(with photos)
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"Beijing in the Past – An Exhibition of the Old Pictures Collected by Capital Library of China" opened today (October 7) at the Exhibition Gallery of the Hong Kong Central Library (HKCL) with about 280 photos capturing the lifestyle, customs and architectural features of the ancient city.
Old Beijing comes alive with scenes such as a plum syrup booth, street barber, camel teams trotting on the roadways and a shadow play performed on the street.
The precious old photos, which have been selected from thousands at the Capital Library of China, will be on display from today until November 4.
The officiating guests at the Opening Ceremony included the Assistant Director (Libraries and Development) of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Lee Yuk-man; the Deputy Director of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture, Ms Ruan Lanyu and the Deputy Director of the Capital Library of China, Mr Han Pu.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Lee pointed out that being a world-famous historic city as well as one of the four major ancient capitals in Chinese history, Beijing had always been the political and cultural centre of the country and a gathering place of eminent people.
"The architecture of the whole city gave an impression of grandeur and magnificence, and also presented a strong cultural essence of simplicity.
"The civil and military figures, mighty nobles, cultural celebrities and common people living there intermingled with the merchants and visitors of different nationalities from all corners of the country, helping to create the cultural attributes and spiritual outlook of the city," he said.
Mr Lee said that with the fast pace of urbanisation, it was no longer easy to catch a glimpse of the old Beijing and the exhibits aimed to give Hong Kong people a chance to refresh their understanding of this ancient capital and its cultural heritage.
The Deputy Director of the Capital Library of China, Mr Han Pu, said the historical photos featured the cityscapes of Beijing in the Ming and Qing dynasties, the livelihood, customs and festivities of the people and also snapshots of eminent Beijing people and records of historical events in modern Beijing history.
"Most Hong Kong people see Beijing as an international metropolitan city and a national capital. I hope that through this cultural exchange, the dust-laden pictures will channel people through the time tunnel to understand the origins of our modern culture and enhance Hong Kong people's knowledge of Beijing's unique heritage."
The exhibition is jointly presented by Hong Kong Public Libraries of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Capital Library of China, the largest public library and important historical document resource centre in the municipality of Beijing.
More than 90 years since its inception, the Capital Library has a strong foundation in document preservation and utilisation and has been actively promoting the culture and history of Beijing.
To coincide with the exhibition, Mr Han will host a talk, "Revisiting the old Beijing on Historic Photos" in Putonghua tomorrow (October 8) at 3pm at the Lecture Theatre of the HKCL.
The exhibition is categorised into five themes including "Looks of Old Beijing", "Life in the Old Capital", "Customs of Old Beijing", "Famous People of Old Beijing" and "Reminiscences of the Capital Gate".
The magnificent imperial palace, city walls, streets and lanes, gardens, temples and palace halls including Yongdingmen, the biggest gate of the outer city and Andingmennei Street, which was once the most important thoroughfare with numerous shops, will be featured in "Looks of Old Beijing".
"Life in the Old Capital" displays scenes of daily life such as markets and street performances, while "Customs of Old Beijing" has scenes from large temple fairs, festivals, traditional weddings and funerals.
"Famous People of Old Beijing" includes snapshots of the Empress Dowager, Cixi; the Last Emperor, Pu Yi; opera singer Mei Lanfang; and scholars Hu Shi and Lao She.
"Reminiscences of the Capital Gate" records historical events like the 12-day restoration conducted by Zhang Xun, the Song Po Library set up in 1925 and Fuliancheng Ke Ban, the traditional opera house where famous actors such as Ma Lianliang, Tan Fuying and Yuan Shihai were brought up.
Guided tours conducted by staff of the Capital Library of China will be held at 5pm on October 8, 3pm and 4.30pm on October 15, 22 and 29. The tours will be in Putonghua. For registration, please call 2921 0286.
Enquiries of the exhibition can be made at 2921 0285 or one can browse the website at www.hkpl.gov.hk.
Ends/Friday, October 7, 2005
Issued at HKT 19:58
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