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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 / [/ P% @0 N1 O9 u7 k6 Qarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider9 q( H% @- h' R Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"8 g* g7 g) X: V' D( c- K city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture.+ h C Y( l$ v/ G$ r- P5 x According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty,; d' g: u8 e g 3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 1 `( E3 d& w r7 \Manchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within 6 y( T; X. U7 w. C& ]- L, Ahutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among # ~: T; \7 S9 a0 Z6 x# M- Yeach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera ! z8 ~% P4 d/ t" j! n3 _and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is 4 o7 F# _% _& I N' G" W6 a2 v+ }harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are0 a/ G) \8 K) w0 w' D descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and, u/ N( `! y# ~3 x' W: S forms of culture emerged in hutong.

I6 E8 d2 K( H- t- V. H2 e* a was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great- P9 } a: ^9 Q* ^, l5 p impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,: K9 n4 M: I* D1 [4 J) A and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong * Z L! P5 s2 nhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment & O% n s s; f+ {# Dof hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that : ]7 Q% N2 J# ~" X3 p' ~+ S$ Bno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are & q6 l e/ g, a' S/ z; G0 Xonly enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a) D! E. e+ ^4 ?* { sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government$ I4 v6 H2 r4 k- d9 [' k D want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move3 d8 A. y, ]7 f" t0 m3 ]6 }6 _ to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 3 V, c0 N% w$ I; ^6 r! f1 }"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, % j# R7 [4 |0 B- ?; D) l, hthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are" T& @* j7 U* B9 p+ H! b- B: p: F 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 5 K. T( A% U' Y"progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make+ \9 }6 m8 _. d" q+ v% Q) {& s money for big business... including the very town I live in. There was$ e y2 K" S; J" `, h N. R a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a( n9 N. |& v0 W1 c& @1 K7 t parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across , B, y; g, b- j( o+ Dthe 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 # U; z& D, \" F1 ^importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for2 |7 y# p+ `5 L0 w( a- ?+ \# @ development.

Hutongs 6 o. W ]9 _6 M, win the old days were residential area where people actually lived ) e. R( {6 ^! n) Zthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions) E" V1 r, j. Z3 o! p4 V: @ in hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not , P0 e4 }* X2 a* {have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you9 z+ A2 A6 c) O" z) [3 } will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.# B, v( Q) l( j: \5 K Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date # m- C/ N3 Y* l9 P3 B' _) ~: sto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used3 C5 K3 o( T' _" b: @ to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses2 d! o9 l1 n& ^ support a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically ! T, {0 u1 o3 V7 ?6 _% U- G. kunfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to: ?' s _ Q& N" Y9 a live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, " \ F% Z3 J1 B4 r, ihutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the0 v, i( Z, k( E& L balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the. R* E$ v( ?" Y project into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be0 z7 `2 O. d7 V9 ?8 S renovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong- i v% g6 [" f0 n$ i" p0 x Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how ( d* n* C2 i: f0 Xpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be 1 w5 b. b9 o, ` d; E5 t& n- Vtorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished- c; s/ ^! _0 D9 ~( l memories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". 0 X/ J' q: a+ ]' ~Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are: A+ }. L5 E/ p aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially& X( `6 K" N" `/ o9 U/ ` non-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image 0 O+ ?+ i8 p% L; fof the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these! Y$ g) w( c3 T0 \2 X% S8 Q4 F Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those8 T. r) F( }" u* g) T0 G people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they# R# F4 y7 M0 K$ q2 h* ~/ P1 c may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some 4 Z% f9 L& r0 P; |9 _9 Gof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before! c. j. V8 ?; \/ x "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all; @ o: P' W4 P people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise- A* z, j; @9 D6 @ apartments are the way to go? No. O2 U1 z, J q 7 r3 l/ ]/ u1 u! V ) q n; W" d6 d3 [) a. P# O

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the# ~+ m. ^- o& [8 ~/ U9 A situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this . P6 }' t, s7 }1 e2 @'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make ( q( u" f9 \- h: \7 d3 q M9 cno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so ; a: [. Q" B" jfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant 6 ^% Z- P. ?% L9 Wresistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless ' ?+ K1 y2 W! \' j" [" N7 EBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is ) o W9 c, O* f# @; n' d: }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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