A& W/ MNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are . c, q. f5 A& j+ waligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially p& ]6 T4 Z; Q7 K& L2 ^7 V( F non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image5 i/ G @3 ~7 |. g8 |; s of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these) |9 k( X, [# _ Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 6 M5 |9 Y) ~( ~+ G9 J# L9 I) b/ Rpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they * J8 R* O8 z+ c4 L# I* x3 imay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some 0 n& g9 \" G1 O6 b8 V, B! o$ F9 ]+ nof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before ! {' H/ I1 J0 x: k6 v( J" i0 K8 l"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all " B7 P [( S9 n* }$ Hpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise- @: I" [# ]) D d0 X7 O apartments are the way to go? No.: ~1 W! y7 C# E: s! U8 a + |, z- E7 c' m1 Y, Q . j; V1 d0 B+ L& T# g9 k

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the; H8 ^9 B; W) D situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this 2 F8 X3 x) B) z% I'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make % x" H" V7 C0 F2 q% tno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so) w1 I0 Z6 a' i7 f6 R/ q; k2 E fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant5 A |1 C5 b! j ?6 Q resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless) C+ O% A, D9 r' ^( S Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is, G9 W5 p/ j, H5 k7 z' u 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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