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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 3 g* W9 R- @" {architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider2 |( V% P! Z! ? Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 4 \% V6 D5 r2 F7 Qcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. ; ]5 d( U6 z6 |According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,! F4 D: B5 y9 T/ q" M/ M6 k 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of4 F) }, N8 I' y4 ~0 U+ A0 m* l Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 5 P2 \* P4 @( b# { q' ]2 shutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among 2 C* a. G2 P% }6 l& \6 r" \each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera, ?5 i: O& O, K# j9 c& n and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is2 G8 X4 [+ _# v! s* w( j+ L harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are : u! u& s, C" T* Z+ ]( e! |0 @descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and9 |* Q5 ~( _- m) o/ c3 x forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I( B& M$ x( A# ~. E was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great 2 {" r O; Z- ~! s4 Bimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,! j8 P% R* D4 T) t9 V and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong 0 A2 d x+ q+ i4 d0 s) g8 n e9 fhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment: n/ x7 V; K2 h0 C of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that , v/ \# a; V) O/ [no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are& H& Z. A8 F4 {5 Y5 n only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a: ~0 R4 g+ U/ Z$ [ sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government$ A2 V; e+ {0 G: ^0 q. D want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move) D2 u# D1 ~7 N to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is" g2 E4 e# g: v y/ A0 s3 _7 O "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 7 ^ G9 x% \8 |: A& [; Vthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are6 r) y& i, `& Z% z# j2 j! w 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 $ Q: F4 D4 n2 }% S"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make ; @' _0 w O" ~) `7 ~7 I. e2 K! nmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was + f# X! l# V2 Z1 Fa beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a+ k' ^- C! c W* I7 m0 y parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across7 v% U+ h$ h6 x) _ 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/ a. N, `7 o. n1 D6 qimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for+ Y' @; E; Y3 H4 [# n development.

Hutongs. Z7 ~1 t5 ^. h8 K a; B' c in the old days were residential area where people actually lived; M7 a- ?# |3 ^+ { there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions) g( v5 t$ ^; t in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not. C8 L* f7 r% J0 P/ M" N6 @ have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you3 ^3 N) X: m' b5 n1 A will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.3 e* U/ B' J/ b- |% O6 o Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date7 e* V3 n: J& F1 S9 r to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used5 e+ v% p$ u: t8 R' C, Y to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses , ^4 s( B( \' l: y* t' v+ X1 ysupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically 4 B2 Q6 G& [# i; g- a- nunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to : W7 S* `3 @, }: J6 Olive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, 2 i+ m F! W7 {/ ehutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the9 v2 {- R' @, [/ v balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the! s" B, m% G' d# E9 } project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be' |1 i' k+ _) W* c3 f renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong . `- w X+ n' ~9 {Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how) {' F* G; I: _ _$ M people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be7 F' ~$ S5 l- [4 G2 }5 V) G torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished ! }. n2 o5 [, g) G) rmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".) z" Z2 S5 Z& X" Z. q! v6 _! W' l5 k2 Y Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are * v# g( h( J+ z" M' [aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially * O( j0 V1 T6 v2 t0 lnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 4 u+ S3 f; h+ y6 p( Qof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these/ \+ E! g5 j' G; @$ @ Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those( q5 n1 u( E# a+ J people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they$ }' n# I' _7 j' ~! r; ]- {' l$ I may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some ' T i9 k0 e) @+ p4 o& |0 G3 qof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before ) P( h* Y z) Y: a"modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all! g; ^( u' L' Z* w) d- L. y9 j people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise- ~! ]& |; [# V2 q# M+ t3 d) U apartments are the way to go? No. 5 R# g6 S7 N n 1 Y- c6 A0 w, l" b9 n - {8 f8 i' E2 z2 Q" y% P- ?& E6 Z

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the 8 D0 `1 r/ u7 V. a3 Bsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this7 O+ s: ?& `! d% N! ` 'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make 0 Q$ n1 k0 ^! d g% M% D7 A% G6 |# }no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so ( y# |6 ~ c4 g/ T) R6 J* hfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant ! U6 W, o& K1 D( `: Zresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless 5 J1 u0 L7 v5 O% u) r! FBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is8 ?* E. Y0 v5 y 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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