Yang Yun, a five-grade official in the late Qing Dynasty, was a luxurious concubine in the palace.

A five-grade official did not exist in the imperial capital of the Qing Dynasty. However, due to the intervention of foreign photographers, he and his courtyard were able to leave precious images that have been passed down to this day.

187 1 year, British photographer john thompson went to Beijing to shoot. He interacted with officials at all levels with excellent communication skills, including Yang Yun.

Yang Yun and Thomson are in their own house.

Yang Yun, a native of Lingshi, Shanxi, has a well-off family. He paid for an official title and served as a doctor in the Wu Xuan Department of the Ministry of War and the Armory Department. He has a mansion in Beijing and lives a luxurious life.

As Yang Yun has a keen interest in photography and western musical instruments, when he came into contact with Thomson, they talked about everything and became good friends. He invited Thomson to his house to be a guest and shoot.

Townsend was shocked by Yang's mansion. He said, "I must admit that during my visit to China, there was no more ancient, exquisite and intoxicating scenery than the second small yard I saw from this yard."

A corner of Yangjia Guest Hall photographed by Thomson.

He described the garden he saw like this: "(I) entered a fairyland-like garden." There is a miniature lotus pond with a marble bridge in the garden. On one side stands a small marble pagoda, surrounded by vines and fruit trees, and on the other side there is a rockery with various flowers and plants growing among the rocks. "

There are "many women and children" in Yang Yun's family, that is to say, he has groups of wives and children. Thomson was also in contact with Yang Yun's wife and concubines, and was even allowed to enter their residence. One of the rooms has a big bed, and the bedstead is made of nanmu, which is exquisitely carved. There are lacquered wooden pillows and embroidered silk beds on the bed. "

Thomson shot Yang Yun (sitting) with his wife and children.

In this elegant and noble yard, Yang Yun is conducting his scientific experiment. He built a steam pump in the yard where his wife and concubine lived, and successfully started the steam engine, but failed to stop it in time, so that the pumped water flooded the whole yard.

He also installed a sawmill, planer and steam engine in the backyard. Yang Yun was surprised by the performance of the sawmill, and completed an amazing amount of work in one day, so that Yang Yun saw everything that could be sawed at home.

The noise of machines in his house often alarms his neighbors, causing them to climb the wall to watch the fun. What's even more funny is that their chickens died one after another because they were frightened.

One of Yang Yun's wives and concubines was abducted by Thomson.

It is no accident that Thomson recorded Yang Yun. Although his official position was not high, he was one of the few people with the most modern scientific spirit at that time.

1880, Yang Yun left Beijing for his hometown and hired dozens of camels to carry his western machines, including gaslights, stick figure, mills, hand-cranked generators, cameras, binoculars, bicycles, oriental cars, trumpet-shaped phonographs, music boxes, bells, steel spring beds, easy chairs and so on.

Yang Yun's deeds are rarely recorded in China's historical records, but as a disseminator of spreading western science and technology in Qing Dynasty, we should not forget him.