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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 2 a1 W# d! K, d. i9 Varchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider 8 r& `2 ?0 A) V" }Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"' g/ z0 V: k P: ^2 ~9 q city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.+ h3 N) M8 u9 J: N# B8 |* q, q B. P According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, , P8 ?, L5 C8 m; |9 I3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 6 i% l% {9 N8 [' LManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within ; ?+ M/ k; r$ n/ D. o0 Yhutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among! S1 J3 j8 a! f% M- | each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera ) O5 r1 J2 G+ k4 Z, c8 m. g. K8 [and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is ( I. D4 B* C2 j) v+ e( v- U( U2 Wharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are( r9 S- r4 y( Z' K' r descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and, p, g6 ^! e, J2 `! j6 y- I forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I, R4 `! t/ B+ m$ [# }/ ~ was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great + l8 r4 u3 G. z" C2 O* qimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,+ A2 q7 t7 `4 J' ~8 J and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong1 |/ ], J6 J q6 @9 g" Q has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment 8 }2 N' r. E0 zof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that) j6 {6 o5 A. T' g+ c no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are ! l( F1 P+ C* H) U& ?) [2 Y0 ponly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a. N" ]. J0 ~- U5 v9 K sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government( h1 J! w6 j8 B5 v: ]3 u9 i2 p want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move 9 E( a8 j/ a; Q2 Yto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 0 |) b! w5 G, ~% {4 K I) l1 q2 z. T"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 8 k8 C7 c" b! a! Q8 U) Xthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are % R( I: B- r2 Y3 R% U# Ystill 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 to3 b- e/ {6 b+ A+ b! X5 P( \2 S7 V "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make. o! K8 o/ T3 c$ V& z money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was $ I( I. x; {+ T- u$ ia beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a8 I1 c- T k. b- ]2 X8 a parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 3 j3 g6 l5 S7 \& f" l( y+ F2 `* B% _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- d1 ^$ {$ j/ b( U9 m importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for % j5 w8 m9 i4 T4 Ddevelopment.

Hutongs! [& [9 F8 q4 W+ ], r6 T in the old days were residential area where people actually lived ) C/ |8 u) W# w6 Z5 s) X! w. T. vthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions " R$ T3 a- p# f; M& A; L9 ]0 q! Z- x( [. o0 kin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not) M$ a* k0 k) u. R have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you, {8 P8 k7 o8 M% a will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. 7 `3 t5 {9 f. A) x8 TFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date $ L* w6 p2 o% L' Y* C# P# K" xto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used 0 e& {$ y) \( F: p. z2 T6 T9 [to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 1 F3 q* Q% l- s+ |% w/ ksupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically ' P( \3 y! O0 E. Z" g, h0 \. Ounfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to) I" P3 d& w' \* L' S live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 4 I0 q* D% P7 p+ H" ^" Uhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 6 T4 P9 z( k' T. k6 Z* ^3 ybalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the ) T$ W6 o# P& @, L# vproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be! F. `, x7 z9 y$ K D renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong0 a$ L) D2 _/ o: i- r7 i8 g Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how( O5 p9 g; j. i3 O' ?: I: T people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be7 k# K& C7 B+ z6 Y& P torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished # P3 i! Y$ o0 K/ smemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". ' C( ? G! d5 y1 t) W3 g( y2 xNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are) g3 y; B" f1 }. |6 s9 i3 j; v/ C l3 P aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially6 `; Y) M6 v+ B) Q" e6 ~) S non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image / w3 N6 V5 z- n [1 s0 Qof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these 7 r$ I, s" b8 w/ l% `$ FHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those5 M+ q' w' `6 t9 T people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they @4 L# H u, d1 l( X; @may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some0 }. l; X: Q$ k0 A% e of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before/ ^+ j) R4 k' c4 k& p! S "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all( M1 c4 s, {* A+ Z/ X people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise 6 p. {% O7 D& U) U8 f& tapartments are the way to go? No. * e9 [, S( m# t" Z5 w , Q- b+ D4 Z" Y2 x4 Z 2 ^* G! s/ Z9 C) I6 [

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the 4 p9 L1 T4 y" K4 d% u0 qsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this 4 n. j! N& D$ x) n: c'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make4 \6 T3 m, o3 @4 T* c# w7 q no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so! T6 S- W- }- ~4 q) y" m. N fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant ; w0 U! t3 g D- b- D- Y5 hresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 5 ^7 W- A9 K" B( `: ?2 F( fBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is " K! s a a* d+ ^! ]( f. 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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