Hutong demise is saddening

To some who support their destruction, the hutong are nothing more than "slums", places where space is limited, privacy non-existent and modern amenities certainly lacking. To these individuals, the hutong are an eyesore not fit for the nation's capital, a blight needing to be removed.

But to call a hutong a slum is to speak out of ignorance. As one who has spent time in many poorer nations and regions, I have seen and experienced slums first hand. I have spent time in places in East Timor which are in fact slums and shanty towns.

I know people who live in a home made out of sheets of metal, and I'm sure they would willingly trade places with a hutong resident, as they would have access to, amongst other things, electricity. The hutong are not slums or shanty towns, and to describe them as such is insulting to those who have to live in such terrible places.