Beijing (Cityscopes)

Reaktion’s new CityScopes series consists of concise, illustrated guides that provide a social and urban history from a city’s beginnings to the present day. Written by authors with unique and intimate knowledge of each city, these books offer fascinating vignettes on the quintessential and the quirky. In the first book of the series, Linda Jaivin explores a city at the heart of one of the world’s oldest civilizations and the capital of its newest superpower—Beijing. In China’s central city, Jaivin finds thousands of years of history dating back to our ancestors, a story that includes dynastic empires, sieges, massacres, rebellions, and political spectacle. Recounting the lively history of the city, Jaivin discovers the Peking Man and the capital’s many legendary incarnations, such as the Cambaluc that Marco Polo wrote about in awe. She reveals it to be full of charismatic personalities and dramatic events, a place that has produced some of China’s most iconic works of literature, theater, and music. She also offers thought-provoking essays on contemporary topics ranging from the elemental problems of air and water to the vibrant art scene and the architectural adventurism of the city’s “hyperbuildings.” Generously illustrated, this guide provides helpful maps and suggested itineraries as well as practical recommendations for hotels, restaurants, museums, and other sites. Taking readers to lakeshores, down into the subway, and around the bustling art districts, Beijing is the ultimate introduction to this extraordinary city for travelers and armchair explorers alike. Reaktion’s new CityScopes series consists of concise, illustrated guides that provide a social and urban history from a city’s beginnings to the present day. Written by authors with unique and intimate knowledge of each city, these books offer fascinating vignettes on the quintessential and the quirky. In the first book of the series, Linda Jaivin explores a city at the heart of one of the world’s oldest civilizations and the capital of its newest superpower—Beijing. In China’s central city, Jaivin finds thousands of years of history dating back to our ancestors, a story that includes dynastic empires, sieges, massacres, rebellions, and political spectacle.Recounting the lively history of the city, Jaivin discovers the Peking Man and the capital’s many legendary incarnations, such as the Cambaluc that Marco Polo wrote about in awe. She reveals it to be full of charismatic personalities and dramatic events, a place that has produced some of China’s most iconic works of literature, theater, and music. She also offers thought-provoking essays on contemporary topics ranging from the elemental problems of air and water to the vibrant art scene and the architectural adventurism of the city’s “hyperbuildings.” Generously illustrated, this guide provides helpful maps and suggested itineraries as well as practical recommendations for hotels, restaurants, museums, and other sites.Taking readers to lakeshores, down into the subway, and around the bustling art districts, __Beijing__ is the ultimate introduction to this extraordinary city for travelers and armchair explorers alike. Annotation Reaktions new CityScopes series consists of concise, illustrated guides that provide a social and urban history from a citys beginnings to the present day. Written by authors with unique and intimate knowledge of each city, these books offer fascinating vignettes on the quintessential and the quirky. In the first book of the series, Linda Jaivin explores a city at the heart of one of the worlds oldest civilizations and the capital of its newest superpowerBeijing. In Chinas central city, Jaivin finds thousands of years of history dating back to our ancestors, a story that includes dynastic empires, sieges, massacres, rebellions, and political spectacle. Recounting the lively history of the city, Jaivin discovers the Peking Man and the capitals many legendary incarnations, such as the Cambaluc that Marco Polo wrote about in awe. She reveals it to be full of charismatic personalities and dramatic events, a place that has produced some of Chinas most iconic works of literature, theater, and music. She also offers thought-provoking essays on contemporary topics ranging from the elemental problems of air and water to the vibrant art scene and the architectural adventurism of the citys hyperbuildings. Generously illustrated, this guide provides helpful maps and suggested itineraries as well as practical recommendations for hotels, restaurants, museums, and other sites. Taking readers to lakeshores, down into the subway, and around the bustling art districts, Beijingis the ultimate introduction to this extraordinary city for travelers and armchair explorers alike Cover......Page 1 Beijing......Page 5 Imprint Page......Page 6 Contents......Page 7 Prologue......Page 21 History......Page 27 1. Wild Years......Page 28 2. Khanbalik......Page 41 3. The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)......Page 58 4. The Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)......Page 78 5. The Republic, Japanese Occupation and Civil War (1912-1949)......Page 100 6. Revolution (1949-1976)......Page 119 7. Reform: The First Decades (1976-2007)......Page 138 8. Ringing in the New......Page 156 The City Today......Page 173 In the Shadow of the Drum Tower......Page 175 The Dragon’s Vein......Page 183 ‘Chinese Town’......Page 189 The Circle Line......Page 197 The Thirsty City......Page 202 On the Art Trail......Page 209 The Nest, the Cube, the Underpants and the Egg......Page 218 A Taste of the City......Page 227 The Prince’s Garden......Page 233 Listings......Page 241 Chronology......Page 259 References......Page 264 Suggested Reading and Viewing......Page 272 Acknowledgements......Page 275 Photo Acknowledgements......Page 276 Index......Page 277 Beijing is an intimate and informed portrait of a city at the centre of one of the world's oldest civilizations and the capital of one of its newest superpowers. For hundreds of thousands of years, humans and their ancestors - Peking Man among them - have lived here. Over three and a half millennia, cities have risen and fallen in this place, five of them the capitals of dynastic empires. For centuries the stage for sieges, massacres, rebellions and political spectacle, Beijing has produced or inspired some of China's greatest and most iconic works of literature, theatre and music. At this book's heart is a concise, lively history of the city, full of big and charismatic personalities and dramatic events. Thought-provoking essays on topics ranging from the elemental problems of water and air to the vibrant art scene and the architectural adventurism of the city's 'hyperbuildings' take the reader to the shores of the city's lakes, down into its subway system and through its bustling art districts "Recounts the fascinating and tumultuous history of the city, from the days when Peking Man roamed its fertile plains until the present day, and explores unique features such as Tiananmen Square, its imperial lakes, princely mansions and art districts ... Jaivin also provides an eclectic mix of tips for the traveller, from where to shop for Chinese musical instruments to the wonders of the Police Museum and how to party like you're from Vladivostok"--From publisher description.