Old photos in the late Qing dynasty: Yuanmingyuan planted crops, and the children cried in their mother's arms?

An old man in a shabby cotton-padded jacket. What was the state of Qing society during the Xuan Tong period, when the little emperor Puyi was sitting in a dragon chair and his father Zai Feng was the regent? Today, let's take a look at a group of old photos left by American photographer C.E.Lemunyon, which show the real social life in Beijing. These works were shot in the second year of Xuantong (19 10), just before the demise of the Qing Dynasty. ?

In the southwest corner of the inner city, there is a camel caravan passing by. The watchtower of Beijing city wall is a towering military building, which plays a watchful role. We can feel this momentum from the photos. But by the end of the Qing Dynasty, the tile on the corner roof had completely fallen off and was in ruins, and the court could no longer allocate silver to repair it. ?

Crops are planted on the site of Yuanmingyuan. Since 1860, Yuanmingyuan was looted by the British and French allied forces, and it has never been restored. Although it has become a ruin, it is still a royal forbidden area, and general ministers and people are not allowed to enter. 1896, Li Hongzhang suddenly became curious and visited the Yuanmingyuan. As a result, it was exposed by colleagues and denounced by Emperor Guangxu. Breaking into Yuanmingyuan without authorization is not in line with the system? Be fined for one year. Strangely, crops were planted near the ruins. I want to know who did it. ?

Ferry on the moat outside Chaoyangmen (inner city wall). Beijing moat not only plays a defensive role, but also is an important channel for water transportation. After the completion of the railway, the water transport gradually stopped, and the government also relaxed the management and dredging of the moat. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Swede Xi Long Ren described the moat in his eyes like this: You can often see a square gondola as a ferry, with four bamboo poles supporting the canopy and being supported by bamboo poles along the muddy canal.

Women washing clothes on the moat dam of the inner south wall. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the river in the moat had become dirty and there was too much sediment to wash clothes. Ok, there is a small dam here, which can filter out the sediment in the running water.