The famous Liulichang Cultural Street in Beijing is located outside Heping Gate in Beijing, with a total length of about 800 meters, starting from Liuxiang in the north-south direction in Xuanwu District in the west and reaching yanshou temple Street in Xuanwu District in the west. In fact, it is far from the Liao Dynasty in history. It's not in the city, but in the suburbs. At that time, it was called "Wanghai Village". Later, in the Yuan Dynasty, an official kiln was opened here to burn glazed tiles. Since the construction of the inner city in the Ming Dynasty, the scale of the official kiln has been expanded due to the construction of the palace, and Liulichang has become one of the five largest factories of the Imperial Ministry of Industry at that time. After Jiajing built the outer city in the 32nd year of Qing Dynasty, it became an urban area, so Liulichang was not suitable for burning kilns in the city, and moved to Liuliqu Village in Mentougou District, but the name of Liulichang was preserved and passed down to this day.
During the Shunzhi period in the early Qing Dynasty, Beijing implemented the policy of "Manchu and Han divided into cities". Liulichang is just to the west of the outer city, and most Han officials live nearby. Later, the guildhall all over the country was built nearby, and officials and examiners often gathered here to visit the book fair, so that the flourishing Qianmen, dengshikou and Chenghuang Temple book fairs in the Ming Dynasty gradually moved to Liulichang. Booksellers from all over the world also set up stalls, built houses and sold a large number of books here. The bustling market and convenient conditions have formed an "elegant place for tourism in Kyoto", which has gradually developed Liulichang into the largest book market in Beijing, forming a cultural street with a rich collection of humanities, and calligraphy and painting related to culture have also developed.
In the early Qing Dynasty, a normal school was built on the site of the former Liulichang, which is the predecessor of the present High School Attached to Normal University. Wanghaicun Park was built in the south of the original site, becoming the center of Liulichang market and one of the most lively places in Changdian. 1927, Heping Gate and Xinhua Street were completed. From then on, Liulichang Cultural Street was divided into East Liulichang and West Liulichang.
There are many famous old shops in Liulichang, such as Huaiyin Mountain House, Guyizhai, Ruichengzhai, Cuiwen Pavilion, Yidege and Li Fushou Bizhuang. And China Bookstore, the largest antique bookstore in China, and the original three bookstores in West Liulichang-Commercial Press, Zhonghua Bookstore and World Bookstore. The most famous old shop in Liulichang is Rong Baozhai. Some people say that Liulichang is famous for its famous cultural shops such as Rong Baozhai. This statement makes sense. Rong Baozhai's predecessor was "Songzhuzhai", and it was renamed as "Rong Baozhai" in Guangxu period, which means "being friends with literature, honor is precious". Lu Runxiang, a famous calligrapher, wrote the word "Rong Baozhai". Scholars in the late Qing Dynasty often gathered here, and during the Republic of China, Yu Youren, Zhang Daqian, Wu Changshuo, Qi Baishi and other painters of the older generation were also frequent visitors here. I don't know if you have seen the film founding ceremony and the photos of founding ceremony carefully. The ruler used by Mr Shen Junru, a famous bearded old man, was bought in Rong Baozhai.
Think of the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, Rong Baozhai, Daqian Gallery and other old Liulichang shops are vying to hang famous paintings and calligraphy in front of the window. Attracting people to stop and watch has become a landscape of Liulichang. At that time, it was also the most famous painting in Rong Baozhai. Rong Baozhai is most famous for its woodcut watermarks and replicas. Rong Baozhai's woodcut watermarking technology integrates engraving, printing, cutting and other technologies, which makes the watermarking art more perfect and has been praised by Mr. Lu Xun.
After liberation, under the care of the Party and the government, some traditional crafts in Rong Baozhai even shine brilliantly. Rong Baozhai's printing reproduction technology has reached its peak, which is similar to the original, enough to confuse the real with the fake. Rong Baozhai's masterpieces "The Map of Wen Yuan" and "The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" have been exhibited in many countries, attracting the admiration of countless famous artists and enjoying a high reputation internationally. When Mr. Qi Baishi, a master of Chinese painting, was alive, he could hardly tell which one was his original and which one was copied.
Since the reform and opening up, with the support and advocacy of governments at all levels in Beijing and Xuanwu District, Liulichang has undergone many transformations and repairs, which has made this famous cultural old street glow with new youth. Today, Liulichang Cultural Street has become a place where books, calligraphy and painting, antiques and Four Treasures of the Study are widely gathered, and it has become a must for domestic and foreign tourists to patronize the old Beijing culture.