Nanhaizi History | Imperial Hunting Ground

The Yongding River gave birth to the Nanhaizi, which formed a natural wetland with a natural wetland. The ecological conditions of fertile land and water, and the abundant natural grass and trees have become a good place for birds to fly and animals to gather. ("Among them are exotic flowers and fruits, kasaki sweetwood, animals, fish and turtles, and breeding.") Li Shimian's "Northern Capital Endowment" created unique conditions for what later became the hunting ground of the emperor.

By the Five Dynasties period more than a thousand years ago, the Khitan people in the north had developed. They founded the country as the Liao, and they looked at the Central Plains with a tiger's eye. Later Tang Jiedu made Shi Jingyao emperor, betrayed the country and sought glory, and lured Liao into the customs on the condition of ceding The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. In this way, the Liao state easily obtained a vast area of the Central Plains, including Youzhou (now Beijing), and designated Youzhou as the capital of Liao, called Nanjing.

The Khitan are a nomadic people in the north of China, and their custom is to live by hunting with water and grass all year round, calling it the four seasons of "bowling". "捺钵" is a translation of the Khitan language, which refers to the "place of travel" of hunting, that is, the place where hunting camps are set up. This kind of hunting custom, as large as the emperor and as small as the people, has never changed, and has become a regulation and custom. ("Autumn and winter are cold, spring and summer are summer, and fishing with water and grass is abundant, and it is common for the years to be born.") At four o'clock, each has its own place to go, which is called a bowl. "LiaoShi Yingwei Zhi")

After Liaoding Youzhou as the capital, the Liao Dynasty emperor naturally used Nanhaizi to the Yanfangdian area hundreds of miles to the east as the most ideal hunting ground for "spring bowls". So, how did the Emperor of the Liao Dynasty hold a spring bowl hunting activity? This is vividly described in historical sources:

In the spring when the snow and ice melt, the swans and geese have flown in. The Emperor led the Courtiers and Imperial Concubine Ouchi to the land of the Spring Bowl. Here, the tooth tent hall has already been set up. When the emperor began hunting, the guards wore dark green clothes and held goose hammers and thorn goose cones in their hands. Each person was about six or seven steps away from each other, and walked forward in a row to drive away the swans and geese in the reeds. At this time, the emperor also changed into civilian clothes and sat at the upper wind outlet to look around. Suddenly, the swan was found, and the guards immediately raised the signal flag and rode a fast horse to report to the emperor. In the distance, there was an immediate sound of drumming, in order to startle the swans into flight. The guards waved their flags and drove the swans over the emperor. At this time, the falconer standing next to the emperor immediately handed over a falcon called "Hai Dongqing" to the emperor, and the emperor himself released it. Hai Dongqing immediately flew up from the emperor's arm to chase the swan, quickly grabbed the swan's neck, and fell to the ground with the swan. At this time, the green-clad guards standing nearby quickly ran forward, pressed the swan, first killed the swan with a hammer, and then used the goose cone to take out the swan's brain and feed it to Hai Dongqing to eat, as a sign of comfort. This is the first goose that the emperor obtained this year, known as the head goose. According to the custom, the ancestors are first sacrificed, and then, the courtiers offer wine, raise a glass to celebrate, and put goose feathers on their heads, singing and dancing, known as the "head goose feast". ("Every time the emperor arrives, the attendants all wear dark green clothes, each with a hammer, an eagle food vessel, and a thorn goose cone, and five or seven steps around the luo, and the emperor's crown scarf, clothes and clothes, and jade belts, and look at it from the upper wind.") Where there are geese, raise the flag and ride deep. The distant mooring drums, the geese are frightened, and the left and right riding are all raised. Wufang Qinghai East Qinghu, worship the emperor to let it go. The crane catches the goose falling, the power is not added, the person who is close to the line, raises the cone to stab the goose, takes the wax to feed the crane, and saves the crane to reward the silver silk. The emperor got the head goose and recommended the temple. The courtiers each offered wine and fruit, held up pleasure, and rewarded each other with greetings. They all planted goose feathers in the head for pleasure, gave wine to the people, and scattered their hairs. "LiaoShi Yingwei Zhi")

In the Jin Dynasty, Shengyou Prefecture became the capital of Zhongdu and became the capital. Since the Jin Jurchens and the Liao Khitan belong to the same nomadic people, their living habits are basically the same. Therefore, the emperors of the Jin Dynasty also quickly fell in love with the wetlands south of the city, which were widely watery and naturally became their hunting grounds. Unlike the Khitans, their hunting does not have four seasons of bowls, but is divided into "autumn mountains and spring water", that is, shooting deer and other animals in the mountains in autumn, and catching birds such as geese and geese in the land of water in the spring. Another difference is that the Emperor of the Jin Dynasty, influenced by the Han culture of the Central Plains, no longer built temporary tents in the hunting land like the Emperors of the Liao Dynasty, but learned from the Emperors of the Central Plains and built a fixed Beiyuan Palace in the suburbs. After Jin Zhangzong finished Yan Jing, he built a palace in the Nanhai sub-region called "Jianchun Palace". According to historical records, Jin Zhangzong was stationed at least seven times in The Spring Water of Jianchun Palace.

In the Yuan Dynasty, the iron hooves of the Mongols stepped into the Central Plains. Kublai Khan, the ancestor of the Yuan Dynasty, built Jinzhongdu into the Capital of Yuan.

Similar to the customs of the Khitans and Jurchens, the Mongols were a nomadic people. In addition to pursuing the migration and grazing of aquatic plants, it is a good eagle hunting and riding shooting. The southern part of the capital became the hunting ground of the Emperors of the Yuan Dynasty, but at this time, the environment of Nanhaizi and the Yanfangdian area to the east had undergone great changes. Due to the diversion of the upper Yongding River (then known as the Lugou River), the water source gradually decreased. The Original Yanfangdian, which was hundreds of miles around here, is no longer flooded with water, but a series of large and small lakes are formed in low-lying places. The emperors of the Yuan Dynasty opened up hunting grounds here, called "Flying Berth". According to historical records, at that time, there were "Liulin Fei Fang Berth", "Beicheng Dian Fei Fang Berth", "Que Que Fa Ice Berth", "Majiazhuang Flying Berth" and so on. One of the flying berths is the closest to the Yuan Capital, and it is said that it will arrive as soon as you get on the horse. Therefore, it is called "Dismount Flying Berth", and this flying berth is in Nanhaizi. ("Press the horse to fly and berth, that is, the land of present-day Nanyuan.") Those who get off the horse, Cover the words are close to also. "The Old News of the Sun")

Located in the central part of Nanhaizi, The Lower Horse Flying Berth now appears to be only a small hunting ground. Emperors of the Yuan Dynasty often rode here on horseback and carried falcons to fly and hunt. ("At the turn of winter and spring, the eagles and falcons fight, thinking that they are the degree of yuyu.") "Yuan Bing Zhi Eagle Fang Hunting")

The flying falconry of the Yuan Dynasty was more prosperous than that of the Liao and Jin dynasties. Among other things, there are many "eagle workshops" that have been set up to domesticate falcons. According to historical records, only in the "Zhongshu Province of the Belly", that is, in parts north of the Yellow River and east of the Taihang Mountains, there are as many as 4,400 "Eagle Hunting Houses". Every year, more than 300,000 catties of meat are used to feed falcons, and the average daily use of meat is nearly 1,000 catties. It can be seen how large the scale of falcon domestication in the Yuan Dynasty was.

In order to ensure that the imperial magnates had enough prey to hunt, the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty also issued harsh government decrees prohibiting the hunting of people within eight hundred miles of the capital. According to the Qing Dynasty's "Old Wen Kao of the Sun" quoted in the "Hongxue Record": Most of the capital is forbidden to hunt rabbits within eight hundred miles, and if someone buys and sells swans, cranes, etc. privately, whether it is a buyer or a seller, they will be punished. If he is reported, once it is verified, his wife and children will be sentenced to slavery by the informant. If you report others as a slave, change your slave status to a good citizen. Whoever harvests a white falcon shall be sent to the nearest government and fed fresh lamb, and if there is no mutton, the chicken shall be slaughtered to feed it.

From the above, it can be seen how popular it was for the emperors and magnates of the Yuan Dynasty to hold falconry activities in the southern part of the capital, including the Nanhai sub-region.

Text: Zhang Youcai