Beijing Hutong Names

The city of Beijing is soliciting public opinion on names for its Hutongs. While they should be preserved and protected, some names should be changed to become graceful.
北京市公开在网上征求意见，打算“采雅舍俗”，雅化一些胡同名。

In the Chinese capital, hutongs(胡同) are alleys formed by lines of siheyuan(四合院), or traditional courtyard residences. Many neighborhoods were formed(形成) by joining one siheyuan to another to form a hutong, and then joining one hutong to another(...和...连在一起). The word hutong is also used to refer to such neighborhoods(社区).

A draft plan(草案) by Peking University(北京大学) suggests that historical names should be given priority(优先权) when choosing new names for Hutongs. They should reflect(反映) Beijing's history(历史) and customs(习俗),demonstrate(展示) its city planning and be easy to find and remember.

Under the situation wher it is hard to use a direct historical name, their homophonic(同音的) names could be considered(考虑) in order to maintain the inherent relation and achieve elegance, such asFenzhang(奋章) Hutong instead of Fenchang(粪场)(dung yard) Hutong.

In addition to the proposal(提议) of preserving(保护) Beijing Hutongs, the papers also claims thatrepeated names(重名) are forbidden to use for newly constructed express ways, roads, bridges and transportation stations.

重点词汇 Key Words:

连 lián 

• v. link, join, connect
  心连心 be of one mind
  连成一片 join together
  连起来 be connected;  join.. to…
• adv. continuously; in succession; one after another
  连学四个小时 study for four hours straight
  连唱三首歌  sing three songs in a row
• prep. even
  连小学生都知道这个词。
  Even a pupil knows this word.

考虑 kǎo lǜ 
consider; think about; consideration

• v. 她去散步的时候总是有一些事情要考虑。
     When she went walking, there were always things to think about. 
• n. 有几个提案正在考虑中。
  Several proposals are under consideration.

优先(权）yōu xiān (quán ）
priority; take precedence/have priority

• 早申请者将获优先考虑。
  Priority will be given to those who apply early.
• 优先进口先进技术
  receiving priority in importing advanced technology
• 我有优先权。
  I have priority.