Beijing Old Street

Author: Chen Yongxiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: This book, "Beijing Old Streets," was drawn by Mr. Chen Yongxiang, a former stage design expert at the People's Art Theater, for creative needs during his early years. He experienced life on the streets and collected materials. To preserve traces of bygone years and recreate the appearance of the old capital in memory, Mr. Chen spent over a decade gradually drawing more than 100 pencil and watercolor illustrations of old Beijing, which were compiled into this collection. To help overseas friends understand Beijing's history and culture, the publisher specially invited experts to translate the book into English, creating a bilingual edition. The English translation is fluent and effortless, making it worth collecting and purchasing.
The "origin" of this pencil and watercolor illustration collection dates back to the early 1950s, when I worked as a stage designer at the People's Art Theater in Beijing. For the needs of my creative work at the time, I remembered experiencing life on the streets and collecting materials. Time flies, and as the years pass, my longing for the past has grown stronger. To preserve traces of bygone years and recreate the appearance of the old capital in memory, I gradually drew over 100 pencil and watercolor illustrations over more than a decade. Of course, I dare not hope that these scattered images can fully represent the entirety of old Beijing—it falls far short. I only hope to have an account of myself. Perhaps, this also serves as an account of history.
The architecture of old Beijing was mostly of brick-and-wood construction. Whether it was city walls, shop facades, gate towers, or courtyard residences, it reflected the traditional style of Chinese architecture, creating a tranquil and serene living atmosphere. On the streets at that time, there were few vehicles. In addition to public transport like trams, cars were rarely seen, with bicycles and pedicabs being the most common. This book introduces Beijing's old streets in a bilingual (Chinese-English) and illustrated format.