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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( K0 f d( }& L( P' I* ` v+ W architecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider + y& v# G! I4 S4 _& {Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian": A) q- X+ {' L city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. ) j/ T( B) C7 U5 s0 L( n! DAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, ?4 \ n8 B, _ i& ^3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 2 N i& J8 g! n a9 h$ q/ L9 J; ZManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within% D1 B8 M, p" n7 D9 \! r5 y9 @ n3 m hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among0 q5 _7 Z* T" ~; C( R- R: q each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera & C4 i: T8 j, K: zand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is* n2 v$ A( q, q& F% ~ harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are2 O" ^5 C% K+ W; T' n4 G0 O1 Y& T descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and . X( B) i% d% V3 Y% i8 z/ J: aforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I- F0 g! P9 @5 D/ {- G, B0 b# L was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great& R. b* K5 A5 f2 ?5 d3 v& H impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,6 V/ b# h8 _$ m' `/ v+ \ and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong) _5 f: E* _# {3 s has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment 6 }* M5 Y6 _% s' P5 h" r4 p$ ? ]# wof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that & u% H7 g+ B1 |. P# N, t6 }no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are k8 ]1 P" }5 u: h! O only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a0 k2 K% o( q$ ]! A" O sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government/ Q; l5 D' ]: |! e want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move! [$ B5 r/ b/ T! d( w3 G1 ? to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is! P) n6 x2 q3 y1 l8 ~& l2 { "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, - v5 G- d2 @5 n! W1 Gthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 5 \- D, V! N8 O8 c5 z9 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 z) W+ E1 ?6 S4 X8 \ "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make ' M/ {% {+ u8 ~money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was 2 c F! X s1 b% M& na beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a # ^. k c+ A2 Dparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 5 [& h' G/ y$ _. r9 [) Q f, k, ?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 ) ?% M3 I# B/ r/ N) kimportance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for0 v5 M" j& e$ K development.

Hutongs b5 `4 \1 h" d5 W in the old days were residential area where people actually lived : x1 i+ p) }$ Q$ \there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions 7 M, O1 f/ E/ {. Z8 sin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not ^5 Y' g% @; h. e have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you % [" \! p/ f) c2 |3 Uwill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs. ) U0 z9 p4 }3 S6 P; f1 W: PFurthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date $ c m- P: u' f0 oto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used* ]6 M( j, Y: q" S! O+ Z$ i to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses' k8 _: J6 g+ ^/ M% S* T$ j support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically ! `1 t, g) i* J6 q- q0 l5 x) tunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to 0 k( R+ d- g0 x2 \6 Jlive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose,) Z0 E& y4 O# a' H9 T8 _ hutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the1 ~6 Z8 j& Z- D7 W) }' V( D, O! @ balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the $ t$ a3 U% z: x$ G! y# B3 dproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 3 ?* ]+ Z! a4 [+ urenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong6 G( d. e! L. J1 R0 f. k/ E Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how! ~* y6 t0 h. c1 x5 @ people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be / e8 D% B! K9 N/ `3 \% d9 Z# R/ ctorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished 2 C- C2 [. l7 q7 j8 ]+ n% ~% qmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". u& `/ j8 y" \4 W/ \5 BNothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are) H) g+ N8 @2 }& {7 } aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially / m6 f. W i4 w1 Znon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image: K3 F' U. c% o6 ]+ k* d of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these / F& W- }+ o/ v; s- f: ]& GHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those) @/ U& s3 a; k% D% S0 p$ r people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 3 K2 `2 R( x$ smay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some! I$ q2 H5 b# t4 Y) X' m of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before 3 o% B) \: @3 R3 a+ o5 |7 ["modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all/ X1 X7 `% M: a: ~* M people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise8 M' j& m! h9 M" L apartments are the way to go? No.: i4 T- g' D2 S s . K" a+ h8 E4 a6 u % }" l, D" _! C( W1 I; L

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the/ D) }, W3 t; n4 C2 Y& ? situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this & v4 I/ F9 K! U7 g# |5 u' r'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make3 x+ F; F$ `' z' F; C7 H no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so+ g& l2 A2 X6 S7 `, ? fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant) y! M2 M- M. I; \2 E% W0 u resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless# u+ @7 o+ H) S3 R- `+ F" d% l) W0 b Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is & }) i7 X9 w4 q/ y; W, `' sunlikely 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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