Directory_and_Chronicle_1891 — Page 473

Directories & Chronicles 香港指南 All

PEKING

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Kublai Khan fixed his residence there, giving it the title of Chung-tu or Central Residence, the people at large generally calling it Shun t'ien-fu. In 1267 A.D., the city was transferred 3 l (one mile) to the North of its then site, and it was then called T'a-tu-- 'the Great Residence.' The old portion became what is now known as the 'Chinese city' and the terms Northern' and 'Southern city, or more commonly nei-cheng (within the wall) and wai-cheng (without the wall) came into use. The native Emperors who succeeded the Mongol dynasty did not, however, continue to make Peking the seat of Government. The court was shortly afterwards removed to Nanking, which was considered the chief city of the Empire until, in 1421, Yung Lo, the third Emperor of the Ming dynasty, again held his court at Peking, since which date it has remained the capital of China.

The present city of Peking is divided into two portions, the Northern or Tartar city and the Southern or Chinese. The former is being gradually encroached upon by the Chinese, and the purely Manchu section of the capital will soon be very limited. The southern city is almost exclusively occupied by Chinese. The general shape of Peking may be roughly represented by a square placed upon an oblong, the former standing for the Tartar and the latter for the Chinese city. The whole of the capital is, of course, walled. The walls of the Tartar city are the strongest. They average 50 feet in height and 40 feet in width, and are buttressed at intervals of about sixty yards. The parapets are loop-holed and crenelated. They are faced on both sides with brick, the space between being filled with earth and concrete. Each of the gateways is surmounted by a three-storied pagoda. The walls of the Chinese city are about 30 feet in height, 25 feet thick at the base, and 15 feet wide on the terre plein. The total circumference of the walls round the two cities slightly exceeds twenty miles.

The Tartar city consists (Dr. Williams tell us) of three enclosures, one within the other, each surrounded by its own wall. The innermost, called Kin-ching or Prohibited City, contains the Imperial Palace and its surrounding buildings; the second is occupied by the several offices appertaining to the Government and by private residences of officials; while the outer consists of dwelling-houses, with shops in the chief avenues. The Chinese city is the business portion of Peking, but it presents few features of interest to sight-seers, while the enclosure known as the Prohibited City is, as its title denotes, forbidden to all foreign visitors. The numerous temples, the walls, the Imperial Observatory, the Foreign Legations, and the curio shops are the chief attractions to the tourist. The streets of the Chinese metropolis are kept in a most disgraceful condition. In the dry season the pedestrian sinks deep in noxious dust, and in wet weather he is liable to be drowned in the torrents that rush along the throughfares, where the constant traffic has worn away the soil. There is an air of decay about Peking which extends even to the finest of the temples. The population of Peking is not accurately known, but according to a Chinese estimate, which is probably slightly in excess, it is 1,300,000, of whom 900,000 reside in the Tartar and 400,000 in the Chinese city. There is no direct foreign trade with Peking, and the small foreign population is made up of the members of the various Legations, the Maritime Customs establishments, the professors of the College of Peking, and the missionary body. In August, 1884, the city was brought into direct telegraphic communication with the rest of the world, by an overland line to Tientsin via Tungchow. The populace are strongly anti-foreign.

Directory_and_Chronicle_1891 — Page 473

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