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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 # }! L4 g& G$ r, H: carchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider. {7 O1 s4 [2 e: X- X+ Y' R) W I6 e Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian" 1 o. U f6 j. x, I' c; u% Icity. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. - S' [9 S, a5 i% z+ x7 b7 sAccording to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, + h" m% i. v) L3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 1 e% n7 W! A" C6 b' RManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within' G9 S% x* _% Z+ A& B7 W+ n! j: o hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among . ?3 M2 O- r2 a, Oeach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera8 h8 q! W0 l. V4 a+ n7 ~8 X) } and Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is & y j& r8 d5 O0 [harmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are4 h. Q9 n0 @" G6 N6 |3 B descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and . n( ^# e- l8 }8 eforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I8 ^# R }- O7 m- x! ? was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great; B6 x0 R4 N* v$ } impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,7 |$ q( e* W1 l- a5 Q+ q+ k' W and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong / a% k- U# l( k; Jhas a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment* Y) x7 b' E4 A# B of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that & ]0 t& L% d( P2 D8 a: jno hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are 2 O* p( |5 @, ~* \only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a ! y1 b8 w1 w( H# c3 ysort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government% A& N/ {$ k# O) K+ D1 h/ E; x want to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move0 h/ ^8 G& _3 L5 v1 O to the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is+ H5 c. {' X0 g' V( ?3 m Z- l: ?+ W "modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, 2 L4 Y* n R% k9 q7 Fthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are ; y5 l5 H e: lstill 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, Q4 m s. c0 ^8 r" Q' F0 L "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 8 Z0 \6 ^, L# I# `2 Cmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was' V& E( N0 l% _ a beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a, \" L5 j' K7 P9 m8 K parking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across% k' D* L9 \5 u: L0 N 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 cultural7 O0 o5 N$ b5 b. b importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for 2 u) {" G) R0 ~3 o S; \* F/ [development.

Hutongs5 T+ U; |8 F. A0 c' [* {0 A in the old days were residential area where people actually lived 5 T, z% ]6 P0 g L$ {8 T8 jthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions 5 j" h6 Q$ ^0 U$ B% G4 s# Gin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not8 ?# ?1 G p, w$ x' A8 x { have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you ( I; H$ {/ R' T' ^will have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.$ C2 }; e$ h) }. R, x6 C- P: r! r Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date 7 m' l8 d9 s2 Y" J2 [0 F$ `to support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used 0 J" e5 g* C/ m& W8 o' @3 ito hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses # g; C! D. F. _. X( p4 ^0 ^+ D' Wsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically. x: j. q8 c( I% p unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to 9 M9 R) |9 B0 _$ V" clive in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, % s3 t4 T; ?/ Q) {: R4 x) zhutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the I k* b# S c0 E/ b6 k9 Jbalance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the 0 u- w+ E( l% f: v {, Gproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 8 V+ h; ]* M, k# srenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong. d( }% @# E, {3 |$ d( R- { Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how) ?" Z! K7 R3 Q+ m people lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be : M( _ n6 A: x8 S; H5 htorn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished ( p: u( R+ [" k6 hmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress". ) e; p b/ p8 P1 }Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are$ c" s+ @# ]% l' O6 r/ h aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially ; P4 Q, \& q2 Pnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image) X) h( C2 c' a7 s' L of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these9 x- F8 G( X w" l6 n: M t Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those 9 J+ z% }+ O& T5 @5 [people who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they6 I4 Q$ @( W# n9 C8 @' h may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some # |. h N/ U2 a: N; u5 V7 Bof the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before' P! F: ?% Q d. p) j1 x- T2 G "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all0 ~) N. d6 c" W. A2 X% p people needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise1 Y& e' A; \2 D( N) y! `( N apartments are the way to go? No. 3 q" f. {5 n' o% b+ g. d $ d" T4 f. p0 \/ `; ` , n3 |, x( D4 j1 r5 [1 f F

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the ' t) s/ }( X7 ?* Csituation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this O& O9 s I9 U4 `: ]9 c$ C'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make / j! K* N% c7 [1 n6 r) {0 Bno money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so7 p7 G& _ w! A# @ fast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant1 z P4 G( i9 S' g: m resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless ; {& A& h# @5 D4 cBeijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is $ c" w: T( J- C, X8 W0 d( Q% ~) w) hunlikely 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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