Old Beijing Architecture. Brick Carving

Author: Tian Xutong
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: The history and culture of Beijing have a long and profound heritage. It was constructed on the foundation of the Yuan Dynasty's capital, Dadu. In the ninth year of the Zhiyuan era (1272), Zhongdu Beijing was renamed Dadu and established as the capital. The design of Dadu in Beijing followed the principle of "building the city with artisans, measuring nine li in circumference, with three gates on each side. The city was divided into nine east-west and nine north-south main streets, each wide enough for nine chariots to pass. The imperial ancestral temple was on the left, and the temple of earthly worship was on the right, with markets in the front and residences behind." Nine major roads connected the city gates, and the streets were arranged in an orderly grid, with north-south streets called "jings" and east-west streets called "wei," resembling a chessboard. The city was divided into fifty "fangs," each with a name, like square fields embedded between the intersecting streets. Today, from Zhengyangmen to Yongdingmen in the southern part of Beijing, there are eight fangs; from Chongwenmen to Xuanwumen in the northern part, there are three fangs; from Andingmen to Deshengmen, there are seven fangs; within the area between Chaoyangmen and Dongzhimen, there are five fangs; outside Dong'anmen and Xi'anmen, there are three fangs each. In some well-preserved hutongs in the Dongcheng and Xicheng districts, where urban renewal has been minimal, the original planning structure can still be seen. In Beijing, neighbors are called "jiefang," a term derived from the street system of the fangs. Among the fang names still in use today, only Baizipfang in Xuanwumen District remains. Historical records indicate that the Yuan Dynasty's Beijing city was shaped like a mouth, and this square layout also laid the foundation for Beijing's hutongs and siheyuan-style buildings. In 1368, the Ming army captured Dadu, and in the 19th year of the Yongle era (1421), the capital was officially moved to Beijing. Due to the vast area of the Yuan Dynasty's city, the empty space within the northern wall was abandoned, and the wall was moved south by five li, with the city rebuilt. In the middle period of the Ming Dynasty, merchants gathered outside Zhengyangmen in the southern city, and the market flourished with a sharp increase in population. In the 21st year of the Jiajing era (1542), Mao Boyun of the Censorate Office proposed building an outer city (south of Zhengyangmen). In the 32nd year of the Jiajing era (1553), Zhu Bochen, a censor, submitted a memorial stating that remnants of Jin and Yuan city walls still existed in the suburbs of Beijing, stretching over "120 li." If these could be "built up where they were low, reinforced where they were thin, and connected where they were broken, the work could be half done with twice the effect." This proposal aligned with the "inner city and outer moat" urban planning system, protecting the increasingly prosperous streets while preventing invasions by tribes like the Wala and Nada. Therefore, the Jiajing Emperor ordered the construction to begin. However, building the walls required enormous funds, and the task was assigned to the infamous corrupt official Yan Song. In his planning, Yan Song turned the existing city foundation in the southern part of Beijing "eastward, then northward, connecting to the southeast corner; westward, then northward, connecting to the southwest corner," thus shaping the old Beijing city into a "" () shape, which the locals jokingly called the "hat city." Famous commercial areas like Qianmen Street, Tianqiao, and the Temple of Heaven were all located in the outer city, which explains why many famous hutongs, large siheyuans, and exquisite brick carvings on doorways are found there. In 1644, Li Zicheng led a peasant uprising into Beijing, and soon after, the Qing army seized the opportunity to enter the pass and established the Qing Dynasty. After the Qing government moved its capital to Beijing, it built grand gardens in the northwest suburbs but made no major changes to the city. However, in the eighth month of the fifth year of the Shunzhi era (1648), the Qing government issued a decree: all Han officials and merchants were to move to the southern city, with their original houses either demolished and rebuilt or compensated at market value. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works were ordered to count the number of rooms and provide four taels of silver per room as relocation expenses, with the move to be completed by the end of the following year. Han people were not only prohibited from living in the inner city but also from operating theaters, guilds, or staying overnight in the inner city. City gates were opened in the morning and closed at night, and (gàlán) were set up at the entrances to hutongs—by the era, there were as many as 1,700 such. By the late Qing Dynasty, these regulations no longer existed, and most were removed, leaving behind names like Qianmen Dazhalan, reminding people of the past. The Ming and Qing dynasties were periods of high development in China's feudal society, with the Qing Dynasty placing great emphasis on urban planning and street aesthetics. Buildings on both sides of the streets and hutongs could not be demolished or altered without permission, and any encroachment on the street surface had to be removed, while concave areas had to be leveled. Everything had to be aligned horizontally, and walls had to be built to cover empty spaces. In contrast, the outer city in the south had many shops, theaters, taverns, and guilds, making the streets uneven with many diagonal alleys. An old Beijing saying went, "East is rich, West is noble," referring to the wealthy merchant residences in the east and the noble mansions in the west. The inner city was the residence of nobles, Manchu officials, and servants. The distribution of the Eight Banners was roughly as follows: Xianghuang Banner was inside Andingmen, Zhengbai Banner inside Dongzhimen, Xiangbai Banner inside Chaoyangmen, Zhenglan Banner inside Chongwenmen, Zhenghuang Banner inside Deshengmen, Zhenghong Banner inside Xizhimen, Xianghong Banner inside Fuchengmen, and Xianglan Banner inside Xuanwumen. The outer city was mostly: the area outside Xuanwumen was filled with guilds, and most lodgings for officials from other provinces and examinees were located there. Qianmen was a commercial hub, with the street names Laofang Tiao and Laofang Er Tiao still existing today. "Laofang" () refers to rented shops for merchants. The streets on both sides of Qianmen were dotted with theaters. Outside Chongwenmen, artisans and craftsmen lived in concentrated areas. Tianqiao had few grand residences, serving as entertainment venues for common people, where all sorts of performers—acrobats, puppeteers, crosstalk artists, and storytelling masters—performed year-round. Over the centuries since the Ming and Qing dynasties, Beijing's hutongs and streets have undergone numerous changes due to wars, fires, and the construction of uneven buildings, altering their original appearances and even creating "dead hutongs." However, some areas remain well-preserved. From another perspective, brick carvings were typically used in the residences of officials and wealthy merchants, so the remaining brick carvings in the most exquisite and concentrated areas align well with the saying "East is rich, West is noble." Some of the most famous brick carvings in Beijing are found in siheyuans in certain hutongs, such as Fangjia Hutong between Jiaodaokou and Guozijian Street, Beitiaozi, Beier Tiaozi, and Beisans Tiaozi. These areas are among Beijing's best-preserved hutong cultures, where brick carvings and stone carvings are, along with the Ming Dynasty's typical nunnery—Baiyi An, the former residence of the third son of Emperor Qianlong, Prince Xun, the famous Temple of Confucius, and the highest educational institutions of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties—Guozijian. Located between Zhaodengyu Road and Xisi North Street, Xisi North Tiaozi to Ba Tiaozi (the names of which were changed in the 1965 Beijing urban planning) were originally: Liumu Hutong (Xisi North Tiaozi), Shuaifu Hutong (Xisi North Er Tiaozi), and Baoziz Hutong (Xisi North San Tiaozi). These hutongs largely retain the Ming and Qing layouts. The Shichahai area preserves many Qing Dynasty royal residences, with well-preserved hutongs like Liuyin Street, Yangfang Hutong, Dongming Hutong, Yinjing Bridge, Nanguanfang, Dongguanfang, Drum Tower Street, Hounan River Embankment, and Houbai River Embankment. On the doorways of siheyuans in these hutongs, one can see exquisitely crafted brick carvings. The southern section of Nanluoguxiang in Dongcheng and the symmetrical Shiliuhutong are constructions that have withstood centuries of changes since the Ming and Qing dynasties and remain intact. Some hutong names have been preserved as ancient place names. The streets in this area, with their symmetrical hutongs and main north-south streets, form a shape resembling a centipede, which locals call the "centipede roll." The doorways in these hutongs feature various types of door structures, such as Guangliang (grand doors) and Ruyi (ornate doors). Ke Yuan, an ancient garden, is located in Mao'er Hutong and remains well-preserved to this day. The birthplace of Empress Wanrong, the consort of the last emperor Puyi, is also in an old residence in this hutong. The former residence of the Qing Dynasty Viceroy is in Heshemazhuang and is still in excellent condition. Qianyuanensi Hutong contains an old school built in a Qing Dynasty siheyuan with distinctive architecture, featuring front and back courtyards. In addition to the distinctive brick carvings on the doorways of famous siheyuans, the hutongs on both sides of Qianmen Street are filled with shops, and their door facades are also decorated with various brick carvings. Unlike the inner city's carvings, those in the outer city are more influenced by Western Rococo art, featuring delicate, light, ornate, and intricate designs. The siheyuans in the hutongs are the (carriers) of brick carvings, with the doorways being the primary decorative elements. The Chinese have always placed great importance on the decoration of doors, with elaborate techniques. Moreover, the doorways were not just entrances to buildings but also symbols of a family's reputation. The prestige of a family was called "" (menwang), and when a son married, it was crucial to choose a spouse from a family of similar status and wealth, known as "" (mendanghudu). If an official in the Qing court committed a crime, not only would they be executed but their entire family would be punished, known as "" (menzhū). Thus, a family's main gate was no longer just an entrance but a representation of the family and a symbol of the lineage. Given the importance of doorways, they were naturally elaborately decorated. However, in the feudal society, the hierarchy was strict, and every decorative element on buildings had legal regulations, prohibiting any violations. For example, in the "Qing Huìdiǎn" (Qing Imperial Code), the regulations for a prince's mansion were as follows: The main gate had five rooms, with three side entrances, surrounded by high walls with a foundation three feet high. The main hall had seven rooms, with a foundation four feet and five inches high. Each wing had nine rooms, with stone railings in front and a foundation seven feet and two inches high. The rear hall had five rooms, with a foundation two feet high. The rear sleeping quarters had seven rooms, with a foundation two feet and five inches high. The rear wing had seven rooms, with a foundation one foot and eight inches high. There were five layers of roofs. The main hall had a throne with a foundation one foot and five inches high and a width of eleven feet. Behind it were three screens, eight feet high, painted with gold dragons amidst clouds. The main hall and sleeping quarters were covered with green-glazed tiles, with dragon-shaped ornaments on the ridges, red pillars adorned with five-color gold-cloud dragon patterns, no dragon heads carved on the pillars, seven types of ridge ornaments, and nine vertical and seven horizontal door nails. The side wings used (tongwa) tiles. The storage rooms, granaries, stables, and offices were arranged on both sides, all with flat tiles and black-painted pillars.