“Take your house down, rebuilt it elsewhere…. or sell it to the government”. In 1648 Han Chinese residents of Beijing received an ultimatum. The capital had been occupied by the Manchus and the new foreign rulers decided to segregate the city and implement an almost apartheid like system. people in the Manchu army and Chinese civilians were not supposed to freely mix anymore. This was the beginning of a segregation policy that lasted for 264 years, right untill the last emperor abdicated in 1912.
Foreign visitors to Beijing were fascinated about the segregated city. The British envoy Lord Macartney described in 1793 how the capital really came across as occupied territory. All Hutong alley ways had gates that closed for the night when a citywide curfew was imposed.
The Illustrated London News reported how Beijing felt like a city of pensioners because the majority of the population were Manchu soldiers payed by the government and despite their soldiering duties allegedly used more time on hobbies like opera singing and bird keeping. Chinese and Manchu culture was significantly different. A good example of this is how women were treated. The national geographic reporter Eliza Scidmore reported in 1899 how Manchu women walked freely in the streets beaming with pride something that was unthinkable for a Chinese woman not least because of the Chinese tradition of footbinding.
We have allied us with the Qing dynasty historian Jeremiah Jenne in creating a talk about Beijing’s Manchu legacy.
Where to meet: Beijing Postcards Gallery, No. 97 Yangmeizhu Byway Dashilar (杨梅竹斜街97号)
Cost: 180RMB per person (incl. cocktail, beer & soft drinks); 80RMB for Zoom talk