Scholars Hometown--Xuannan
(Pic: Map of the Eight Banners)
Xuannan Culture rose in Ming Dynasty and flourished in Qing Dynasty. At the early years of Qing, banner people were administered separately, thus the south Beijing accommodated for the Han people. Kangxi and Qianlong pinned great emphases on the imperial examination, and organized Bo Xue Hong Ci Examination besides provincial examination and metropolitan examination, so that to assemble intellectuals of Han nationality to edit the history of Ming Dynasty, to illustrate and note books and dictionaries, then to write the Imperial Collection of Four Treasuries. Thus the scholars nationwide gathered in the capital and lived in Xuannan. Besides the smoothed official career, they also created active and extensive academic atmosphere and literature environment, they set up literature society and composed poems, a unique “scholar’s hometown” emerged. In the middle and late period of Qing Dynasty, the state was always endangered, a group of thinkers dedicating to reforming the motherland appealed to save the nation on the land of Xuannan: opium banning memorandum, Joint Petition of the Imperial Examination Candidates to the Emperor, Hundred Days Reform, six gentlemen blood-shedding Caishikou, revolutionists sacrificed their lives against autarchy…Solemn and stirring historical scenes in modern China happened here.
Numerous Guild Hall（Pic: Map of Provincial Guild Halls, Layout of Guild Halls, Sketch Map of Guild Halls, Huguang Guild Hall）
Numerous Guild halls constituted a part of the scene of Beijing, also one of the characteristics of the Capital culture. Guild halls in Beijing emerged in Ming Dynasty. The Qing Government held Shuntianfu Provincial Examination and Metropolitan Examination in Beijing for third times each year. In order to accommodate the examinees, the bureaucrats from different places established numerous Guild halls in Beijing. Since these Guild halls mainly accommodated examinees, they were also called “examination hall.” According to statistics, Guild halls in Xuannan counted for 70% of the total Guild halls.
 
Qianjia’s Han Studies (Pic: Dai Zhen and his work)
Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Emperor in Qing Dynasty emphasized to check ancient books and to edit dictionaries and works, advocated Confucian and Taoism, and organized to edit large tool books, categorized books and historical books, such as the Kangxi Dictionary and the Collections of Books Ancient and Modern. Many Sinologists specializing in pronunciation, rhyme, critical interpretation of ancient text, classic and historical text research were put in very important positions, the style of study at that time changed into the famous Qianjia’s Han Studies with the current situation. The important representatives of the Qianjia School lived and moved about in Xuannan when they were in Beijing.
 
Imperial Collections of Four Treasuries (Pic: Wenyuan Pavilion, the Imperial Instruct)
In the 37th year of Qianlong Period, Emperor Qianlong issued an imperial edict to edit the Imperial Collections of Four Treasuries, large amounts of Sinologists were gathered in the four treasuries. After over ten years, the Imperial Collections were finished, embodying 3461 kinds and 79309 volumes of books, including 6793 kinds and 93551 volumes of books in the catalogues. The Chief Editor—Ji Xiaolan lived in the Yuewei Cottage in Xuannan at that time.
 
Tongcheng Ancient Prose（Pic: Yao Nai and his work）
In early years of Qing, Fang Bao, Yao Nai and Liu Dakui’s style of writing tended to be flowery, the scholar-bureaucrats wrote poets or articles being irrelevant to national people’s livelihood, gradually they advocated not to write empty articles being “irrelevant to the national benefit,” instead to write plain and simple ancient prose so that to inaugurate long-standing useful knowledge. They worked or lectured in Beijing for years and lived among scholar-bureaucrats, so they gradually influenced the scholar-bureaucrats and their style of writing. Since the three representatives all came from Tongcheng of Anhui Province, the style of writing they advocated was called “Tongcheng Ancient Prose,” the corresponding scholars were called as the “Tongcheng School.”
Poem Composing of Scholars in Xuannan (Pic: Poets’ Get-together)
Most of the officials of Han nationality, literators and scholars, examinees and official candidates after imperial examination of Qing lived in Xuannan. Colleagues, examinees in the same imperial examination, countrymen, schoolmates and good friends, after took trip to the country in spring, or got together in winter or summer, or finished provincial examination and metropolitan examination, greeted new comers and saw somebody off, moved, usually gathered in Gutinglin Temple or Taoran Pavilion, drunk and composed poets.
 
First Appeal to Reform （Pic: Lin Zexu, Gong Zizhen, Gong Zizhen’s poet）
In Qianlong and Jiaqing Period of Qing, the social crisis tended to be severe, some men of sights began to reflect, seriously criticizing the dark side of the society. They requested to change the unrealistic style of study, advocating developing long-standing useful academic study to save the society from crisis. Gong Zizhen and Wei Yuan were the representatives of the people, who lived in Xuannan, too.
Poetic Classics（Pic: Still of Chang Sheng Dian）
Poetic drama in Ming and Qing Dynasty was the dramatic play literature after the Zaju in Yuan Dynasty. In the Kangxi and Qianlong period, many literators being well accomplished in rhyme and poet participated in writing and acting experience, which formed into a fashion at that time and enriched the scholar’s life in Xuannan. Li Yu’s Jie Zi Yuan was filled with beautiful songs and romantic dances. Kong Shangren’s Peach Blossom Fan and Hong Sheng’s Chang Sheng Dian made a great stir in the Capital for the first show, which was carried on by the offspring and prevailed for long.
 
 
Wuxu Political Reform (Pic: Jian Cottage, Petition of Imperial Examination Candidates to the Emperor, Kang Youwei and Tan Sitong)
On Apr 23rd of the 24th year in Guangxu Period (Jun 11th of 1898), the Guangxu Emperor took the advice of the reformists, inaugurated the Wuxu Reform. He dismissed some fogies, appointed the reformists as Tan Sitong, enforced a series of decrees and carried out reform on politics, economy, military and education. Most of these reform decrees were prepared by the reformists living in Xuannan, therefore, Xuannan could be regarded as the original place of Wuxu Political Reform.
Continuing of Scholar Culture in Modern China (Pic: The Old Campus of the Auxiliary School of the Beijng Normal University)
Wuxu Political Reform was a significant political event and cultural campaign in modern Chinese history. As a cultural campaign, it was centralized among scholars; its original place and action place were Xuannan. Although the Wuxu Political Reform failed, the reform thought as a cultural campaign left abundant cultural heritage for Xuannan, which was exhibited by the emergence and development of new schools, modern newspaper industry and new literature here.
 
Modern Newspaper Industry (Pic: Jinghua Daily, Jingbao Newspaper House)
During the Wuxu Political Reform, the first peak of running a newspaper came in Beijing. In 1895, the first newspaper—Review of the Times, originated by Chinese in Beijing, was issued in Xuannan. Until the Revolution of 1911, more than 160 newspapers were published in Beijing, among them over 100 newspaper houses were located in Xuannan.
Heroic Courses in Xuannan（Pic: Li Dazhao at Yueyun Villa, Mao Zedong at the Mercy Nunnery）
In Xuannan, numerous revolutionary forerunners took the lead of the time to explore the way of national revitalization, and composed heroic chapters of saving the nation and the people, fighting against counteractive powers, from Xu Xilin, Qiu Jin to Sun Yat-sen and Huang Xing, from Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao to Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai…All once lived and fought here in Xuannan. |
