One day in early autumn, I came to the Shijia Hutong Museum with curiosity and exploration. One is to experience what the daily work of the museum is like; and then, I also want to know what this museum located deep in the alley is showing everyone.
Greeting the dazzling morning sun and feeling the cooling autumn breeze, I came to Shijia Hutong. The alley in my childhood memory is full of all kinds of clutter needed for life, feeling crowded, messy, and the taste of market life is very strong. But the hutongs of today are very different from the hutongs I remembered as children! The biggest change is that the various types of motor vehicles have replaced the original various types of daily necessities! It is really a different era, and the hutongs also have different styles!
While reminiscing and admiring, I walked through the long alley and came to the door of the No. 24 Museum in Shijia Hutong. Without the plaque above the door, I would never have imagined that this would be the Shijia Hutong Museum. The rustic log-colored doors, with nostalgic copper door buckles, can't help but wonder what the scenery will be like inside!
Knocking on the door and entering the museum, I was greeted by a row of dark brown old architectural style main rooms, solemn and magnificent. On the left, there is a simple and simple ear porch, which is particularly fresh and elegant. A towering, tall, and lush plane tree in the courtyard is in front of you, which is the most eye-catching. It sets off the atmosphere of the thick historical monuments throughout the courtyard. I suddenly felt in a mansion of the Republic of China, and the various exhibition panels reminded me that this was already a small museum.
The museum staff first led me and another volunteer friend to visit the museum. Tell us about the origin of this museum and the glorious history of the different courtyards of Shijia Hutong.
1. The origin and development of museums
This museum, which is a two-entry courtyard, the original owner of the courtyard is Ms. Ling Shuhua. She was the favorite daughter of Ling Fupeng, an envoy directly subordinate to the qing dynasty. She is listed as one of the top ten talented women in the Republic of China along with Bingxin, Lin Huiyin, Zhang Ailing, etc., and is also an alumnus with Deng Yingchao and Xu Guangping. At the same time, she is also a well-known painter at home and abroad. Later, Ling Shuhua's daughter, Ms. Chen Xiaoying, transferred the property rights of the house to the street for public welfare, and established the first hutong museum in Beijing.
Listening to the careful explanations of the museum staff and following her steps, we moved to the backyard of the museum. The mood that is very different from the front yard is intoxicating and pleasant, and it is quiet, comfortable and full of life. The staff continued: "Ms. Ling Shuhua has held many gatherings of painters and celebrities in this small courtyard. In the past, this place can be described as a gathering of heroes, such as Hu Shi, Ba Jin, Xu Zhimo, Shen Congwen and the Indian poet Tagore, and the famous painter Qi Baishi who moved the capital were all guests of this small courtyard, and it was called 'the big study of the lady's house'. This can't help but remind me of what Bingxin's short story "Our Wife's Living Room" depicted in that turbulent and chaotic era, writers, poets, painters, university professors and other celebrities in high society often gathered together to hold various literary and art salons, and I think it was also in such a quiet and elegant small courtyard residence, right?
Ms. Ling Shuhua is the proud protégé of cultural geek Gu Hongming and literary giant Zhou Zuoren (Lu Xun's brother). He has written masterpieces such as "Temple of Flowers", "Love Mountain Lu Dream Shadow" and "Ancient Rhyme". In particular, "Ancient Rhymes" is an English-language autobiographical novel written by her husband when she and her husband settled in Britain. Because of her own proficiency in painting, the illustrations in the book are all handwritten. Timeless and beautiful text, lifelike illustrations, made the book quickly famous in Europe and China.
On March 2, 2015, Prince William of the United Kingdom also paid a special visit to the Shijia Hutong Museum. In 1990, as she was seriously ill and dying, her last wish was to return to No. 54 Shijia Hutong (now No. 24 Courtyard), her former residence --- the dowry of the twenty-eight houses that her father had given her that year. Finally, her last wish was fulfilled, lying on a single shelf, returning to the former home where her soul was haunted and nourished her soul; and she saw the familiar white tower of the North Sea.
With the financial support of the Crown Prince Charity (China) Foundation and enthusiastic people from all walks of life, the Shijia Hutong Museum was completed in 2013, with about 1,000 square meters, divided into eight exhibition halls and a multi-purpose hall. It clearly shows the past and present lives of Shijia Hutong, and records the ordinary urban life of old Beijingers in the hutong. In addition to being a small museum, it also functions as a community council hall and a residents' living room, and has the important task of excavating and displaying community culture and carrying out various popularization and education activities. Since 2017, the museum has been jointly operated by the street and the Beijing Municipal Planning Institute, and has become a practice base for the protection of the old city and the construction of the community. I believe that it will continue to glow with new vitality and exert greater effects!
2. The humanistic history carried by Shijia Hutong
The origin of the name "Shijia Hutong" is said to be from the "Shijia Dahu" who lived in this hutong in the Ming Dynasty. It is also said that it is named after the Ming Dynasty minister Shi Kefa. Because there is no historical record, it becomes impossible to verify, and it can only become "said". But don't underestimate this 700-meter-long alley, which is home to an unknown number of dignitaries and celebrities. Among the countless hutongs in Beijing, Shijia Hutong is known as "one hutong, half China".
No. 51 Shijia Hutong, former residence of Zhang Shizhao. It is no longer open to the public. In 1960, Zhang Shizhao lived in this hospital; after his death, his daughters Zhang Hanzhi and Qiao Guanhua lived in this hospital. Speaking of Zhang Hanzhi here, her life can also be described as legendary, known as the last generation of famous women in China. In addition, Hong Huang, a media person who is jokingly called "a famous and leper woman" by many people, is the daughter of Zhang Hanzhi. She is also a maverick and controversial modern woman. If you are interested in learning more about their stories, you can also search from the Internet, I will not introduce them here. In 2011, the hospital was listed as a beijing municipal cultural relics protection unit.
Former residence of Zhang Shizhao, No. 51 Shijia Hutong
Restoration model of Zhang Shizhao's former residence
No. 53 Shijia Hutong, where Liao Mengxing and Hua Guofeng once lived; the word "Good Garden" on the door plaque was inscribed by Deng Yingchao. It is said that in the late Qing Dynasty, it was also the residence of Li Lianying, and later became the residence of Hong Jun, the "ancestor of Yuan history" (a diplomat in the late Qing Dynasty who made great achievements in the study of Yuan history).
No. 53 Shijia Hutong Good Garden
No. 55 Shijia Hutong is the residence of Prince He. Everyone may not know this prince, but his eighth descendant, Mr. Qi Gong, a famous calligrapher who is famous and famous, must have heard about it! He also lived here.
Courtyard No. 20 Shijia Hutong is the dormitory compound of Beijing Renyi. This building, which is densely entangled by climbing tigers and has a strong sense of age, once upon a time, we are familiar with the artists of the older generation such as Cao Yu, Lao She, Jiao Juyin, and Ouyang Shanzun, who are full of friends here and talk about literature and art, and are known as the "cradle of human art".
Shijia Hutong No. 20 Courtyard Renyi Dormitory Building
No. 59 Shijia Hutong, the famous Shijia Primary School, grew up in Beijing, can be said to be unknown to everyone; everyone knows. How many parents want their children to win at the starting point of the starting line. Let's go back in history, which was originally the school for the children of the Eight Banners nobles of the Qing Dynasty. In 1909, the Qing government used the Gengzi indemnity refunded by the United States to set up a "Preparatory School for Studying in the United States" in Shijia Hutong, which was the predecessor of Tsinghua Xuetang. Since this year, China has sent 100 international students to the United States every year, which is the origin of Gengqian's students studying in the United States. The selection examination was held here for three consecutive years until the establishment of Tsinghua Xuetang.
No. 59 Shijia Hutong Shijia Primary School
No. 47 Shijia Hutong/ Old No. 23, where Fu Zuoyi, Liu Wenhui and Rong Yiren lived.
No. 8 Shijia Hutong / Old No. 61, where Huang Jing, Yu Guangyuan and Wang Ziye once lived.
No. 8 Shijia Hutong, where Peng Meiji once lived.
No. 33 Shijia Hutong, where Wang Bingnan once lived.
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3. Reproduce old objects and relive old feelings
There is also a special exhibition hall in the Shijia Hutong Museum, and entering here instantly brings people into the "memory of the 50s and 60s". Especially for people over the age of 50 to 60, it carries too many of their eternal memories. Plywood wooden wardrobe, human sewing machine, semiconductor radio, old records, enamel cups, green army coats, bamboo sleeves of the pots............
Let's take a look at which one can evoke more distant memories for you.
What I remember most is this red pedal bike, like the one who ran crazy with me as a child - my favorite old friend! It's even the same color!
Volunteer work on this day is more like a visitor immersed in a museum for me. The staff did not ask us to do much work, but to patrol the museum, such as not wearing masks, damaging the facilities in the museum, and littering food or waste in the museum and other behaviors that damage the museum environment. However, the visitors to the museum, the quality is mostly very good, this day did not cost too much tongue, but let themselves increase a lot of knowledge, is also worth the trip.
If you're not done, take a stroll through this small museum and soak up its tranquility, quaintness and rich history.
On the way home, I also saw a dizzying sunset and sunset, which added a touch of joy to the day!
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