Chinanews client, Beijing, September 26 (Reporter Song Yusheng) "I grew up watching Beijing."

　　Two years after resigning as the dean of the Palace Museum, Shan Jixiang seemed to have left the role of "net celebrity dean", and he began to tell people about the past of the ancient capital of Beijing.

　　On September 26, Shan Jixiang gave a lecture entitled "Keeping the Roots and Souls of Urban Culture" at the 8th Beijing Confucian Temple and Guozijian Guoxue Cultural Festival.

As an "old Beijing", he has witnessed the changes in Beijing's style and appearance in decades.

Shan Jixiang.

Photo courtesy of the event party

　　"In 1954, when I was three months old, my parents took me to Beijing without asking for my opinion. When I was a child, I left few photos, but at first glance, my father took me with me. World Heritage Sites, Beijing’s Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven..."

　　Although not born in Beijing, Shan Jixiang's experience is mostly related to the city of Beijing.

　　"In 1974, when I was a worker, I remember the sights I saw every time I entered the city, it was the construction of air-raid shelters."

　　"I later worked in the Planning Division of the Dongcheng District Construction Committee. In 1988, Beijing's urban construction was basically within the Third Ring Road, and in 1992 it was on the Fourth Ring Road, and later on to the Fifth Ring Road."

Data map: In 2014, the Tongzi River "washing mud" project in the Forbidden City was the first dredging of the Tongzi River since 1998.

Photo by Han Haidan issued by China News Agency

　　"I remember that from 1994 to 1997 when I was in the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage, I saw a terrible sight: At that time, in the narrow strip between the inner side of the Tongzi River of the Forbidden City and the walls of the Forbidden City, more than 400 households and 21 enterprises were squeezed into. Public institutions are very inconvenient to travel; what’s more serious is that there are actually 465 sewage pipes that extend to the Tongzi River, and a large amount of sewage is directly discharged into Hanoi every day.” Shan Jixiang said that today’s young people may hardly imagine many years ago The sight.

　　For this reason, during his tenure at the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics, Shan Jixiang once organized the "Love Beijing City, Donate Wall Bricks" activity, which was unexpected.

Data map: Shan Jixiang.

Photo courtesy of Beijing Normal University

　　"We didn't expect that Beijing citizens were very enthusiastic and took out the bricks they used to build the small kitchen. Two pieces of nearly 50 kilograms were carried behind the bicycles. Some came from Tongzhou, and there were old people who followed their children and grandchildren to send bricks. It was very ceremonial. Throughout the winter, the construction site was steaming hot. Hundreds of thousands of city wall bricks were donated by the people. This is actually an education for all activities, which shows that we Beijing people love the city of Beijing."

　　"Later I went to work for the Beijing Municipal Planning Commission. At that time, we were worried that large-scale buildings and large-scale buildings would invade the central axis and the cultural landscape of the Palace Museum. After requesting instructions, Beijing moved the possible projects of large-scale buildings to the fourth. Outside the loop."

　　Shan Jixiang said that at the same time, “everyone has desperately drawn thick construction control zones around the central axis of Beijing, the Forbidden City, and the Temple of Heaven. It is precisely because of this barrier that it is possible to declare the central axis as a World Heritage Site today.”

　　Before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Beijing underwent large-scale renovations, including the renovation of the Forbidden City, the renovation of the Temple of Heaven, and the renovation of Jingshan...

Data map: In 2020, vehicles pass by Beijing Gulou.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Hou Yu

　　"In 2012, I came to work in the Palace Museum." Shan Jixiang said frankly that he did not expect to visit the largest courtyard house in Beijing before retirement, and this door is really not beautiful.

"I was here for 7 years and 3 months. At that time, I wanted to return the Forbidden City to society and the people."

　　"The Forbidden City celebrated its 600th birthday on December 8th last year. We were especially proud that day. We feel that our generation has achieved the goal of'handing over a magnificent Forbidden City to the next 600 years'."

Data map: On January 28, 2019, a child played in the Forbidden City.

On the eve of the Spring Festival of Jihai, the Beijing Palace Museum "Chinese Time-honored National Palace Museum New Year Exhibition" opened.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Du Yang

　　In March this year, the newly revised "Regulations on the Protection of Beijing's Famous Historical and Cultural Cities" came into effect, and the overall protection of Beijing's old city has become a top priority.

　　But for more than 70 years, Beijing’s old city has long been integrated into people’s lives.

How to protect such a city with many cultural relics and people's living space is appropriate?

　　"Why do we protect historical and cultural cities, why do so many repairs?" Shan Jixiang felt that the ultimate goal is to make people live a better life.

　　"The protection of cultural relics is different from the protection of historical and cultural cities. Ancient ruins and tombs are all useless. We are now protecting a large number of living things."

　　At the same time, Shan Jixiang also emphasized that in addition to protecting the ancient history, “today we also need to pay attention to protecting the modern and contemporary memories of the city”.

　　"Because the historical chain cannot be broken in historical and cultural cities. The more superimposed, the more fully the historical and cultural cities have a taste. For example, the Beijing Exhibition Hall built in 1954 and the Beijing Telegraph Building built in 1958..."

Data map: Citizens take their children for a walk on Yangmeizhu Xiejie near Qianmen in Beijing.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Hou Yu

　　At the end of the lecture, Shan Jixiang showed a group of photos of Beijing today.

In the picture, people are engaged in various cultural activities in courtyards and historic sites.

　　"This is the historical and cultural city that we protect, and it will eventually become a livable city that people love." He said.

(over)