Expats

Not all hutong in the capital are cultural relics

By Hu Xiaozhe (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-02-01 13:18

We lived in hutong communities for more than 40 years before moving into a high-rise apartment. Forty years was more than enough to experience and explore hutong life.

We did have a happy life there, but it was not because of the architecture. On the contrary, the houses caused us a lot of suffering. They are moist in summer and cold in winter. Space was limited, while the population was ever-growing. Sometimes, two, or three, or four generations lived in one house, and several families crowded around one courtyard.

You have no private space. You can hear what your neighbors are talking about, you know when they are eating, watching TV, or even making love. You don't have your own kitchen, toilet, shower room, bedroom or study.

Young people can go to public toilets and bathrooms but what about the elderly and how do you care for babies? Think about life for the sick and those unable to leave their homes. You have no basic convenience. What value do we find in such a life?

Culture is a superstructure. It should be based on decent living conditions. So you have to first meet basic needs. We should indeed protect our heritage. But not all houses in hutong are heritage homes with historic significance.

In fact, most are slums, occupying large areas in central Beijing, ugly, inconvenient and uncomfortable for living. More than 80 percent of residents in hutong areas are more than willing to move out.

We are grateful for the government's investment in improving people's lives and reshuffling the capital's environment.

In fact most people who are still living in hutong areas are the older generation and they have adapted to life there or have financial difficulty in moving out. For them, the government is making great efforts in making their life easier. Now, we have a three-room apartment, each family member has a private room.

My child can study in a quiet environment, no longer being disturbed by the noise from next-door. The adults have new neighbors, with whom we chat, play chess or mahjong, practice taijiquan, even have lectures in a more spacious square.

We are enjoying a life out of the hutong. Culture lies in people rather than in houses. Culture cannot disappear along with some hutong.