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    16 views4 pages

    T4 The Attractions of The Capital

    Uploaded by

    Nugusayo
    :)

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    Al THE ATTRACTIONS OF THE CAPITAL The two Song pial, Kaifeng and Hangchow, were not merely administrative centers; they were also flourishing commercial ties. Both were located at centers of communication—Kaifeng at the juncture ofthe Yellow River and the Bian Canal, Hangzhou midway between the Yaige’ and the seacoast, atthe other end (of the canal. In these two cites, with their concentration of people and wealth, a distinctly urban style of life evolved. Numerous amenities, including a great oa. riety in food, entertainment, and luzury goods, were available fo city resident The division of labor reached a very high levl, eth mary workers engaged i igh ecilied enterpris Below isa description ofthe city of Hangzhou written in 1235. At that time the city encompassed seven to eight square miles. MARKETS During the morning hours, merkets extend from Teanguiliy Gate of the palace all the way ro the north and south sides of the New Boulevard, Here wwe find pearl, jade, talismans, exotic plants and fruits, seasonal catches from these, wild game-— al the rarities of che world seem to be gathered here. The food and commodity markers at the Heavenly-View Gate, River Market Place, Cen tral Square, Ba Creek, che end of Superior Lane, Tent Place, and Universal Peace Bridge ace all crowded and ful of taf Inche evening, withthe exception of the square in front of che palace, che markets are as busy as during the day. The most attractive one is at Cen trol Square, where all sors of exquisite afacts, les and activites (Irs impovsbl for me to give Temple and the Noble Ladies’ Quareers were lo ‘ated at Central Square, opposite the preset in penal dye and bleach works. Once, after performing the state sacrifice, Emperor Xinovong fr. 1162-1189] stopped to see the lantern ds plays. We save the rows of imperial attendants in front ofthe curtain ofthe emperor's carriage, and the piles of cath thae they spent to buy food. They also gave our cash and gits liberally ro che on- Tookets, some of whom were fortunate enough ¢o sgetreal gold or silver pieces ‘Whenever there isan imperial procession or & iious parade, the carcages form spectacular, 1g wall the tip of one touching that of another ‘On thelocin front ofthe wall ofthe city build ing, there are always various toting troupes pee forming, and this usually attracts a large crowd ‘The same kind of activity i seen in almost any vacant lor, including tase at che meat marker of the Great Common, the herb marker at Charcoal Bridge the book marke arthe Orange Grove, the vegetable market on the eas side of the city, and the rice marker on the north sige. There are many moe interesting markets, such as che candy ‘erat the Five Buildings, bot Leannor name them all I (COMMERCIAL ESTABLISMENTS Various busineses are designated by the word “company,” which ia taxation category imposed by the government and is used forall businesses dealing in commodities, regardless oftheir size. Even physicians and fortunetllers are included, (Other teades sometimes also borrow the word company’ for thet own use, such as liquor com pany_and food company. Some businesses are Called “gatherings” such as a flower gathering fruit gathering, drid-fish gathering... Artisans sometimes call their businesses “workshops, such az comb workshop, belt workshop, gol: ‘and-silver plating workshop. There are some usi- nesscs that use unusual names for example, shops Gealing in the “seven treasures” (gold, silver, pearl amber, et.) may cal ehemselves curio com: The Atatonf the Capital 179 panies, whereas a bathhouse may be designated & fragrancwater company. In general, che capital atracts the greatest v2 rieey of goods and has the best eaftsmen, For in- stance, the lower company at Superior Lane docs 4 truly excellent job of lower arrangement, and its caps hairpins, and collars are unsurpassed in craftsmanship. Some of che most famous special: ties ofthe capita ae che sweet-bean soup atthe Miscellaneous Marke, te pickled dates ofthe Ge family, the thick soup of the Guang family at Sv perior Lan, the fruit at che Great Commons mar ketplace, the cooked meats in front of Eternal Mercy Temple, Sister Song's fis broth at Penny Pond Gare, the juicy lings at Flowing Gold Gate, the “lamb rice” of the Zhi family at Cenceal Square, the boots of the Peng family, the fine clothing of the Xuan family st Southern Com: ‘mons, the sticky rice pastey ofthe Zhang family, the flutes made by Gu the Fourth, and the Qiu familys Tatar whistles ac the Great Commons WINE SHOPS Among the variovs kinds of wine shops che ta and-fod shops sell not only wine, but also var ‘ou foods o go with it. However, to get seasonal delicacies noe avaiable in chese shops, one should 0 10 the inns, for they also have a menu from Which one can eke selections. The pastry-anc: ‘wine shops sell pastries with duckling and goose Flings, various Exings of pig tripe intestines and blood, fish fst and spawns but they are eather ex pensive. The mansion-stle inns are either deco aed in the same way as officals’ mansions or are scully remodeled from such mansions. The {garden-style inns are often located inthe suburbs, though some are also situeted in town. Theie dec ‘oration is usually sn imitation of a stadio-garden combination. Among other kinds of wine shops fate the straight ones thac do na sll food. There fre also che small retail wine shops which sell house wine as well as wine from other sores. In stead ofthe comimon emblem—a painted branch- ing ewig used by all other winchouses they have 1801 The Song and Yoon Dynatic Santo fs td cna avsngs To godin ing in suc a plc i called “hing he cup Ineanng that person drinks only one cup #8 therfore othe mon espenableplace anda un (or polite company ‘Te "usuriane nae have posites siding indhem, andthe wine chambers ar equipped with beds. At the gate of sch a inn, on cop ofthe red gardenia ane, there i amay a cover made of Bamboo leaves Rain or shin this cover aivaye present serving as adem Inher nthe Einhonly keep the pss company Ifa gust has Other ithe, he has co go tothe gis pace “The emblems of wine shops area branching sig painted red crimson coring with faces oF red'and gold tones, ands gardenia lancer. Tes id that this convention stared with he vst of Emperor Guo (ofthe Five Dynasties} 0 the Pat Jou winehouse in Bing “The wine chambers af wsualy mame. I the building has several store, they ay be din sited bythe term "mountain *Thus here may inountain et. These "mouneine” are Bure heights indiesting the capacity for wine. Fr his reason, when You goto ane shop, can rom fing spt you only intend co over a ew rinks and vo stay fora shor time. you donot onder roo many drinks, you can sit downs a ‘hearen designated a bles facing te door end the seer" Aer you ae sated he waiter wl bring you a fewsampledclcais He wil hen ask you what ou would keto have and inva quantiy. Ont nerds wl he ring you your onde. Teepe ‘who ae unfamiliar with this custom often star Caring these samples aod tnake themes he laughingstock of the day The expenses incurred on visiting an inn can vary widely. Ifyou order food, but no drinks, is called “having the lowly soup-and-staf” and is quic inexpensive. f your order of wine and food {alls within the range of 100-5000 cash, it icalled a small order. However, if you ask for female company, then itis most likely tha the gel wil ‘order the most expensive delicacies. You are well advised ro appear shrewd and experienced, so as ‘not to be robbed. One tric, for instance, in or. dering wines isto give a lange order, of say, ton bottles, but open them one by one In theend, you will probably have used only five or six botles of the best. You can then return the rest. [RESTAURANTS Most restaurants here are operated by people from the old capita, like the lamb sice shops ‘which also serve wine. There isan art to ordering clishes: if you wish to fill yourself quickly, then you should first order the heavy items (such as beam soup ib-and-rce, sticky-rice ete} and then the light ones (Such as fied gizzards, tripe, and kidneys); if you prefer to enjoy the good taste of the foods before you fill yourself, chen order the light dishes fist and the heavy ones ast. The so-called southern seve is @ misnomer. “These restaurants were orginally established in the old capital to serve southerners who were not used eo the nosthern diet. Now thar they ae inthe South, the term southern style Becomes mislead- Jing. At any sate, noodles and seafood are the spe-

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