Reading a book is like entering a city. Beijing is the birthplace of "Beijing-style literature", which interprets the culture of Beijing and subtly shapes the cultural soul of the city. Let’s explore the sea of books and discover the profound cultural heritage of Beijing.
Teahouse
Teahouse is a play written by the modern writer Lao She in 1956. It was first published in the inaugural issue of the magazine "Harvest" edited by Ba Jin, in July 1957, and later published as a separate book by the China Theatre Press in June 1958. The play is structured in three acts and is set against the backdrop of the rise and fall of a large teahouse called Yutai in old Beijing. It showcases the social customs and life changes of people from all walks of life in Beijing from the end of the Qing Dynasty to the warlord period and after the victory of the Second Sino-Japanese War, spanning nearly 50 years.
Each act represents a different era and features characters from different classes in Beijing who frequently visit this teahouse. The play presents a magnificent historical picture, vividly illustrating the inevitable decline of old China and the birth of new China.
Bell Tower and Drum Tower
Drum Tower and Bell Tower is the first novel written by contemporary author Liu Xinwu, first published in November 1985.
Through the narration of a family living below the Drum Tower and Bell Tower in Beijing on December 12, 1982, the novel reveals the changes in life and the inner world of people during a specific historical period, reflecting a rich social and historical context.
With keen intellectual perception, a deep historical consciousness, and sharp and expressive language, the author depicts a "specific cultural landscape of Beijing citizen society in the early 1980s." The book won the second Mao Dun Literature Prize.
Family Portrait
The novel Family Portrait is a touching and thought-provoking story of the fifty-year love, hate, joy, and sorrow of the Wang Mantang family and their neighbors, who live in a Beijing courtyard, as written by the famous female writer Ye Guangqin.
With her delicate and exquisite writing style, the author portrays a group of vivid and distinctive characters, such as the ancient architecture captain Wang Mantang, who values honesty and takes "as calm as water, as straight as a line" as his life principle, the dedicated Da Niu, who devotes herself to taking care of her children and grandchildren, the diligent Aunt Liu, who is always ready to help others but never forgets the concept of "enemy situation", and the optimistic Doctor Zhou, who faces life's difficulties with equanimity, as well as young people like Zhu Zi, Pao Zi, Men Dun, and Zhui Er.
The novel unfolds the story against the backdrop of social change and deepens the themes of patriotism, love of family, love of life, and love of humanity. Its plot is full of twists and turns, and its language is witty and humorous. Throughout the book, it reveals the positive attitude and broad-mindedness of Beijing people towards life and the world, presenting us with a colorful picture of urban life and customs.
Beijing Dialect
The author Liu Yida is a true Beijing native, born and raised in the city. He has always wanted to give a comprehensive account of the Beijing dialect, and has therefore collected materials on it for more than forty years. This book is the result of his long-term efforts.
In the form of essays, the book discusses the origin, development, characteristics, and applications of the Beijing dialect. Of particular note is the author's adherence to the idea put forward by Lao She that "the Beijing dialect is alive", and his attention to some of the "new Beijing dialect" that has emerged.
