p. 163 ‘Yet that year the photographer Xu Yong . . .’. See Jaime FlorCruz, ‘China’s Capital Still Getting Kick from 2008 Olympic Party’, 2 July 2012, http://edition.cnn.com.
p. 168 Wang Jun, ‘Qing liuxia Liang Sicheng, Lin Huiyin guju’ (‘Please Leave Be the Historic Home of Liang Shicheng and Lin Huiyin’), City-Eye, http://blog.sina.com.cn/wangjun, 10 July 2009.
p. 185 ‘The Nezha myth became entwined . . .’. David Der-wei Wang is quoted in Dong, Republican Beijing, p. 301.
p. 187 ‘In the twisting, teeming lanes . . .’. The descriptions of performers including ‘Pockmark’ Cao and the South City Amusement Park are drawn from the illustrated book on old Qianmen by Yang Xin, Da Qianmen Wai (Outside Qianmen Gate) (Beijing, 2003).
p. 188 ‘According to the writer Wang Jie . . .’. See Wang Jie, Touguo jianzhu kan huangcheng guyun (Looking at the Imperial City through Architecture) (Beijing, 2008), p. 140.
p. 190 ‘Given that the song was written in 1947 . . .’. See ‘Alishande guniang’ (‘Girl from Alishan’), www.baike.baidu.com.
p. 192 ‘As Pierre Ryckmans (Simon Leys) has observed . . .’. The essay was originally delivered as a Morrison Lecture at the Australian National University in 1986 and is republished in Simon Leys [Pierre Ryckmans], Hall of Uselessness (Melbourne, 2011), p. 252.
p. 198 ‘It was 1958 before the project got under way . . .’. All details of the secret history of Beijing’s subway, including how it was tested with nuclear weapons, come from Sang Ye and Barmé, ‘Beijing Underground: An Invisible City’.
p. 203 ‘So have the wells . . .’. See Andreas N. Angelakis et al., Evolution of Water Supply through the Millennia (London, 2012), p. 187.
p. 204–5 ‘Drought is not a new problem . . .’. Kangxi quoted and translated in Hok-Lam Chan, Legends of the Building of Old Peking (Hong Kong, 2008), p. 120.
p. 206 ‘There are controversial plans . . .’. See Tom Hancock, ‘Water-starved Beijing Looks to the Sea’, www.smartplanet.com, 27 October 2011.
p. 216 ‘It turned out that renting Segways . . .’. All references to Lawrence Liauw are from his ‘Urbanization of Post-Olympic Beijing’, in Sustain and Develop: 306090 Books vol. 13, ed. Joshua Bolchover and Jonathan D. Solomon (2010), at www.306090.com.
p. 219 ‘It was designed by Rem Koolhaas . . .’. All quotations from Martin Filler are from his article ‘The Master of Bigness’, New York Review of Books (10 May 2012), www.nybooks.com.
p. 220 ‘The Asian Wall Street Journal . . .’. Ron Gluckman’s writing on Beijing architecture for the Asian Wall Street Journal and Asiaweek can be found at www.gluckman.com.
p. 232 ‘His trove included . . .’. See Liu Yong et al., Beijing lishi wenhua shiwu jiang, p. 56.
p. 235 ‘Their disciples included . . .’. Ibid., pp. 62–3.
p. 236 ‘As a result, as Geremie Barmé has written . . .’. This essay relies heavily on Geremie Barmé, ‘Prince Gong’s Folly’, China Heritage Quarterly, XII (2007), www.chinaheritagequarterly.org.
Suggested Reading and Viewing
Books
Barmé, Geremie, The Forbidden City (London, 2008). The ultimate guide to the palace, its architecture and its history
Becker, Jasper, City of Heavenly Tranquillity (Oxford and New York, 2008). A veteran China journalist on the city, its history and its people
Bredon, Juliet, Peking (Shanghai, 1919). An elegant and informed portrait of the city and its places and customs written in the early twentieth century by a long-time resident
Chen Yongxiang and Hao Li, Old Streets in Beijing (Beijing, 2006). A bilingual, charmingly illustrated book about the old Beijing of commemorative arches, hutong, temples and courtyard homes
French, Paul, Midnight in Peking (Melbourne, 2011). The seamy side of foreign life on the eve of the Japanese invasion
Haw, Stephen G., Beijing: A Concise History (London, 2007). Just what the title promises: a concise history
Hok-Lam Chan, Legends of the Building of Old Peking (Hong Kong, 2008). Scholarly, somewhat esoteric, but fascinating: the source on Beijing’s ‘astral geography’ and all things Nezha
Johnston, Reginald Fleming, Twilight in the Forbidden City (London, 1934). A first-person account by the tutor of the last emperor, Henry Puyi
Kates, George N., The Years that were Fat: The Last of Old China (Cambridge, MA, and London, 1952). An intelligent, sensitive and beautifully composed appreciation of Beijing in the 1930s
Lao She, Camel Xiangzi, trans. Shi Xiaoqing (Beijing, 1988). A classic novel of Beijing – as are all of Lao She’s works, which so beautifully capture both the Beijing language and sensibility. Various editions abound (Camel Xiangzi is translated elsewhere as Rickshaw Boy)
Lin Haiyin, My Memories of Old Beijing, trans. Nancy Ing and Chi Pang-yuan (Hong Kong, 1992). A much-loved novel of hutong life in the first half of the twentieth century as seen through a young girl’s eyes
Meyer, Michael, The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed (New York, 2008; new edn with afterword, 2009). A personal, impeccably researched account of the destruction of the old ‘Chinese City’ south of Qianmen
Spence, Jonathan, Emperor of China: Self-portrait of K’ang-Hi (New York, 1975). A scholarly, imaginative recreation of the life of one of the greatest inhabitants of the Forbidden City by a leading historian of China
Films
Bertolucci, Bernardo, dir., The Last Emperor (1987). It’s not perfect history but it is filmed in the Forbidden City and is full of atmosphere
Chen Kaige, dir., Farewell My Concubine (1993). A sweeping historical epic that follows the fate of two boys raised to be Peking Opera singers and evokes Beijing from the Republican era to Maoist times and beyond. Co-winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes International Film Festival in 1993
Gordon, Richard, and Carma Hinton, dirs, Gate of Heavenly Peace (1995). Award-winning documentary on the events of 1989
Jiang Wen, dir., In the Heat of the Sun (1994). A superb adaption of Wang Shuo’s novel Wild Beast, about disaffected youth in Beijing in the final years of the Cultural Revolution
Wang Xiaoshuai, dir., Beijing Bicycle (2001). A migrant worker from the countryside goes in search of a stolen bicycle. Winner of the Jury Grand Prix at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2001
Online
For up-to-date listings on what’s happening in Beijing, as well as where to eat, shop and find entertainment, see:
The Beijinger
www.thebeijinger.com
City Weekend Guide
www.cityweekend.com.cn/beijing
The Secret Guide to Alternative Beijing
www.alternativebeijing.com
That’s Beijing
www.thatsmags.com/beijing
Time Out Beijing
www.timeoutbeijing.com
Acknowledgements
I am extremely grateful to Professor Geremie Barmé of the Australian National University and his Federation Fellowship project ‘Beijing: China’s Heritage and the City as Spectacle’ for generous financial and practical support for this book. I thank the Australian National University School of Culture, History and Language in the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific for making me a Research Affiliate, and thus giving me access to the ANU’s priceless library collections related to Beijing. RMIT University and the CAL (Creative Agency Ltd) Cultural Fund provided me with a month-long residency in Melbourne and access to university resources there. Geremie Barmé, Jeremy Goldkorn of Danwei.com, Kathy Bail, veteran Beijing correspondent Jane Macartney (a direct descendant of England’s first emissary to Beijing, Lord Macartney) and Red Gate Gallery owner Brian Wallace all kindly read drafts or partial drafts of the manuscript and offered valuable suggestions and comments. Jeanne Moore graciously made available her extraordinary collection of old photographs and albums. Qin Taozi and Lois Conner, both of whom have devoted much of their brilliant careers to documenting this city, have been very generous in providing photographs. Dan
Sanderson, Eveline Sun and Emma Johnston all contributed invaluably to the research, and Emma took a number of photographs for the book as well. Jade Muratore, Samantha Sperring and Naomi Jaivin (my mother), put in many hours typing corrections into the manuscript. Finally, I’d like to thank my tireless agent, Gaby Naher, and my patient, persistent and dedicated editors at Reaktion Books, Vivian Constantinopoulos and Aimee Selby.
Photo Acknowledgements
The author and publishers wish to express their thanks to the below sources of illustrative material and/or permission to reproduce it.
ahenobarbus: p. 223; © Trustees of the British Museum, London: p. 38; Lois Conner: pp. 10–11, 89, 123, 155, 157, 160, 162, 165; Corbis: pp. 16–17 (Gavin Hellier/JAI), 114 (Baldwin H. Ward & Kathryn C. Ward), 116, 137 (Bettmann), 144–5 (Peter Turnley); courtesy of Cui Jian: p. 142; das farbamt: p. 222; Charlie Fong: pp. 208, 218–19; Getty Images: p. 127; © Guan Wei: p. 149; image courtesy of the Historical Photographs of China © 2008 Penelope Fowler (http://hpc.vcea.net): p. 46; iStockphoto: pp. 60–61 (bjdlzx); Linda Jaivin: pp. 8–9, 18, 23, 24, 27, 28, 31, 33, 34, 37, 40, 50–51, 52, 62, 82, 85, 87, 108–9, 141, 172, 174, 175, 177, 182, 184, 190, 191, 194, 201, 214, 215, 217, 229, 230; Emma Johnston: pp. 13, 67, 232, 233, 234, 235, 238; Michael Leaman: pp. 227, 237; Library of Congress, Washington, DC: pp. 74–5, 79, 90–91, 94, 95, 96, 99, 107, 120; National Archives, Washington, DC: p. 133; Qin Taozi: pp. 6–7, 147, 152, 163, 168–9, 213; Ran and Hat600: p. 198; Rex Features: pp. 128 (courtesy Everett Collection), 140 (Grace/Keystone USA); Dan Sanderson: pp. 70–71, 124–5, 167, 205; Shizhao: pp. 49, 77; Shutterstock: pp. 12 (testing), 59 (Max Studio), 135 (Mario Savola), 180 (Nadby Aizat); Victoria & Albert Museum, London: p. 84; Wang Jinlang (dir.), Beijing Besieged by Waste, image courtesy of the dGenerate Collection at Icarus Films, www.icarusfilms.com: p. 164; WiNG: p. 221; © Xu Bing Studio: pp. 14–15; Zhangzhe0101: pp. 44–5
Index
Page numbers in italics refer to illustrations
Ah Xian (artist) 214
Ahema (Ahmed Benaketi) 54
Ai Qing (poet) 119, 123, 137
Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads 158
Gangnam Style pony dance 158–9
airport 139–40, 156
Altan Khan 68–9
Andingmen (Peace Stabilized Gate) 195
artists and galleries 207–14
exiled artists’ return 214–15
history 210–12
suppression and re-emergence (1990s) 213–14
see also individual artists and galleries
Asian Games (1990) 146, 155
Babaoshan (Eight Treasure Mountain)
Beijing Revolutionaries’ Cemetery 118
Eunuchs’ Temple 63, 118
Zhou Enlai’s funeral 134–5
Badlands 107, 111, 112
Baiyun Guan (White Cloud Temple) 32, 35
bars and cafés 247, 252–4
see also restaurants
Bei Dao (poet) 136, 143
Bei Tang (Northern Cathedral) destruction 93
Beihai (North Lake) Park 42, 59, 104, 131, 245
food drops (1946) 113
Hortensia Isle see Hortensia Isle as Nezha’s stomach 202
Stars artist group exhibition 211–12
Studio of the Quiet Heart 88
Taiye (Beihai) Pond 36, 45
Tuancheng (Circular City) 81
Beijing Bastards (Zhang) 146–50
Beijing Besieged by Waste (Wang) 164, 164
Beijing Books Building 256
Beijing Capital Museum 241–2
Beijing Design Week 177
Beijing Revolutionaries’ Cemetery 118
Beijing Spirit 170
Beijing Spring 136–7
Beijing Television Cultural Centre 220, 221
Beijing Urban Planning Exhibition Hall 241
Beiping, Beijing as 56, 57, 110, 112–14
Beizongbu Hutong 167–70
Bell Tower 55–6, 57, 156, 180, 183
see also Drum Tower neighbourhood
Beresford, Bruce, Mao’s Last Dancer 129
Bian Zhongyun 127
bicycles, Chang’an Avenue 140
Big Underpants (China Central Television, CCTV) 218–20
‘Bird’s Nest’ National Stadium 156, 216, 217, 217
Blue Kite (Tian) 129
bookshops 134, 188, 189, 256
Boxer Rebellion 92–7, 96, 159–61
Buddhism 32–3, 36, 65
Dalai Lama 76, 122
Lama Temple see Lama Temple
Bumming in Beijing (Wu) 146
cafés and bars 247, 252–4
see also restaurants
Caishikou (Vegetable Markets) execution ground 20, 92, 196–7
Cao Xueqin see Dream of the Red Chamber
Caochangdi Village 207
Central Park 101
Chan, Jackie 156
Chang’an Avenue 121, 185, 196
as Architectural Hall of Shame 223
bicycles 140
pailou (arches), destruction of 120
pro-democracy demonstration 146
Stars artist group march 211
Chaodou (Fried Beans) Hutong 176
Chaoyang
1949 – The Hidden City 251
Backyard café 252
Baoyuan Jiaozi Wu restaurant 249–50
Bookworm café 253
Café CD Blues 247
Chaoyang Theatre 248
Destination (gay bar) 253
Eyeglasses City 256
Grace Beijing hotel 240
Guanfu Museum 242
Jiuxianqiao see Jiuxianqiao Opposite House 222, 240
Panjiayuan flea market 254
Sanlitun see Sanlitun Silk Markets 254
Timezone 8 bar 253
Zhong Ba Lou (Middle 8)
restaurant 251
Chegongzhuang
Matteo Ricci tomb 196
Mei Lanfang Theatre 83, 196, 246
Chen Danqing (artist) 153
Chen Duxiu (founding member, Communist Party of China) 103
Chen Kaige, Farewell My Concubine 129, 129, 136, 150
Chen Xitong, Mayor 150
Chen Zhanxiang (architect) 119, 123, 154
Chiang Kai-shek 110–11
China Art Gallery (National Art Museum of China) 211, 214
‘No U-Turn’ exhibition 212–13, 215, 241
China Central Television (CCTV, Big Underpants) 218–20
China Construction Bank 223
Chongwenmen (Hadamen) Gate 197
Christians
and Boxer Rebellion 92–3
Jesuits see Jesuits
cinemas
Megabox 248
UME Huaxing International Cineplex 248
CITIC Building 139
Cixi, Empress Dowager 88–92, 97, 139, 176, 235
Boxer Rebellion siege 93–5
marble boat 89, 89, 245
tomb looted 102
see also Summer Palace
cloisonné 65, 110
Communist Party of China anniversary celebrations 123–4, 124, 140–41
Anti-Rightist Movement 122–3, 129, 136
British embassy burning 130
city walls’ demolition 119
Communist Mansions as urban communes 123
environmental clean-up 117
free markets 138–9
Gang of Four 135, 136
heritage site restoration (1980s) 139
hutong renaming 117, 127
industrial output 120–21, 123, 124, 130
infrastructure improvements and Ring Roads 139–40, 141, 151, 164
internal migration restrictions (1980s) 140
land rights sales and corruption (1990s) 150–53
lao zihao (famous old brands), nationalization of 118
Legation Quarter conversion 122
Palace Museum’s first exhi
bition 118
Party School 118
patriotic education campaign (1989) 146
People’s Liberation Army (PLA) 143–6
political ties and UN seat 134
pro-democracy protest movement (1991) 129, 143–6, 144–5, 153, 185
Red Guards see Red Guards reforms 136–53
reservoir building 123
social engineering 117–19
social and wealth divide (1980s) 143
tertiary education institutions 122
tourism, foreign 134, 146
underground shelters 131–2, 146
urban planning 118–20
worker accommodation 121, 138
see also Cultural Revolution; Mao Zedong
Confucian Temple 35, 50–52, 52
Confucianism, criticism of 103–4, 161
Confucius statue, Tiananmen Square 161
conservation 151–3, 165–70, 177, 192–3
Cui Jian (rock star) 141–2, 142, 143, 146
Cultural Revolution 126–8, 127–8, 135, 150, 185, 196
current depiction 159
film-making about 129
leaders’ trials 137
No-Names artists 211
slogans, 798
Space gallery 207, 208
see also Communist Party; Mao Zedong
Dalai Lama 76, 122 see also Buddhism
Daoism 32, 35, 65, 118
Dashila’r 81, 93, 96–7, 113, 117–18, 147, 177, 230, 244
dazayuan 106, 121, 161, 162, 176–7
Democracy Wall, Xidan 136, 137
Deng Xiaoping 126, 136–7, 138, 141, 143, 213
Dialogue (Tang and Xiao) 213, 215
Diaoyutai (Fishing Terrace) 37, 123, 126
Dong Tang (Eastern Cathedral) destruction 93
Dongbianmen, Red Gate Gallery 154, 213–14
Dongzhimen gate 132, 197–8
douzhi 230
Dragon’s Vein see Zhengyangmen
Dream of the Red Chamber (Cao) 21, 85–6, 102–3, 121, 134, 231 as TV series (Li) 164
Drum Tower neighbourhood 173–9
Bell Tower 55–6, 57, 156, 180, 183
cafés and bars 252–3
dazayuan (tenements) 176–7
Drum Tower, view from 184
famous past residents 176
mendun (door stone) 176