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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 - w* B3 C3 n% V- L# j. Barchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider0 i4 z- P0 y2 | Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 3 \' U) [3 a, {" A/ Zcity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.& |4 b4 C9 s5 N# Z4 @. _9 Z According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,: J* N: `: V6 b; R 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of6 A; F# W2 ~' D( z. d Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within4 W. U7 N8 @9 z hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among+ b7 B7 U' ^# k; ~5 ]& X3 s; x each other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera+ i9 h$ n: v( w8 A- J and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is * A% h4 E \" C ^harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are 7 i( n. n( A4 W* Fdescended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and) K/ p. d8 k3 w forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I! f) C6 E# J, a o/ B3 P) {, Z+ C4 W was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great / L6 ~9 d$ D4 K8 Z- Bimpression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished, / h" Y+ M8 T: |5 ?" T) Oand we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong $ H0 w7 c- T7 R% V/ Q3 T) phas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment * o( u3 i/ v: hof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that ( @: t& w( X. x$ zno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are5 `# L2 b: |2 e* K! ~& k: | only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a 4 ~2 B; N+ B- x) h0 Esort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government & ? Q0 W: W) H2 f! m0 ^! Bwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move, Z% u% y# X/ ^' K to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is1 x1 I) ]8 X% b' j/ M$ E7 Q "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact,% B* }) r9 c2 e, S3 J, @4 Z h this movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are 0 N. y7 T7 o8 ]/ N2 Mstill 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 & a& d. ~: W! E% x, L"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make1 J$ m; ?* V" x) Q- \0 R9 L( t money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was# R% e# K# M% K6 D( h a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a, `9 P- J) a0 M parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across: m0 f. k' B2 Z' X, c; Y3 q+ { 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" q* Q% q' @: C importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 0 h- i5 X* i% L' X; h2 f* x# x/ ydevelopment.

Hutongs $ v: ^4 O" u9 }' [: _in the old days were residential area where people actually lived1 o& Q1 L+ e7 ~8 n+ w there. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions 0 Q/ e0 y0 M: k) D, o) E z, kin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not 1 |( @: y7 c" Q' o, ghave plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you 5 n' b' G9 U( n) r% _will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.% a3 N7 o3 d9 u+ o" K0 y, W$ l Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date! i& `+ n- ]; ~0 V to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used4 K! C5 [) Q* N! f/ E6 | F" x to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses$ }; v: W q% l, {8 u. P support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically5 @; u5 O) T$ D! H+ X unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to * s/ Q- E. I( l% N3 plive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, % f) k1 }. i& k7 K4 J/ Rhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the 7 S- W4 _5 Y. k- ^balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the4 r7 U' Z9 p4 ]- ? project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be + _$ X/ G; n+ h% N y0 ?+ o- Wrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong ; c2 `6 ^: d8 I2 `. GMuseum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how 5 [7 F1 i4 C* k' Q3 R4 N3 Cpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be' ^6 M: L! |0 @) k torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished9 ]. U' _" y9 T memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". / z7 W) w& v( V! p+ ?1 k/ J/ \Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are 6 N# s6 V; ?! h1 }7 Ialigned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially* _; ]- i6 b1 ?1 s non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image/ u S+ m2 O& G of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these & O# T2 R% c, U4 y wHutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those : b: m. F7 f. Q# Z/ h6 Z0 U+ }people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they 4 m0 `6 O |$ U# q5 hmay appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some! t( z% ^9 h+ f! O% \; ^$ X of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before% m# C9 b/ I$ g( R! K. g8 h "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all 2 A4 B( x. V% N# T- j+ Apeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise9 M Z ~4 x7 G5 F4 j apartments are the way to go? No. * O: Z+ ]3 T+ J, C( u; r- W 8 G) K! A4 m/ Q% K2 l1 u 4 x* c- [2 {( \$ I8 k% A

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the 4 _$ R6 C8 g- C9 D8 Zsituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this + k' u+ r7 }$ e6 G1 r: n'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make : m5 c, @/ }" Q% C# M- eno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so ' T3 Y& {- W# ?8 Y& Y3 tfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant, l: C5 E# w& H( Z" @+ N4 J resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless & m$ W+ A0 T( Q3 V6 r' vBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is. p8 A+ H6 f* U! O 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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