Old photo 8

Author: None
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: The content of this book: As night fades and dawn breaks, the tinkling of camel bells echoes through the dissipating mist. Teams of camels laden with various goods trudge steadily across the snow towards the capital (Figure 1, Figure 2). More than half a century ago, this was a common sight in Beijing. Beijing originally had no naturally occurring camels. The use of camels for transportation in Beijing began during the Yuan Dynasty. In the 13th century, the Mongol Khagan Kublai Khan constructed the Yuan Dynasty capital, initially with a population of 400,000 to 500,000 military and civilian residents, which later grew to over a million. To meet the daily needs of the military and civilians, camels, which the Mongol rulers were familiar with and favored, naturally became the preferred choice for transporting goods. By the Ming Dynasty, camel transportation in Beijing had nearly vanished. In the Qing Dynasty, camels once again became common in Beijing. At that time, Mongolians would transport goods or tribute to Huangsi in the north of the capital or to the Wai Guan area using camels capable of enduring long journeys. Sometimes, surplus camels were sold on the spot. The Qing government also established official stations to raise camels at Yuhetiao Bridge, outside Dongzhimen, and at Zhangjiawan in Tongzhou. However, the camels of the "camel households" in the capital were mostly brought from or purchased in the camel market outside Zhangjiakou. At that time, many "camel households" who made a living by raising camels and transporting goods could be found in areas like Shijingshan and Mentougou in the western suburbs of Beijing, and Liangxiang and Dahongmen in the southern suburbs. After the establishment of the Republic of China, although roads and carriages began to appear, camel transportation remained very common until the early 1930s, when it noticeably declined. This was due to two reasons: first, the government's relocation southward greatly reduced demand in the city; second, transportation gradually improved, with the introduction of railways in the suburbs and the availability of fast and convenient rubber-wheeled carriages, followed later by the emergence of trucks for cargo transport. While camel transportation gradually decreased, small camel teams still delivered coal to the city. After Beijing was liberated in 1949, camels were no longer allowed to enter the city, and this mode of transportation gradually disappeared.