The difference between Shanghai and Beijing, the difference between Hutong and Hutong

The alleys in Shanghai are composed of hundreds of units of Shikumen, which are closely connected in rows to form a huge residential group. In the cracks of Shikumen building, a narrow and dark passage is formed, which is what Shanghainese call "alley".

In essence, Shanghainese are more obsessed with the "old world", which embodies the "root" of a Shanghai-style citizen culture. This elegant, emotional, feminine, affordable and secular bourgeois life culture was once the most dispelling force for highly ideological, revolutionary and vulgar in the planned economy era.

The hutongs in Beijing are essentially passages between many quadrangles, large and small, arranged next to each other. In order to facilitate lighting, the exquisite quadrangles all face south, and as a result, most hutongs have turned into east-west lanes. In order to facilitate communication, there are many north-south alleys between the larger hutongs. The whole city of Beijing, like an enlarged quadrangle, is basically symmetrical in east, west, north and south, with strict layout and spectacular momentum, surrounded by high walls and rectangular circles.

From a small point of view:

From the architecture, we can also see that the characters of the north and the south are different. The north is bold and unconstrained, and the south is delicate and pragmatic. If northerners are called big men, then southerners are small men; Northerners are "bold men" and southerners are "creamy little boys" (gigolo); Northerners are more cautious and willing to do great things, while southerners are smarter, more flexible, more diligent and more capable. So emperors and generals, heroes and martyrs and virgins were born in the north, while talents and beauties, scholars and counselors were born in the south.

So some people say that northerners dare to live, and southerners are good at living. As far as men are concerned, a Shanghai woman once wittily compared men in two places: Beijingers are rough and Shanghai men are porcelain. The implication is that northerners are too thick and southerners are too thin. Shen, the natural combination of the two, both types may be ideal. Can do great things without losing delicacy and vulgarity, and have a sound manly temperament without losing gentleness.

From a big perspective: from the perspective of architectural structure: one horizontal and one vertical.

Siheyuan in Hutong

Square is a reduced palace or palace; In other words, the Forbidden City and Wang Fu are both reduced quadrangles.

Beijingers have a strong sense of the universe and emperors, because the ancients thought that "the sky is round and the place is round", and the tall and heavy main house (North House) gave people the dignity of "ruling and obeying". At the same time, Beijingers are so beautiful that they often expand their living space from the horizontal space and go to the hospital several times as a symbol of family wealth. Their atmosphere can be said to be everywhere.

Linong Shikumen

If Beijingers tend to take the horizontal development as the value orientation, Shanghainese tend to expand the development space vertically, and one floor and two floors, the upper and lower living room, bedroom, storage room, small kitchen in the pavilion and even stairs can be fully utilized. Shanghai people's shrewdness is reflected everywhere.

This architectural consciousness finally reflects their ideological differences. Architectural consciousness reflects the deep thinking of Beijingers. In other words, there is always a kind of macroscopic thinking in the consciousness of Beijingers. Their understanding of problems is often centralized, or people in high positions are condescending and look at the big picture. At the same time, I have the psychology of "respecting me" and "Laozi is the best in the world". In short, it is the idea of "official". (Linguistically: "Lao" and "Grandpa". )

The architectural concept of Shanghainese is to pay attention to the study of practicality, feasibility and operability, and to be good at "creating momentum in snail shells". In terms of architectural form, regardless of the traditional form, all designs are based on the highest principle of "practicality" and reveal shrewdness in "small but exquisite". At the same time, it has a strong sense of "exclusion" and self-protection. In short, it is the concept of "business". (in terms of language, "punk" and "hillbilly". )

From the perspective of architectural art:

Northerners have a strong sense of color in traditional culture, and most buildings are dominated by heavy eaves and thick walls. However, Shanghainese have lived in a colonial environment for a long time and accepted foreign cultures quickly without any obstacles, so their architectural art has a strong combination of Chinese and Western.

Conclusion Hutong in Shanghai and Hutong in Beijing are both architectural cultures with China characteristics. But each has its own characteristics. Cultural differences are caused by the differences between North and South. And every point is worth savoring.