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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, its1 G4 E: S5 ~. p
architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider
N3 n3 X. p% G" X4 z% [Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"5 l# b5 ]6 W @8 J
city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.
, p9 ^7 K q1 S( s+ o- zAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty," D* h+ l8 B% J/ A; V: ~. y
3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of" t& U2 z s( G" [( o
Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.
Within
$ k. g9 `9 p4 A/ V: R+ ?hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among
5 |) |6 ]2 J+ y9 H4 o8 a+ Seach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera$ ~# |) v Y4 A* f1 f" b) R
and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is2 L8 s( m, K* h! {+ z+ l* w
harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are* C+ c/ F) J# ^5 R2 A3 d
descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and
6 f, H/ G/ R9 y: s) v, nforms of culture emerged in hutong.
I
" U. ^; t V! ?was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great
$ C) A$ e: |& j" Q4 Kimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,+ j: g* E% n* n
and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong; I7 r( A5 |: z
has a history of more than 400 years!
Since 1999, the demolishment
% Q, Q. B# ]9 @, Z3 Y/ h- q( Iof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that3 H) X% q8 a$ B
no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are
( @- {# I6 ~3 eonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a, i- Z2 q% U2 E: V a5 z! K
sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government
4 E: h& i+ F- d( h' ?1 j' ^want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move% J' x4 ?% ~0 F3 j O- H& k
to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is) _5 _. N4 x7 P! W% ^
"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,. L, c. O6 i9 V. S+ p
this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are7 j( C1 Z% M3 ~; W6 r5 G9 ^
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+ T2 K; R# M( z# k! S
"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make. Y3 @, K$ l5 W$ @" H Y. S
money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was
% a% p+ _- V& F: G# Sa beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a" L5 ?9 J- w5 _! b: s3 d0 E% z
parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across' L. l4 _# N$ @8 m9 [8 e1 c
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
3 I- N4 s( I" Simportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for
3 v8 u' B% f1 s) J+ Y8 Edevelopment.
Hutongs
2 F' D% U% s' n" R3 x1 bin the old days were residential area where people actually lived( o! C$ d* ]3 p2 j
there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions) q/ |' m: ]4 h" r5 [. \& r* L* Q
in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not
, Q' W: N. P, X5 r( Ohave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you8 Z+ h1 l4 g+ _- s( K- M
will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.
8 r5 Y X+ i% P: H, V ^Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date
4 I( S W2 q& h6 o5 C$ |to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used
9 T R, A; z+ y% _7 ^6 `9 X$ Q/ A$ |to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses4 H D9 ^" S' g* c
support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically: [+ q3 c( n+ D7 k& k8 f1 S
unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to
5 }# B4 F; C/ F; mlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,$ o y! H7 N: J* Q$ a$ f% D6 O
hutong is only a tourist attraction.
The best way to find the4 ?% |& c+ W- B- `# Z6 W
balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the; J) |8 y0 t% M% R* s
project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be
0 }; b- r1 R1 R/ urenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong
' r1 \5 a( P4 ^& _Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how- M4 m6 `$ H/ V% [5 e$ y: M
people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be. K7 ]7 E: G1 k( r. N% u! t
torn down or transformed into something else.
TwinkieDP:
I'm sorry that your cherished
6 f8 J% \) ~, R7 x9 b: i' Ymemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".
* x8 T5 K5 S* t6 I/ ]Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are
+ i. k1 u/ e5 D- v* r( I% ealigned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially! f* R8 ^' B, o9 p* n' O' |
non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image
, v: o' u& I4 n8 ^3 }8 E5 ~of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these* X- R, w- {; z8 n6 B U! F
Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those
1 T4 b! E! t+ a( Z gpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they
\7 q( _9 W7 s- `" |3 }* Emay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some
0 k2 g5 c/ k6 F/ l3 Cof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before3 ]; }- ~4 E$ n6 n/ i* U2 z
"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all: e7 s) l5 q# N4 C7 ^% o
people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise" \" V2 l/ \" v. t- }8 j' o
apartments are the way to go? No.' q% i! |1 Q+ j! c! h, P
0 m7 a+ H! A3 _0 H; T- B3 l% y3 S2 l 1 V+ C: ? u$ F8 G( g. C& b
Howard Fu:
I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs. But the
. U" ?6 ^+ r8 j9 Usituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this
3 [0 g3 f9 d( z3 r'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make
3 M! v% j% }- d2 l+ h4 [7 qno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so* }( o9 e# q7 ?! ~' z4 R
fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant
2 i) K& t6 i- @2 w" S9 Presistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless
" a4 `( E" Y" w: k' u& bBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is
4 S2 w' ?- ]* b9 ^8 {$ x% N7 l! L$ punlikely to happen too. Sad!
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