Old photos of Shanxi in the late Qing Dynasty: Is this really the birthplace of Shanxi merchants, Taiyuan city a hundred years ago?

Shanxi may farmhouse music and sheep, 1909. The photographer of this group of photos is an American Chamberlain. 1909 or so, he made a long-distance investigation in the Qing Dynasty, and passed by Shanxi in May of that year, leaving us with a group of precious hundred-year-old photos.

1909 May, a plain in the mountainous area of western Shanxi was photographed by Zhang Bolin on the train.

1909 May, Taiyuan Street View. The significance of Shanxi in the Qing Dynasty is extraordinary, that is, the famous and powerful Shanxi merchants. In the process of Nurhachi and Fu Lin entering the Central Plains, Shanxi merchants provided them with a lot of loans and materials, which played an irreplaceable role. Later, the Qing court purchased the palace needs through Shanxi merchants, which formed? Eight imperial merchants? . In the late Qing Dynasty, Shanxi merchants had declined.

1909 May, Taiyuan street, visible? Update the money shop? Exchange? Wait for the signal. This scene shows the situation of Taiyuan's banking industry in the early 20th century. Among the businesses run by Shanxi merchants, the most famous is the draft number, which is a decisive force in the financial circles of the Qing Dynasty, with both strong strength and good reputation.

1909 May, Taiyuan Twin Towers. The two pagodas were built in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, formerly known as Wenxuan Pagoda, and the temple at the foot of the two pagodas is called Shuangta Temple. The Petronas Towers are 50 meters apart in the north-south direction. The North Tower is all made of plain bricks, with an octagonal base and stained glass. This is a rare brick carving work in Ming Dynasty. There are stone steps in the tower to the top of the tower overlooking Taiyuan.

1May, 909, farmland in Taiyuan City. Can you see what crops are planted in the field?

1May, 909, the West Gate Tower in Taiyuan suffered from drought. There are two west gates in Taiyuan city. The one in the north is shown in the picture. It's called. Fuchengmen is commonly known as? Han Ximen? . In fact, the Simon in the drought is not dry, but is rich in aquatic plants. Yinma River in the south and Heilongtan in the north. The so-called dry west gate is only lower than the water west gate.