Beijing Three Hundred and Sixty Trades

Author: Qi Rushan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: Never ceasing to gaze at his hometown and homeland, never ending his longing for stories and people; his deep attachment to his "Beijing" – why? A volume of "Nostalgia" offers guidance for your preservation. The book includes five volumes, all written about the "old" in Beijing. Whether it's the grand portrayal of the ancient capital ("Beijing"), the gentle description of folk customs ("Nostalgia for Beijing"), or the cherished anecdotes of Beijing ("Beijing's Minor Folklore"), all are truly beautiful – even the beauty of a waning moon. "On Peking Opera," "A Study of Beijing's Hundred Plays," delve into the search and preservation of the source art; what remains on the pages for today are like keys to door locks, waiting for those who seek passage, and also for those who aim to excel. It is a work of profound depth among nostalgia pieces, and a work of vast erudition among regional studies. Qi Rushan's nostalgic reflections in his later years were so intense that he felt incomplete without recording them; to remember the wind of Beijing, one must recall how it swept across the nation in joy, the wind of China; to remember the soil of Beijing, one must recall how it was piled up, the five-colored soil. Thus, even if one merely wishes to understand a reconstructed Beijing city and a group of authentic Beijing people, this book is worth reading. Moreover, friends come from afar, and Beijing has long been the "capital" where east meets west, north meets south. Furthermore, Confucius said, "By learning the old, one can know the new; thus one may become a teacher!"
The book "Three Hundred and Sixty Trades of Beijing" lists over twenty categories and seven hundred forty-one trades, categorically describing the industries and crafts of old Beijing. The Beijing industrial sector was traditionally said to have three hundred and sixty trades. When I first heard this, I thought it was merely an approximation, not necessarily an exact number. Later, while reading the notes of Song Dynasty scholars, I learned that this phrase actually originated in the Southern Song Dynasty in Hangzhou, as there were numerous records of Hangzhou having three hundred and sixty trades, such as in Tian Rusheng's Notes on Travel. Whether this saying has been passed down from the Song Dynasty to modern Beijing in this form, or if it has evolved over time – Qi Rushan