What are the characteristics of Beijing?
Beijing’s characteristics: courtyard houses, hutongs, Peking Opera, and cross talk.
Siheyuan is a traditional residential form in Beijing. It first took shape in the Liao Dynasty. It was gradually improved through the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and eventually became the most distinctive residential form in Beijing. The so-called Sihe, "four" refers to the east, west, south and north sides, and "he" means that the houses on the four sides are surrounded together to form a "kou" shape. After hundreds of years of construction, Beijing's courtyard houses have formed the capital's unique Beijing style from their floor plan to internal structure and detailed decoration.
The top ten hutongs in Beijing are Nanluogu Lane, Yandai Xiejie, Maoer Hutong, Guozijian Street, Liulichang, Jinyu Hutong, Dongjiaomin Lane, Xijiaomin Lane, Juer Hutong and Bada Hutongs.
Peking Opera was once called Ping Opera, one of the five major types of Chinese opera. Its tunes are mainly Xipi and Erhuang, and it is accompanied by Huqin, gongs and drums. It is regarded as the quintessence of China, and is the "top" of the Three Tripods of Chinese Opera. .
Anhui Opera is the predecessor of Peking Opera. Starting from the 55th year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1790), the four major Anhui troupes, namely Sanqing, Sixi, Chuntai and Hechun, which originally performed in the south, entered Beijing one after another. They cooperated with Han opera artists from Hubei and at the same time It accepted some repertoires, tunes and performance methods of Kun Opera, Qin Opera and folk tunes, and finally formed Peking Opera through continuous exchange and integration. After the formation of Peking Opera, it began to develop rapidly in the Qing court until the Qing Dynasty achieved unprecedented prosperity.
Peking Opera has traveled all over the world and has become an important medium for introducing and spreading Chinese traditional art and culture. The distribution area is centered in Beijing and spread throughout China. On November 16, 2010, Peking Opera was included in the "Representative List of Human Intangible Cultural Heritage".
Crosstalk, as a folk rap art, originated in North China and became popular in the Ming Dynasty. Today, there are three major birthplaces of Chinese crosstalk: Beijing Tianqiao, Tianjin Quanyechang and Nanjing Confucius Temple.
Different from other humorous performances, crosstalk emphasizes rapping and is in line with the Eight Banners culture. Lian Kuoru once said: "The art of crosstalk was produced by the 'octagonal drum'.
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Siheyuan (Siheyuan) is an inner courtyard-style residence formed by houses on the east, west, south and north sides. As the main architectural form in which old Beijingers have lived for generations, Beijing Siheyuan is well-known both at home and abroad. Everyone knows that. First of all, it has a long history. Since the Yuan Dynasty when Beijing was officially established as the capital and large-scale planning and construction of the capital began, courtyards have appeared at the same time as Beijing’s palaces, government offices, streets, lanes and alleys.
According to "Analysis of Tianjin" written by Xiong Mengxiang in the late Yuan Dynasty: "The street system of most cities is called longitude from south to north, and latitude from east to west. The main street is twenty-four steps wide, with three hundred and eighty-four lanes and twenty-nine lanes leading to it. "Secondly, the composition of the Siheyuan is unique. Its courtyard is wide and spacious, and the houses on all four sides are independent and connected by verandas, making living very convenient. The enclosed residences give the Siheyuan a strong sense of privacy, and you can enjoy your own life behind closed doors. Heaven and earth; in the courtyard, the doors on all sides open to the courtyard, where the whole family can live in harmony and enjoy themselves; the spacious courtyard can also be used to plant trees and flowers, raise birds and fish, and stack rocks and landscapes, allowing residents to enjoy the beauty of nature.
In addition, although the courtyard is a residential building, it contains profound cultural connotations and is the carrier of traditional Chinese culture. The construction of the courtyard pays great attention to Feng Shui. The Feng Shui theory is actually the ancient Chinese architectural environment and is a traditional Chinese concept. An important part of architectural theory; the decoration, carvings and paintings of courtyards also reflect folk customs and traditional culture, showing people's pursuit of happiness, beauty, wealth and auspiciousness. For example, the pattern composed of the characters "bat" and "shou" means " "Good luck and longevity"; the pattern of rose flowers placed in the vase means "peace in all seasons"; and the auspicious words and auspicious words embedded in the door hairpins and door headers, the couplets attached to the pillars, and the masterpieces of calligraphy and painting hanging indoors are even more It is a collection of ancient sayings from sages and famous sayings from ancient and modern times. It either praises the beauty of mountains and rivers, or inscribes the knowledge of life, or chants the aspirations of the swans. It is elegant and full of rich cultural atmosphere, just like a palace of traditional Chinese culture.