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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, its9 W0 p& X2 w' J U& K0 X( f: { architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider # I- H/ v" s- r0 zBeijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 0 z& o) Y5 P9 V( S6 Lcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.$ m9 M0 s& L/ k& v' s1 ?3 B( H6 [) Z9 ^ According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, 3 F s F u: m+ B- @8 @3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of & W1 w$ H! d, w4 q" c/ gManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within8 Q4 m( l4 x! I3 r% A1 }" [ v hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among * Z( k* B% Y) `# ] }each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera1 y' o/ _" N" E: ~& p8 [ and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is $ L$ ~" g A' [! |/ Dharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are. J: t9 H3 h( \! V) x6 g descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and h$ S$ N6 t2 r3 b' l0 |9 u- A0 U, eforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 4 s) |: m7 i* p$ q6 D' z1 p# T1 _was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great: \7 z" L/ ~2 S/ K) A* m4 j impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, l. e/ H' Y S2 c and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong 4 `$ |* e% s& `7 R$ y- nhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment + k1 _- B- v3 v7 v7 {of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that2 L* _2 @3 [' X no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are : g" E9 D7 k+ Y$ d* |) @+ q+ Xonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 3 G* Y6 E+ ^3 Z- u; M) ksort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government. c9 B, i$ H* `8 ]' a want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move; O1 [7 p5 F4 R/ g3 v5 }% n9 p; [ to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is3 p% G$ I! T' F" F1 k "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 4 P- Y: l4 N. i ~$ Lthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are ! F3 {/ X8 @6 Nstill 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! P: L$ D7 P) o9 D, N "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make . g: q( m+ m$ hmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was2 ~' V T4 j% s; f! b( C9 K a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a & ?6 s1 [# S8 i5 s- s: q3 pparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across; e- y/ ~7 L; @+ L 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 . R/ F4 f, G- p5 Jimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 8 }$ C# D& I& Ydevelopment.

Hutongs! {/ j0 h9 ]9 k; t5 f5 I& Q in the old days were residential area where people actually lived 8 r& H, a, V2 q) Rthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions 9 l- p) F4 ^8 R" _$ M1 ?in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not8 T" k7 f5 M2 J8 t4 b have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you : w; @3 S& x+ M8 N. m: j; iwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. & T+ ]+ N. j# f! H, EFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date. \- W# u% v% I6 {+ e+ r to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used* h1 m$ e$ f# o: s" ] to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 8 e7 x# t- L5 E; v3 Nsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically2 N$ a" a# O- V) n/ i9 f$ G unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to7 {+ l6 R6 E8 @ c) a live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,# l8 r2 i, r- e5 d. R B hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the3 m& h7 m$ K, `/ {% E* v% ], V balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the8 \+ G8 x- B: Q7 e project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be ' j5 A0 \" W8 \renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong% c: H$ v) {) F) G Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 5 @4 L4 R# z8 p. ~! s& S+ mpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be3 I# A( b+ s9 _* C/ `: v8 Q2 G) ` torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished . n1 o% T; v3 p2 X7 T) Y9 v9 z$ m" ymemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". 4 a$ d2 M# `( t8 pNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are9 E- O; D) d1 O' ~% s7 n' I! Q aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially i0 I+ s+ y2 snon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image / R) u5 l5 N/ U, L2 Pof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these 6 q+ [# X; P; c0 i7 w4 q/ ^Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 7 l J( e( b8 ?# }- b' f, Qpeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they& x4 I c/ ?5 s5 z% I may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some 0 ~- c7 Y3 L0 s; ^. Vof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before ) C3 H6 X: e7 B: u"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all, U9 t0 }/ X; g; a people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise$ }# C% x8 s5 C: u# j' g6 g' J apartments are the way to go? No.# `- P. `/ S- Z; d! |! z * z( ^: G9 d) M " r/ Z+ T3 L* e; F! O

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the0 I/ j. y1 g U5 o situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this; \$ M5 T0 o$ m! ` 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make % n% L, n- V0 ~. M8 ino money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so , [ k" e2 l% k( l* [7 s1 Sfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant0 |! ^8 N! k) _, F! S, a/ b8 Q- Q resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless& a5 M8 x m5 @/ T& P Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is9 V$ Q% n1 O( Q% D 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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