In Dongcheng, whether you walk in the streets and alleys, parks, and ancient buildings, the form of the dragon changes endlessly, but it always represents the Chinese nation's respect for the natural world and the integration and coexistence of multiple cultures. Behind these "dragon" elements, in addition to being inextricably linked with the "dragon" itself, it also contains people's expectations and yearning for a better life.
The big long long long line in Longtan Park
The dragon-shaped colorful silk dancing in the hands of the citizens in Ditan Park
A dragon-shaped lantern in the hands of a child during a garden tour
Qinglong poster of the new Longfu People's Market
The cute dragon window grille posted by the merchants on Gulou East Street
"Red Luck" balloons and dragon totems on Gui Street
On the occasion of the upcoming Year of the Dragon in Jiachen, the reporter walked into the streets and alleys of Dongcheng to look for place names, cultural relics, intangible cultural heritage skills and limited cultural and creative products related to the "Dragon" element of the "Dragon", introducing the "Dragon" culture of Dongcheng and creating a festive atmosphere for the Year of the Dragon.
Longtan Street
Why did the word "dragon" come about?
On the occasion of the upcoming Year of the Dragon in the lunar calendar, Longtan Street carried out a "Spring Festival Blessing" activity. At the event site, calligraphers from the District Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the District Calligraphy and Painting Research Association splashed ink and wrote the word "Fu" and auspicious words on the red paper printed with the golden dragon pattern, and sent the first "Fu" of the Year of the Dragon to the residents of Longtan together with good wishes. Ms. Li, a resident, said happily: "There is a 'dragon' character in the name of our street, and this year is a year of double blessing for us Longtan people, and everyone is looking forward to the arrival of the Spring Festival in the Year of the Dragon!"
Longtan Street is located in the southeast of Dongcheng District, starting from the west bank of the moat in the east, across the river and facing Chaoyang District. In the Longtan area, there is not only the name of Longtan Street, but also the "Dragon" road such as Longtan Road and Longtan East Road, as well as residential areas named after the word "Dragon" such as Longtan Beili Community and Longteng Pavilion. Why is the word "dragon" so popular here? The answer lies in Longtan Lake, which is located in the heart of the Longtan area.
Longtan Lake was originally a kiln pit left after the construction of the outer city in the Ming Dynasty, and the west was the sewage discharge place of Longxugou. In 1952, it was renovated into three artificial lakes in the east, middle and west, and Liang Sicheng named it "Longtan Lake" because of the trend of becoming the beginning and the end with Longxugou. Longtan Street is named because it is located on the shore of Longtan Lake, and the roads and communities in the jurisdiction are also named after the word "dragon" because they are adjacent to Longtan Lake or located in the Longtan area.
In recent years, Longtan Street has been adhering to the spirit of the dragon, working hard and forging ahead, carrying out theme education in a solid manner, and doing good and practical things into the hearts of residents......
Longtan Street is an area with a very high amount of "dragons" in Dongcheng District, and the majority of street cadres and masses will continue to carry forward the "Longma Spirit" and promote the high-quality development of various regional economic and social undertakings with practical actions.
Dragon hunting in the park
The Longtan temple will celebrate the Year of the Dragon with the people
In the past few days, tourists have found that the temple fair archway has been built in front of Longtan Park, and the red lanterns have also been hung!
Walking into the park, I saw a 30-meter-long dragon lying on the shore of the lake, which attracted many citizens to take photos and check in.
"I live in the neighborhood, and there are too many dragons in this park. Zhou Yongfu, a 76-year-old citizen, said that there are Longtan, Longmen, Dragon Pavilion, Longyin Pavilion, Longzi Stone Forest, Dragon Shepherd and Bluestone Tenglong Scenic Area;
"The Dragon Stone Forest is one of the main attractions in Longtan Park, which can be called the 'garden in the park'. It is located in the northeast of the park, in the evening clear mountain, facing the dragon pavilion, and is named because of the many dragon characters carved on the cliffs of different shapes. Wang Na of Longtan Park Management Office introduced that Shilin selected a number of dragon characters from the calligraphy works and documents of the mainland dynasties, and more than 200 people have been engraved on the stone. The engraved dragon words, from collecting, enlarged to engraved on the stone, are invited to experts to check and identify, skillful craftsmen carefully carve, and strive to form realistic, the wind and bones are still. Standing in the stone forest, it is like stepping into the treasure house of various dragon characters, giving people the edification of art.
"Passing by the gate of Longtan Park in the evening, I saw a festive atmosphere on the red lantern wall, and suddenly felt that the whole street was full of the atmosphere of the New Year. Liu Sa, who lives in Zuo'an Yiyuan, told reporters that every time there was a Longtan temple fair, the family would come to take a walk, eat all kinds of snacks, snacks, buy some favorite small objects, and some game items such as rings, pitching, and get prizes, very happy!"
Goldfish Pond Community
In the past, the "Longxugou" was renewed, and the old residents lived a new life
In the past few days, the Jinyuchi community of Tiantan Street is preparing for the New Year auspicious dragon Xianrui clay handicraft activity, and residents in the jurisdiction will be invited to use the clay in their hands to pinch out the image of the dragon.
The goldfish pond was first formed in the Jin Dynasty and was called the fish algae pond earlier. During the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties until the Republic of China, it was a place to store goldfish. Because there were many craftsmen here who raised goldfish as a business, this place was later called the goldfish pond. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the area around the goldfish pond was increasingly decayed and broken, the weeping willows were felled, the garden pavilions were decadent, and the sewage flowed, turning into stinky puddles. Dragon's Whisker Ditch is a small ditch in the southern part of the Goldfish Pond. At the end of 1949, Lao She returned from abroad, and in June of the following year, he was elected chairman of the Beijing Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and wrote the script of the drama "Longxugou". Since then, the place of Longxugou has attracted the attention of all parties together with this drama.
The changes of the goldfish pond also witness the development and changes of the capital. In the old society, every time heavy rain poured, the goldfish pond was overflowing with filth. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the people's government has carried out three large-scale renovations of the goldfish pond. On April 18, 2001, with the continuous advancement of the construction of the capital city, in order to thoroughly improve the living conditions of the residents of Jinyuchi, the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government implemented the largest renovation of Jinyuchi since the founding of the People's Republic of China, demolished 58 dangerous old buildings in one fell swoop, involving more than 3,000 residents, and built a modern new community in only one year.
The goldfish pond community is stocked with goldfish.
The "Dragon's Whisker Ditch" has become today's goldfish pond. Nowadays, the community is full of buildings, flowers are fragrant all year round, and the goldfish pond is full of rippling water and fish. Since 2004, local residents have carried out cultural activities that are popular with the masses on April 18 every year (the day of the first batch of relocation) to show the joyful and peaceful spirit of the people of Goldfish Pond and the friendly neighborhood. The annual commemoration of the relocation of Goldfish Pond enriches the cultural life of the residents, enhances the sense of belonging of the residents, and further condenses the wisdom and strength of the residents.
Qinglong Hutong
"Vacate the cage for birds", and build a new benchmark for science and technology to return to the city
"I always knew that Qinglong Hutong in Dongcheng District was a historical alley, but I never came to it. Citizen Sun Chenglin said that friends came here to start a business, saying that Qinglong Hutong has become a new fashion block where cultural and creative enterprises gather, so we must come and visit. Don't say it, on one side is the old Beijing Hutong style, on the other side is the fashionable and modern Gehua Building on the side of the Second Ring Road, the taste of ancient and modern fusion is eye-catching.
The 393-meter-long Qinglong Hutong is located in the northwest of Beixinqiao Street, and was called Qinglong Nunnery in 1947, because there is a small temple called Qinglong Nunnery in the eastern part of the alley. In 1965, when the place name was rectified, the vegetable garden and Beichenggen were merged and renamed Qinglong Hutong.
With the concept of "returning science and technology to the city and driving the revival of the old city", it is positioned as the revival of the old city from the perspective of block renewal, and the Qinglong block has carried out environmental improvement and improvement projects. In 2017, Beixinqiao Street launched the "Three Areas" comprehensive environmental improvement and improvement project, and carried out centralized renovation of the "Berlin Temple Area", including Qinglong Hutong and Tibetan Scripture Museum Hutong. Using the space released by the renovation, with innovation and creativity and artistic design as the core, cultivate and introduce modern science and technology and cultural industries, build a cultural and creative park without walls, and realize the revival of the old city that is suitable for living, business and travel.
In 2018, the "five major projects" of Hutong landscape improvement, public space transformation, static traffic management, overhead line into the ground, and toilet renovation were carried out, and in 2018, a number of characteristic points such as the east entrance, Yonghe Square, Yonghe Garden, and north entrance were newly unveiled to restore and maintain the traditional style and texture of the Hutong, and the concept of foreign ecological and environmental protection technology was introduced to improve the public infrastructure and living supporting services of the Hutong. At the opening of the 2018 Beijing International Design Week and the "Creative Light Up Beijing Event", the Qinglong Cultural Innovation District was officially opened. Last year, as an important measure to promote the "Chongwen Competition" at full speed and make every effort to implement the "six-character article", the construction of Silicon Alley in Dongcheng District was launched in the Qinglong plot of the North Second Ring Road. In the future, the "Qinglong" Silicon Alley Exhibition Area, with Qinglong Hutong and Dongzhimen Transportation Hub as the space carriers, will form a "one alley and multiple points" spatial layout through policy guidance, spatial integration and industrial reconstruction, making a good start for the "three-step" construction of Silicon Alley in Dongcheng District.
The dragon is in the east city
Curator: Gao Ming
Text: Li Dongmei, Wang Huiwen
Pictures: Yang Jianguo, Yang Xiancan, Fan Ronglu, Qiao Jian, Zhang Weimin, Yan Wen, Li Dongmei, Wang Huiwen, Lu Rui, Longtan Street, Longtan Park
Some of the images are from previous issues