Yangliuqing continues to lure visitors

Evocative streets, remarkably preserved buildings in ancient town evoke times gone by, Cao Yingying reports.

With its evocative atmosphere, hidden secrets, and remarkably well-preserved folk culture, Yangliuqing ancient town - located about 18 kilometers west of the center of Tianjin, the major coastal metropolis neighboring Beijing - continues to be alluring to travelers from both China and abroad.

The town boomed in ancient times, as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, one of the longest ancient canals in the world, ran through it.

Back in the day, Yangliuqing was a hive of commercial activity - a transportation and business hub, with its harbors busy with vessels and its streets crammed with shops and merchants.

After thousands of years, the bustling scenes have gone, yet the ancient town still has many stories to tell.

Arguably its major attraction is Shijiadayuan, or the Shi Family Residence, located on the town's West Street, standing by the canal. The family's ancestors, who made a fortune out of shipping, settled in Yangliuqing.

The complex was the residence of Shi Yuanshi, a noted local businessman during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). His wife was a niece of Zhang Zhidong, a key official in the late Qing Dynasty. The Shi family was ranked among the top eight clans in the town.

Comprising 18 yards and 278 rooms, with well-designed gardens and delicately crafted ornaments, the residence reflects the typical Qing Dynasty architectural style in northern China.

Shijiadayuan features the biggest theater within a private residence in northern China, which could seat 200 people to watch folk opera performances as daily entertainment. A century or more ago, Peking Opera masters Sun Juxian and Tan Xinpei staged performances at the legendary theater.

As time went on, the family's fortunes declined and they eventually moved out of the residence.

In 1987, the Tianjin government invested 5.6 million yuan ($809,000; 699,400 euros) in renovating the compound and it was renamed Tianjin Yangliuqing Museum in 1992.

Another well-preserved residence in the town is the An Family Residence. The An family also joined the ranks of the top clans in the town, after they raked in hefty profits as "spontaneous migrant traders".

In the late 19th century, Qing Dynasty military leader, General Zuo Zongtang, successfully led his troops in a campaign in what is now the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to defend the country's integrity.

Many merchants from Yangliuqing, including members of the An family, followed the troops and conducted business there. They subsequently became the largest commercial operators in Xinjiang.

Their business activities helped to promote Xinjiang's economic growth, trade between the two places, and regional cultural exchanges and integration.

In addition to its historic buildings, Yangliuqing is also abundant in intangible cultural heritage, such as handicrafts for kite making, paper cutting, woodcut paintings and brick carving.

The old people of Yangliuqing employed knives, scissors, painting brushes and engravings to record the town's stories and folk customs through their artwork.

As the Beijing-Hangzhou canal brought in new skills, ideas and the latest materials, the region's craftsmanship grew more mature and diverse, a richness that was passed on to future generations.

Those strolling down the streets of the town can't fail to be impressed by the rich brickwork with its delicately carved patterns, the bricks having widely been used by the leading families as building ornaments from the time of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Brick carving had a wide range of themes, including portraits, beautiful scenery, and scenes from the daily lives of people, vividly presented by artisans.

Another handicraft that has to be mentioned is the famous folk woodcut prints, called Yangliuqing New Year paintings, which were first made in the town during the mid-Ming Dynasty.

The locals used knives and paint brushes to inscribe their hopes on wood plates and hung them on walls and doors to seek blessings during the Lunar New Year.

The typical Yangliuqing New Year painting portrays a chubby child holding a big fish, representing an affluent new year.

As one of China's four major types of New Year paintings, Yangliuqing New Year Painting is flourishing thanks to government support and market demand and sales of Yangliuqing New Year paintings keep increasing every year.

A total of 700 people in more than 50 related workshops and 60 shops in Yangliuqing town owe their livelihoods to the creation and sales of the wood paintings.

In 2006, Yangliuqing New Year Painting was selected as one of China's first national intangible cultural heritage items, ranking top in the category of fine art.

In recent years, the craft has developed into an industry with increasing influence, with objects displayed in Japan, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Thailand and Singapore.

To enable more people to learn about the folk art, the Yangliuqing New Year Painting Museum was built in 2008, which showcases many masterpieces and recounts their history, as well as telling people how the traditional paintings are created.

Contact the writer at caoyingying@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 10/19/2018 page31)