Beijing Players

Author: Liu Yida
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Play, this word's meaning, to Beijing people, is both profound and simple. It is profound because no matter what Beijing people play, they can always find a way to play it well. There are many nuances to it. It is simple because many playthings can be played by anyone, and on the surface, they don’t seem to have any profound aspects. For example, the few elders introduced in this book play with porcelain, birdcages, bicycles, and so on. These playthings can be easily acquired by anyone, but to truly play them well, it takes more than just a day or two. You really have to dive in and think about it. Precisely for this reason, play has a difference in taste, a distinction between refined and vulgar, and thus the terms "play enthusiast" and "idiot" come into play. Play is a culture, or perhaps an extreme of culture. In the past, people said that "playing with things leads to loss of ambition" and "playing the world leads to indifference," which was somewhat biased, or only applicable under specific circumstances. For example, when facing difficulties, the enemy has even reached your doorstep, and you still play. Wouldn’t that be "losing ambition"? Therefore, Beijing people often say, "Play whatever you want, but don’t let yourself get caught up in it." They also say, "Play with something, but don’t let the thing play you." This shows that Beijing people’s understanding of play reflects a tranquil and carefree mindset. When we say play is a culture, it doesn’t necessarily refer to play itself but rather the joy found in the process. The elegance that transcends materiality is reflected between playing and appreciating. This elegance can only be experienced during the process of play. Culture is embedded within it. Take eating and dressing as an example. As long as people live, who can live without eating and dressing? But Beijing people say, "Seven generations learning to eat, eight generations learning to dress." Look, one eats and one dresses, but to Beijing people, it’s all approached with a mindset of play. Without the foundation of seven or eight generations, you can’t truly say you know how to eat or dress. Of course, seven generations or eight generations are just metaphors. I know a play enthusiast who once chatted with me about eating. He didn’t talk about the intricacies of the food but only about the procedures and old customs of eating, and he chatted with me for five or six hours. This shows that the word "culture" is not something that floats on the surface and can be understood at a glance.