A Brief
Introduction:
Liulichang is known throughout China and
the world for its ancient books, calligraphy, paintings, rubbings, ink
stones and ink. The street, which is only 750 meters long, is located
south of Hepingmen (Peace) Gate within walking distance of the Hepingmen
Quanjude Peking Duck Restaurant.
Liulichang Street, Photo by Tynews.com.cn
In Ming and Qing times, Liulichang was a
favorite haunt for scholars, painters and calligraphers that gathered
there to write, compile and purchase books, as well as to paint and
compose poetry. By the Kangxi period (1661-1722), Liulichang had become
a flourishing cultural center and was described as having “homes and
buildings lined up like fish scales.” During the Qianlong period
(1736-1796), the street was even more prosperous. There one could find
“rooms filed to the roof beams with all kinds of books,” “a street
filled with treasures and trinkets,” and the “quintessence of all the
markets in the capital concentrated in one street.” When Emperor
Qianlong decided to revise the Complete Library of the Four Branches
of Literature, he ordered scholars from the project, and Liulichang
became a center for research in textual criticism. For visiting
scholars, a book-buying trip to Liulichang’ s over 30 bookstores was one
of the pleasure of a stay in Beijing.
The Liulichang of Qianlong period was
described in the notes of Li Wenzao: “To the south of the kiln is bridge
which separates the tile works in to two sections. To the east of the
bridge, the street is narrow and for the most part, the shops there sell
spectacles, metal flues for household use, and daily necessities. To the
west of the bridge, the road is wider, and besides the regular
bookshops, there are shops selling antiques and other curios, shops
specializing in calligraphy books, scroll mounters, professional
scribes, engravers of name seals and wooden blocks for painting, as well
as shops where stone tablets are inscribed. Here also are shops offering
the articles needed by a scholar participating in the imperial
examinations-brushed, paper, ink bottles, paperweights…” This was
Liulichang up till the end of the Qing Dynasty. In his book
Postscript to the Bookshops of Liulicahng, the bibliographer Miao
Quansun (1844-1919) listed bookshops, the names of which had remained
unchanged from the Qianlong period up through the early 20th century.
Those established more recently were also recorded, of which one,
Hanwenzhai, was still in business during the 1950s.
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the
Superior-Level Normal School, the Five-Cities (in the Ming, Beijing was
divided into five city districts) School and the headquarters of the
Telephone Company were built on the site of the glazed tile works. In
1927, when Hepingmen (Peace) Gate was opened up in the city wall, the
bridge was demolished and Nanxinhua Road was built, dividing Liulichang
into eastern and western sections. The east became known as a center for
antiques and curious, while the west was famous for its books. Shanghai
Commercial Press, China Publishing House and Youzheng Press, which
published books of Chinese calligraphy, all established branches here.
In 1950, the People’s Government passed
laws to prohibit the export of valuable antiques and books. The Palace
Museum and the Museum of Chinese History bought up all important
historical artifacts, paintings, calligraphy and other works of art that
had been scattered among Liulichang’s shops. Books of Song and Yuan
dynasty woodblock prints, Ming and Qing classics, old hand - annotated
texts and the Beijing Library, Beijing University and Beijing Normal
University bought publication.
In 1949, Liulichang still had over 170
shops. In 1956, following the transition to joint state- private
ownership, many of the small shops were amalgamated into large yet
uniquely individual enterprises. The Baoguzhai (Studio of Precious
Antiquity) dealt in paintings and calligraphy; the Qingyuntang (Happy
Cloud Studio) sold rubbings, collotypes, ink slabs and name seal; and
the Yunguzhai (Studio of Chairman Antiquity) sold pottery, bronzes, jade
and porcelain from various dynasties, as well as fine handicrafts from
the Ming and Qing. The Cuizhenzhai (Studio of Collected Treasures)
specialized in ancient inscriptions, porcelain and pottery and the
Moyuange (Affinity for Ink Pavilion) specialized in the calligraphy and
paintings of famous modern artists. The Jiguge (Draw from Antiquity
Pavilion) produced ceramic figurines and horses designed on ancient
models as well as colored rubbings, while the Suiyaxuan (Gallery of
Profound Refinement), built on the old site of Haiwangcun (Village of
the Sea King), dealt in books on history, literature and philosophy as
well as important modern works on archaeology and medicine. The list
also includes Hukaiwen, Daiyuexuan and Yidege, all of which dealt
exclusively in Chinese writing brushed, ink and other writing
implements, as well as a variety of arts and crafts. Today, inside the
large courtyard of the China Art Gallery sells works of famous scrolls,
hanging scrolls, albums and fans.
There are also shops for paper,
scroll-mounting, book binding and the carving of stone tablets and name
seals. The most famous of these is Rongbaozhai (Studio of Glorious
Treasures), which has a history of over 200 years. Here internationally
renowned reproductions of Chinese paintings are made using the
traditional technique of woodblock color printing. It was the craftsmen
of Rongbaozhai who reproduced in six volumes the collection of
Beiping Woodcut Stationery With Illustrated Poems Edited by Lu Xun
and Zheng Zhenduo in 1933.
Liulichang’ s history can be traced back
to the Tang Dynasty when it was part of the prefecture of Ji. Under the
Liao it was known as Haiwangcun (Village of the Sea King). The kiln,
which made glazed tiles, was first built in the Yuan Dynasty. When Ming
rulers began to build their palaces in Beijing, the factory was enlarged
and became one of the five kilns under control of the Board of Works.
Most glazed structural components of the Ming halls and palaces were
produced in these factories.
In 1979, the State Council approved a
recommendation to restore and expand Liulichang. The original shops have
been restored and the road broadened into a 15-meter-wide pedestrian
mall. A museum displaying classical paintings, calligraphy and other
antiquities tells the story of the old street.
(Source: China Internet
Information Center) |
