Xu Chengbei Old Beijing People, Houses and Lifestyles
Beijing; Foreign Languages Press; 2001; first edition; 225 pages; hardcover; new
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This volume entitled Old Beijing -- People, Houses & Lifestyles is the second book in my series Old Beijing. Compared with the first volume, titled Old Beijing -- In the Shadow of Imperial Throne, this one puts the emphasis on the ordinary people and divides the subject into more than twenty sections, in the manner of "a skilled butcher cutting up an ox carcass methodically and expertly." The culture of old Beijing is like a huge "ox" and the "cutting" should first and foremost strive to be accurate and then vivid. Though in most cases, the topics dealt with involve "hardware," I hope to also look closely at the "software" through study and appreciation. Originally I had a compact arrangement for the table of contents, but later I deliberately broke this into the small sections it has now. The purpose is to guide the reader through a kaleidoscope of aesthetic appreciation -- "shake" before you read each section and it will present an unexpected mosaic...