Photo Exhibition China : Beijing to Lhasa, from Evariste Huc (1813-1860) until now

Section 3 - Beijing municipality and Hebei province

Discover the evolution of these areas during history.

EXTRACT OF TEXT FROM THE DESCRIPTIVE PANEL :

With the passage of Evariste Huc

Beijing, a historical capital with the multiple names

We are at the beginning of the summer 1841, when Evariste Huc arrives in the capital where remains the emperor Daoguang (1782-1850) ("Splendour of the reason", in Chinese) of the Manchu dynasty of Qing (1644-1911). At that time, Beijing is an important commercial place, surrounded of high walls, where many merchants encumber the streets. Beijing was the capital of the empire of the Middle during several dynasties ; it is called Daxing under Jin (265-420), Yanjing under Liao (907-1125), Khanbaliq ("the city of Khan", in Mongolian) under the Mongolian dynasty Yuan (1271-1368), Beiping ("peace of North", in Chinese) then Beijing ("capital of North", in Chinese) at the end of the dynasty Ming (1368-1644). The name of "Pékin" was given by the missionaries French Jesuits to the XVII th century...

Thematic canvas : Beijing municipality and Hebei province Discover the old and comptemporaine history of this China areas.   Typical transport of the rural area : Today, only 1 Chinese out of 20 has a private motorized vehicle (152 million in 2006), including 13 million cars...   Beginning of the XXth century photographs (Missions Étrangères de Paris) : "The camel, whose robust and hardened temperament is put up with the most sterile mountains... In several regions of Tartarie, they trail the cars of the kings and the princes ; sometimes also one harnesses them with the reef tackles, but it can be only in the flat countries." Évariste HUC— Memories of a journey in Tartarie and Thibet.   Dancer of a folk procession : This coloured and musical demonstration is repeated regularly on the principal place of the town of Chifeng. The first steps of the Chinese folklore go up with the dynasty Qin (221-206 front. J.-C.), the first dynasty unified with the centralized capacity of China. During the dynasty Han (206 front. J.-C. - 220 apr. J.-C.), the principal traditional festivals were definitively established...   Detail of an astronomical instrument at the old observatory of Beijing (Beijing Guan xian tai) : Manufactured in 1442, this bronze instrument was used to determine the position of the stars. When an eclipse occurred, the members of the office of the observatory gathered and typed on drums to frighten the dragon which, according to them, was on the point of swallowing the moon or the sun. The Chinese culture includes many animals symbolic systems like the dragon (huangdi, in Chinese). It is symbol of good forecasts, fertility and vital energy...     And 19 other photographs accompagnied by captions...