Talk about Old Beijing

Author: Shi Lianfang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The world-renowned Chinese historical and cultural city—ancient Beijing—was built upon the foundation of the Yuan Dynasty's capital. Emperor Zhu Di, the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, issued an edict during the Yongle era to construct Beijing on a large scale, giving the city a strong Chinese national traditional cultural character. This is primarily reflected in the formation of a north-south central axis throughout the city, centered around the Forbidden City (commonly known as the "Imperial Palace"), stretching from Yongding Gate in the south to the Bell and Drum Towers in the north. In summary, the layout of old Beijing is not only remarkably complete but also highly distinctive: the city is nested within layers of walls, featuring not only concentric cities (the outer city, also known as the "outer moat city" or "hat city," and the inner city, also known as the "capital") but also the Imperial City and the Forbidden City. Since China's reform and opening-up, the capital Beijing, like many other cities in the country, has undergone tremendous changes. To help the Chinese people and people around the world better understand and appreciate the Chinese capital, as well as this world-famous historical and cultural ancient city—old Beijing, the author has meticulously written this book, A Fun Talk About Old Beijing. It is hoped that this book can provide some valuable references for research and understanding ancient Beijing, and contribute positively to society.