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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* f, U0 }5 q; H% G1 o architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider7 I5 h. a; x% ^, m2 q Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 9 D$ M4 _9 w& Y9 Kcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. 8 H/ c3 h6 R* U6 l+ c1 n, \According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,% m- E* T$ {, j0 _$ X 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of & t; E% ]/ Y& X1 D" ?Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within# i7 J; t8 b! @4 O! |' ` hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among6 ~# e+ g; x. Y" R2 m each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera ( F9 G! M. v; I! ]5 pand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 3 ^& z+ X' p8 J( m( Vharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are " F& D: O3 l' M8 u G; }descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and * D7 _, d( Q* u! m9 V" e0 r9 ]forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I 8 Q7 N1 K2 F# V2 R9 ywas born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great. Y: @3 V5 G( L# g4 \' @& Q impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,' r. |# P) y( n! G) v$ e$ l and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong+ o2 Z) `/ `4 o+ ] has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment( s5 G) e: r9 H. E of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that ; ^8 z8 D) [7 m/ I; _) @7 o) m: Mno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are) \: \* L9 b, H) u. G9 t only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 7 r. @* u Q: O9 D9 d% D) o8 a2 ssort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government# H x/ W% M) Z' M. `, f3 T8 T want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move$ u# M/ `7 b) [3 Y+ ? to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is & e) _0 u% @, T. A7 P"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, _: }) s" H% A this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are ) Q8 r. ~0 n8 o% w9 T4 S6 P* Tstill 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 ) B* T. _, \+ Z6 L: ?9 b' e( u"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 8 I" m0 D* ` a0 Q4 e Ymoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was0 j* f0 y2 B( T0 F- o a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a ) ^# O( I% {. M1 J. yparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across4 ]" p! Y9 q+ K. |/ H 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: ]0 {: V6 D) b+ q3 ~$ eimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for$ B8 b! M! x- |# [* ]$ Q development.

Hutongs 4 r& \/ ^* \- d6 V4 Iin the old days were residential area where people actually lived 6 K( i' Z: P0 g0 h V+ a# {& H% Xthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions 8 Y" c7 Q: E5 Fin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not ' L! e( k5 T; Nhave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you( u8 I* L% A G0 z( ` will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. : \$ `% u0 Q4 HFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date: H0 D8 D$ B8 ^: `! i. b: q to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used- k* f' ^, V* r8 a5 | to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses" |: L- Q9 [/ d. ~/ P( n$ `) y0 m support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically" B! M# o: x* F) \ unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to0 G. _6 w& P+ q* u7 h' p live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, ) {4 _, m" ^# }- z6 Rhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 7 U; u* _$ [- Sbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the! a7 H# M( {/ v, I! [ project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be9 d( D! z/ g8 L/ d" o; t' R9 x renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong $ o6 g5 D" S1 _/ U9 }6 E' PMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 9 p, F Q4 `0 ~people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be ; v0 c% B6 b7 H, ztorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished % i d' l* e- H- J8 O) l" [7 n# Rmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".; v$ @9 u) V7 Y, a& n4 b+ V$ F Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are2 \$ ]$ S2 b6 h* l2 }: O( d) f M aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially' Y0 `+ J6 s! B) H non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 4 Z9 W" i8 I; w0 e8 B& iof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these& G O( l; {# F# s Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those8 o5 z3 u7 p; y, ]. A people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they ( u2 d2 a5 o( h, [2 x/ xmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some; h) X, N: ^ H8 p8 G" } of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before * l+ ]+ f1 b2 a) a+ m"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 7 |5 |- h" i3 x# O; cpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise. [( }- g6 O# U( h. c- H# R: S8 K apartments are the way to go? No.1 U4 H( @% m: _8 b2 l& E4 s ) Z2 W6 [# W- U1 W) l6 y* U$ Q , P: w% m4 V/ b+ A! T8 M0 K2 E, W

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the5 x2 r5 D/ N/ m [' J/ W$ S- Y situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this : h; F6 {8 R: y% e) }'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make8 I, {/ } S9 w. x& T& G$ m no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so+ V, i5 H/ A, B$ w# g* Y, T, ^7 Z, J) c fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 0 d+ {/ D3 k3 F8 c& o1 Nresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 4 C, N# c9 \0 z* x2 `Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is ' a' ] }/ J% A. w# B( x% cunlikely 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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