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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 E+ c) A# v4 X4 [' Q& ]architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider9 j) s' h! p% I Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"; r! \! Z) ]' x/ K" r6 y city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. , o- k% m" T# J7 ?4 |& u' k0 O: VAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, - J& \: ]4 O1 R' \) G2 ]; U3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of- k( w1 W& {2 ?( h+ O3 L Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within$ z) ^; m- T' b9 q' n" {4 d; g0 i hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among! A, ] c F; Y1 s- r9 w. y" p each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera : T8 f# Y/ L% i1 m7 q1 d, E5 H* X% ~and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is( r+ M/ g- S. } harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are / e+ t: H/ G: z. l. {descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and % C" |* `. w+ Y* T* [# oforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 2 ^2 i) q0 H+ Wwas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great$ Z3 X+ P3 }# T& [4 u impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,5 {, ]1 Q# ]( q8 P and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong! g$ o6 F1 M. |: l" Z F has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment% R- Y/ q9 I/ P2 @2 j( J: `, X- w of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that6 ~7 B. i! ^- ^. M6 b0 C h no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are * S+ O' K' _3 |' H1 z7 lonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 4 k8 O. N9 e' [3 z! u& hsort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government # ?) U t/ V( T7 h( ^ ]want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move. ~; |/ g* L0 D- ]3 t to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is & n( t6 Q: z( S0 s" O; _"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,: T' G8 y/ v, h8 F. S this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are + I( i1 O* @3 F6 c" M/ A% v! 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 to7 J- w6 V5 p3 d8 G0 C! W; R "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 8 N, H/ X* T! R+ Omoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was ~5 o9 {2 x, Xa beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a % x* ~ H* o+ b* B6 hparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across" e9 s* p& u% P: {9 q" m 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 ! W4 p, d, e! s) a2 Fimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for7 `1 s% a5 ^6 c6 s development.

Hutongs9 e% P. X' W3 B7 [, B- u, f5 | q in the old days were residential area where people actually lived 9 ]- [0 k- g! X$ v4 Jthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions 8 X6 d( n v: F( Pin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not ; ]- k1 W$ b( j$ X! ehave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you" C; Y4 V2 |( w ~ will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. $ w/ Z6 O8 l" H" w# EFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date * c a& X+ v$ v1 A/ v' T7 D, Dto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used ( r# u8 ~' ^5 T0 M( j7 |4 h! vto hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses1 _6 R1 [, s" z support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically# ?; S5 N5 o- ~! c2 h+ i unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to! o( Q3 s& A3 B5 k* ?$ e- X) ]/ G live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, & b: P% x( J+ z- _hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the2 H% _+ h6 z/ \5 W) W; G balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the p8 G4 f5 c% g# D# k B6 ^project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be $ C9 i' ], {$ p2 b" Jrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong( g3 n. b3 Y# B Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how: g8 s& Z- m2 E/ f people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be$ N6 O* f. J, `/ z' e3 ?+ D% @( \ torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished' T; s" g+ Z3 @ memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress"., _6 |+ u! A9 } Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are K- z2 V) @/ G9 b; b aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially( H: x+ M' c7 q# [# h' m4 Q non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 5 _6 `* K# J9 qof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these0 `8 e U+ f8 E+ J" r Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those " P7 [1 [6 z$ e$ upeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 5 c" L! E9 @1 k& }, emay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some/ d2 M) @1 B3 }. E, F of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before: f; i) e6 H: e9 K "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all $ H" z% B: T0 |2 A! _5 ppeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise% z+ C: J0 d X; s/ Y( B apartments are the way to go? No.; T9 X3 r M/ V; U% ] , j0 P- q- U2 r- l3 {+ [& a% q 5 K7 J9 p$ M' c" I

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the, W* A* C+ T* m6 n) p situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this ; I4 \5 J- u, M8 e2 Y'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make " i, S( R" A& z" p T: S L2 ]no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so % ^! ^6 d& M. ^0 e8 Gfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant / x* L- Q: V1 O2 Z+ mresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless# F4 @2 W/ K5 A& P Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is1 h/ }4 H6 j+ n% W5 ?# U2 c 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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