Beijing Hutong a skim
With the development and change of Beijing City, the hutongs have gradually declined and declined. There is no trace of the hutongs outside the second ring road, and even the remaining hutongs are full of cars, many small shops and restaurants, and have long lost the tranquility of the past.
Shangma Stone in front of Liu Yong Mansion in Lishi Hutong
In addition to a few "house doors" in the hutong, most of the houses are already very broken, and although there are still horse stakes and horse stones outside the door of some courtyards, recording the glory of the past, but after years of wind and rain erosion and neglect of repair and management, it has long lost its original style.
Shangma stone in front of Kuijun Mansion
Shangma stone originated from the Qin and Han dynasties, according to legend, Wang Mang of the Western Han Dynasty was short and it was very inconvenient to get on and off the horse, so he ordered people to set up the shangma stone in front of the palace to facilitate the saddle to get on and off the horse. Since then, it has gradually become a fashion, especially in the Qing Dynasty, which is the most popular, and has become a scenery in front of the doors of large households.
Shijia Hutong on the horse stone
Two boulders are often placed in front of the houses of large households, one is the upper horse stone, and the other is the lower horse stone, which is called the upper horse stone because of the language taboo.
Qunli Hutong on the horse stone
The upper horse stone is L-shaped and has two steps. The first step is about 30 cm high, the second step is about 60 cm high, the stone weighs about 1000 kg, the stone is bluestone or white jade, generally plain, and the exquisite people will carve some patterns on it.
Zhijun Mansion in front of the horse stone
The shangma stone in front of the palace gate is usually bluestone or granite, but also white marble, and the specifications in front of the palace gate are larger.
The role of the upper horse stone
Hat alley on the horse stone
Horses, donkeys, mules are one of the main means of transportation in the old times, coupled with the Qing Dynasty Manchu and Mongolian and other ethnic groups have a tradition of hunting on horseback, the Qing court stipulates: Manchurian officials go out, regardless of civil or military, they need to ride horses, in order not to forget the legacy of their ancestors. Qing officials traveled with the customization of "front lead" and "back follow", that is, when the master went out, the slaves and servants also had to ride horses, and followed the front and back, even if the masters later rode in a car and a car, the servants also had to ride horses to follow left and right. Therefore, in the old days, beijing's mansions, the grand courtyard, and the entrance to the Assembly Hall were all equipped with upper and lower horse stones. Whether there is a horse stone in front of the house is also a distinguishing criterion for the grade of the house.
Whenever the master goes out, the servant leads the horse to the horse stone, and the master climbs two steps, and he can easily pedal the horse, so that the horse is both stable and convenient. Especially when the owner is old and inconvenient to get on the horse, the horse stone plays its role. The two horses in front of the door are one for the master to ascend and get on the horse when he travels, and the other for the master to dismount when he returns, and the servant will lead the horse to the special stone every time.
Daxing Hutong on the horse stone
In addition to the Qing Dynasty royal palace has a horse stone, there is also a horse stone in front of the residence of the Ming Dynasty officials and nobles. Some of Beijing's hutongs still contain a small number of Ming Dynasty Shangma stones. For example, in front of the courtyard gate of No. 7 Daxing Hutong in Dongcheng District, there is still a pair of Ming Dynasty Shangma stones, because of its age, the ground is only exposed for more than half of the time, and the rest is still buried in the ground. This pair of Shangma stone shapes are intact, and there has not been much damage so far, which can be described as living fossils in the alley.
Former Drum Tower Court Hutong on the horse stone
In front of the gate of the old mansion at No. 7 North Gulouyuan Hutong Road in Nanluoguxiang, there is a pair of intact, exquisitely carved patterns, which is a rare pair of good products.
With the renovation and expansion of the capital, there are fewer than 800 named hutongs in Beijing, and there are even fewer Shangma stones from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The picture of shangma stone in the article is sorted out by me from the hutongs I visited, for everyone to see... Shangma Stone remains
Some people say that the hutongs of old Beijing are old on the surface, but in their bones they are splendid, it is the home of Beijingers, the roots of Beijing...