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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 5 T- K6 w' v+ v) f" Aarchitecture style is supreme throughout China. Please do not consider4 Q( L% E9 g2 n4 v; O/ u( d Beijing as just an "Imperial City". It in fact, is a more "civilian"' j; T# J: h0 Y, ^, X M city. Hutong or alley way is the kernel of Beijing's culture. 6 l3 Z: P$ D( ~According to some books, there were 1,200 hutongs in Yuan Dynasty, ) l6 u) |6 c# O( d! i- U' F9 i: D3,600 hutongs in Ming Dynasty, and over 6,000 hutongs at the end of 2 A+ \( I& A" w& a' Y) K$ QManchu Qing Dynasty. Most of the hutongs are well preserved until 1999.

Within ( M& m/ X7 o9 c7 ?hutongs, the citizens maintain a good neighborhood relationship among * l; U! A- D( c# ~' eeach other. Senior citizens play Chinese chess or listen to Peking Opera ' C1 a% O# c$ G: @ A: {% i! k- sand Pingju. Children play outside. The atmosphere in hutong is / E% S4 e4 }$ E2 ^3 j6 R0 X; o& Aharmonious. The architectural styles of hutong are diverse, but all are" H" {$ `+ o' M/ w' e& U descended from traditional Chinese culture. Many great events and 3 s9 e1 R+ }4 n5 oforms of culture emerged in hutong.

I3 v+ d; s- U, x8 z; D was born in Beijing hutong. My childhood leaves me a great; z0 b! ?) J4 u6 }3 Q( ?/ ]) K impression. In 1990, the hutong where my home stood was demolished,1 j# G6 p; K/ e1 {) m; M% d and we have to move into residential skyscrapers. You know, this hutong: g( O( e( I. g; a, b" f has a history of more than 400 years!

Since 1999, the demolishment5 g: O5 g1 [, C* ] of hutong has been a common thing in Beijing. There has been said that" f1 P9 Z' w- ~0 P" b: m no hutongs will stand after 2008. Many people from outside Beijing are$ l& M4 q& A! u5 d: W only enthusiastic in "enjoying" skyscrapers, they consider hutong as a& b+ _6 o6 G( r! m7 r1 z( B' Q$ _ sort of under modernized structure. They, along with the government 8 S. K& }6 x3 I% I" Cwant to demolish them and replace them with meaningless skyscrapers. In 2004, more than 10,000 households in hutongs were forced to move - b! b3 g9 D( F) K1 kto the suburbs. The official reason of "Hutong Demolish Movement" is 0 h2 H5 U0 p, [+ O1 s"modernization", or "preparing for the Olympic Games", but in fact, l9 Z' }3 r0 h6 _7 _; S( E5 Dthis movement has nothing to do with the modernization and Olympics: citizens in hutong are* u J( ^8 U0 A9 Z. w- f( y9 A 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 to3 d# M0 Q& p7 R "progress." But, it unfortunately happens all over the world to make 7 C& f. ?+ X9 d3 Q$ d; ]% V# e Mmoney for big business... including the very town I live in. There was , q% E( {+ W& `) @+ l6 ?8 Fa beautiful Methodist Church that was demolished to make way for a " K1 V! s5 N+ u% L- Sparking lot... it was built in the early 1700's. The graveyard across 8 ?8 L5 I9 ?, ?! }5 W* |/ Wthe 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 cultural8 U$ P( `, ?$ _5 N# k. V- ~ importance , I also support that some hutongs have to be torn down for $ z8 ~% H5 l9 R# @9 m' D1 m! N& Udevelopment.

Hutongs 6 j" f: q2 T% ]7 t; Q! T% O jin the old days were residential area where people actually lived / m, P. X+ v. I! y1 dthere. The same cannot be said for today because the living conditions 4 [3 X5 e2 J1 Nin hutongs are not up to standard. The houses within the hutongs do not4 r/ B7 M4 C2 g5 K! p have plumbing and electricity, and if you want to install that, you # z0 g/ g8 Q& J/ twill have to pay a high cost in building a system just for the hutongs.+ E6 b2 ^9 `. f8 x1 w Furthermore, the style of the houses, four combination, is out of date 1 `2 @, R2 F2 _; q d* ]9 xto support the mobile population in modern day Beijing. The houses used; N( q% s! D5 s1 o4 `) l% | to hold a whole family within them, while modern apartments and houses 0 @! V; @2 X; xsupport a nucleus family. That said, the hutongs are economically( p4 i6 S' o4 z0 o unfeasible for ordinary people. I for one, do not see the reason to/ _- V8 @& i; k: |7 P9 ]9 g live in a hutong with the traditional houses. Losing its main purpose, % E+ H, t9 H, `' ~, R* _; u; ohutong is only a tourist attraction.

The best way to find the _% x" }4 S" {/ @balance between development and cultural perservation is to confine the 1 o: X7 |% V, i/ @5 G/ x5 Mproject into a district. Within this district, the hutongs should be 6 y p8 N% K* c( t( C" Rrenovated to show the old face of Beijing. They should build a Hutong [- ?2 S2 ~& U, f Museum and allow people to actually walk into the houses to see how ; u& w- ~0 _5 e9 q) kpeople lived in them. The hutongs outside of the district should be+ B2 `2 u7 c' J5 U* E* Y& G8 r torn down or transformed into something else.

TwinkieDP:

I'm sorry that your cherished % B+ B5 |& u" e. O9 cmemories of Old Beijing is being destroyed in the Path of "progress".- u! O# m3 I0 L9 `8 B Nothing against preservation of Hutongs, but I think my feelings are* {4 U9 H2 D$ N4 w aligned with Ashura's. When people outside of China (especially 2 c: l9 ]3 Y" D( j jnon-Chinese) think about the Cultural treasures of Beijing, the image : c& P5 W# r- R' v8 |% y% {of the Hutongs is hardly brought up. I've seen pictures of these + }0 n$ s9 d) P" [$ n- x3 J" ^Hutongs, and I'm sure these peaceful neighborhoods mean a lot to those & X/ v6 c! y7 w; q& Npeople who have lived their for generations, but to the outsider they- C; l9 e) {" F5 P$ k( C. g may appear to be outdated and substandard living quarters. I agree some# e0 R0 U$ ?6 |2 ]' K8 ] of the cultural aspects showing how ordinary people lived before- ^7 w& ?) K/ l4 P# l "modernization" should be preserved, but living standards for all . W' m$ u, ]+ P/ Z/ @) g7 c7 Cpeople needs to continually improve. Am I saying that high-rise* m0 R/ n5 K# M% V- w apartments are the way to go? No." |! K' f2 k6 k+ S 2 w3 X( J" h: J1 [# p! X# p 3 j9 V$ a* N* b( j5 d- c9 m8 T# f# B

Howard Fu:

I have great sympathy for you and Beijing's old Hutongs.
But the7 f2 ?8 w4 o8 o situation is sad. There are big economy interest behind this ! k1 i x2 u$ M; D5 R X2 z6 A'progress'. Real estate businessmen and government officials would make1 k( p! p l3 d8 E8 B no money if they leave all the hutongs there. And they are moving so 5 D, _% v1 D2 J* P1 `3 P2 lfast, there will be no hutong left after 2008 before any significant4 X0 y$ a& \5 W3 l resistant opinion formed. This 'progress' is unlikely to stop unless: a; h3 M2 V5 I4 m6 O Beijing's estate market have a sudden dive before 2008 which is! p. M- G. n( f 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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