(East-West Question) Huang Xin: Prince City, how did Chinese imperial culture collide with Olympic culture 820 years ago?
China News Agency, Shijiazhuang, January 20th: Prince City, how did Chinese royal culture collide with Olympic culture 820 years ago?
——Interview with Huang Xin, Vice President of Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
China News Agency reporter Niu Lin Li Xiaowei
The occasion of history, the invitation of 820.
The two cities, Zhangjiakou and Beijing, continue the close connection between China's Jin Dynasty Palace and the capital.
At that time, Jin Zhangzong might not have imagined that a grand event of global ice and snow sports would be held at the palace of his "Babo" (Old Khitan custom).
As a "living specimen" of Chinese royal culture 820 years ago, the ruins of Prince City, located in the core area of the Winter Olympics in Zhangjiakou Competition Area, were destroyed by war in history, but are now revived by the "Holy Fire".
Huang Xin, deputy director of the Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, recently accepted an exclusive interview with "East-West Question", explaining how the Chinese royal culture and the Olympic culture infiltrated and collided with each other.
The following is a summary of the interview transcript:
China News Service reporter: Why is the Prince City ruins located in the Zhangjiakou competition area of the Beijing Winter Olympics a "living specimen" of Chinese royal culture 820 years ago?
Huang Xin:
The site of Prince City is not very large, about 417.53 meters long from north to south, 343.05 meters wide from east to west, and about 143,200 square meters.
There are two west walls, with a distance of about 64.15 meters, and a moat on the periphery.
Its important building sites are distributed along the axis: the southernmost is the South Gate and the Wengcheng, followed by the Taihe Hall (that is, the No. 9 base site) and the No. 59 Courtyard, which together form the Qianchao District; Behind the No. 1 courtyard is the No. 1, 2 and 3 courtyards, that is, the back sleeping area.
There is an east-west road dividing line between the front and the back.
The excavation confirmed that the ruins of Prince City was the royal palace in the middle and late Jin Dynasty, and it was basically confirmed to be the Taihe Palace of Xia Nabo of Emperor Zhangzong of Jin Dynasty.
Aerial photo of the ruins of Prince City after snow.
Photo by Yang Dongwu issued by China News Agency
First of all, why 820?
After research, Prince City (called Taihe Palace in Jin Dynasty) existed for about 20 years from its establishment to its abandonment, and the age of the city site was from 1190 to 1210 AD.
During this period, Jin Zhangzong came twice in 1202 and 1205.
From 1202 when Jin Zhangzong first arrived in Prince City, to 2022, when Beijing and Zhangjiakou will hold the 24th Winter Olympics, it happens to be 820 years.
Secondly, in terms of the relics of the royal palace in the middle and late Jin Dynasty, the layout of the Prince City ruins is the front court and the back bed, which is the royal layout, and is very similar to Jinzhongdu.
The palace area of Prince City Ruins.
Photo courtesy of the Archaeological Team of the Prince City Site
In terms of relics, a large number of "Shangshiju" bowls and plates were unearthed at the site, as well as Ru kiln celadon glazed porcelain, Shanxi Huairen kiln porcelain and some tiledang, as well as a large number of building components, all of which have the characteristics of the times and the significance of dating.
In particular, a total of 22 "Shangshiju" style bowls and plates were unearthed from the Taizicheng site, which is the site with the most "Shangshiju" style porcelain unearthed except for the Dingyao kiln site.
Shangshi Bureau is the name of the institution responsible for the emperor's meals since the Northern Dynasty. The bottom of the custom-made bowls and plates of Dingyao are engraved with the three characters "Shangshi Bureau" for the exclusive use of the royal family.
More than 90% of the printed "Shangshiju" bowls and plates are in the middle and late Jin Dynasty.
A large number of such bowls and plates were unearthed here, and it can be concluded that this is a royal site in the middle and late Jin Dynasty.
A large number of blue bricks with the words "Nei", "Gong" and "Official" stamped with the words "Nei", "Gong" and "Official" and building components of "Xiunei Division" were also excavated at the Prince City site.
In addition, two bronze sitting dragons were also unearthed, and the cultural relics have a clear direction.
"Palace" brick.
Photo courtesy of the Archaeological Team of the Prince City Site
Copper sitting dragon.
Photo courtesy of the Archaeological Team of the Prince City Site
In the Jin Dynasty, there was only one palace in the city of Prince Edward, which was its uniqueness.
The Ruins of Prince City is the second most important city site after the capital of the Jin Dynasty. It fills the gap of the royal architecture of the Jin Dynasty, and provides important information for the study of the royal architectural hierarchy, the site selection and construction of the palace, the palace utensils and the bowl system in the Jin Dynasty. first-hand information.
China News Service reporter: The 24th Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing and Zhangjiakou. Beijing and Zhangjiakou have continued the close relationship between the capital of the Jin Dynasty and the palace. What do you think of this historical occasion or coincidence?
Huang Xin:
This proves the profoundness and continuity of Chinese excellent traditional culture. We call it "the meeting of history, the invitation of 820 years".
The reason why the Jin Dynasty chose the palace to be located in Prince City, the environmental factor is the first.
It is very suitable for summer escape. The microclimate is rainy and snowy. The average temperature in summer is 18°C to 20°C, which is particularly cool. It can rain three or four times a day, and there is a lot of snow in winter.
Some snow sports of the Beijing Winter Olympics are held in Chongli, which has natural conditions.
On the other hand, Prince City is located in the heart of the Dragon-shaped Mountains, surrounded by mountains with an altitude of 2,000 meters, which is equivalent to a natural barrier, and the emperor is very safe here.
In terms of water system, there are three waters in the northeast, southeast and north of the Taizicheng site, which merge into the Taizicheng River on the west side of the site, which is the source of the Beijing water system.
That is to say, the place where the emperor temporarily lived in summer was the most upstream of the entire Beijing water system, which to a certain extent also revealed the concept of site selection at that time.
The South Gate and Wengcheng of Prince City Ruins.
Photo courtesy of the Archaeological Team of the Prince City Site
From the traffic point of view, it is not far from Jinzhongdu (now Beijing), and the straight-line distance is only 140 kilometers.
In 2015, Zhangjiakou Winter Olympic Village (Winter Paralympic Village) was selected at this time, and people did not know that it was the royal palace of the Jin Dynasty.
The ruins of Prince City have proved to the world that in the long history, Chinese civilization has never been interrupted, and the excellent culture and traditions have been born and passed on to this day.
China News Service reporter: In the case of conflict with the original plan, what efforts have the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee and the Hebei Provincial Government made to preserve the Prince City ruins?
Huang Xin:
In 1978, when archaeologists conducted archaeological investigations, they discovered that this was the site of a city. At that time, it was speculated that it might be a small city in the Liao Dynasty or the Jin Dynasty.
The policy of China's cultural relics work, protection is the first.
On May 28, 2017, we started to work on the site. We originally planned to vacate the site before the end of September and hand it over to the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee.
In September 2017, the nature of the city site of the Prince City Ruins was confirmed.
The plan of the archaeological excavation at the Taizicheng site.
Photo courtesy of the Archaeological Team of the Prince City Site
From October 10th to 24th, 2017, there are 3 days to decide the fate of the Prince City ruins.
Under the arrangement of the Hebei Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics, I reported to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Hebei Provincial Government, and the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee in these three days.
After listening to the report, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China immediately informed the Hebei Provincial Government and suggested that the entire city site be preserved.
At that time, the planning for the Beijing Winter Olympics had been basically determined. The site of the Prince City was originally planned to be Zhangjiakou Winter Olympic Village (Winter Paralympic Village), Prince City Ice and Snow Town, and traffic green space. Construction was planned to start in October.
Hebei responded quickly.
Six days later, the Hebei provincial government proposed that the city site must be protected as a whole.
On October 24, 2017, I reported to the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, and the experts present finally decided to readjust the plan.
Finally, the planning was greatly adjusted. The Winter Olympic Village (Winter Paralympic Village) in Zhangjiakou Competition Area was moved 200 meters eastward, and the Ice and Snow Town of Prince City was reduced by 40,000 square meters. The ruins of the city and the surrounding historical environment can be protected as a whole.
Aerial photography of the Winter Olympic Village in the Zhangjiakou Division of the Beijing Winter Olympics (taken in October 2021).
Photo by Wang Zirui issued by China News Agency
Making way for an archaeological site is extremely rare in the history of the Winter Olympics.
The overall preservation of the Prince City ruins shows China's respect and awe for cultural heritage, and it is also a manifestation of the Humanities Olympics.
The Beijing Winter Olympics will become a new global model for the combination of venue construction and cultural relics protection in Olympic history.
China News Agency reporter: As the only archaeological site park in China that displays the ruins of the Jin Dynasty Palace, what core content will Prince City focus on?
Huang Xin:
First, focus on the central axis.
All city sites, the most important is the central axis.
From 2017 to 2020, the most important archaeological excavations at the Taizicheng site were carried out around the central axis.
The central axis of the Taizicheng site is 158 degrees north-east, which points to the area between Jinzhongdu (now Beijing) and Jinling (that is, the imperial tomb of the Jin Dynasty, now Dafangshan, Fangshan District, Beijing).
This is an "axis of the king", reflecting that the Xing Palace (Prince City Ruins) is a satellite city of the capital (Beijing City).
It fully expresses the blood relationship and ancestral worship characteristics of the nomadic regime of the Jin Dynasty, and is a typical embodiment of the ancestral system.
At the same time, the institutional embodiment of creating a French style is also based on this axis.
Another display is the West Courtyard.
There are two west walls in the site of Prince City. There is a protruding courtyard between the west inner wall and the west outer wall. We call it the west courtyard.
Under normal circumstances, the city site is square, and there is a protruding piece here, which must be a special place.
As a result, once excavated, a large number of bowls and plates of the "Shangshi Bureau" were unearthed in the west courtyard. It is inferred that this is the location of the "Shangshi Bureau".
The west courtyard of Prince City Ruins.
Photo courtesy of the Archaeological Team of the Prince City Site
"Shangshiju" white glazed bowl.
Photo courtesy of the Archaeological Team of the Prince City Site
China News Service reporter: As the "Chinese cultural card" in the core area of the Winter Olympics, why are the themes of the Taizicheng Archaeological Site Park "Four Seasons Bowl" and "Winter Olympic Peace and Peace"? How to collide and blend with the Olympic culture?
Huang Xin:
In line with the concept of combining site culture, historical culture and Olympic culture, "Four Seasons Bowl" and "Winter Olympic Peace" have become two prominent themes in the design language of the Taizicheng Archaeological Site Park.
As the only indoor display in the archaeological site park, the west courtyard with the most relics is planned to build an overall coverage protection facility of 4,600 square meters.
The eastern half of the exhibition hall is the site display of the site, and the western half will display the cultural relics unearthed from the site, including the related cultural relics and literature introduction of the Jin Dynasty bowl.
"溺bo" is a Khitan language, which means to make tents and camps.
The old custom of Khitan is to follow the water and grass, chase the cold and heat, and go to and fro nomadic fishing and hunting.
The three dynasties of Liao, Jin and Yuan were all ethnic minorities. After they entered the Central Plains, they all had the habit of throwing bowls.
When the emperor went out hunting, the court officials accompanied him, and all government affairs were handled in the process of drinking the bowl.
In the Liao Dynasty, it was called "Four Seasons Bowl", also known as "Four Seasons Bowl"; in Jin Dynasty, it was called "Spring Water and Autumn Mountain"; in Yuan Dynasty, it was called "Two Capitals Patrol".
Unlike the Liao and Yuan dynasties, which have clear records on the bowl, there are very few documents related to the bowl in the Jin Dynasty.
Archaeological excavations at the Taizicheng site have filled the relevant gaps.
The theme of "Winter Olympics Taihe" highlights the fusion of the site culture and the Winter Olympics elements: the exterior wall of the exhibition hall in the West Courtyard uses the palace wall color found in the site—red, but not the ancient dark red, but the contemporary true red , namely "China Red"; in addition, in the five Olympic rings, red represents vitality.
A hexagonal pattern is designed on the top of the red wall. This style of the ancient Chinese palace pane is a royal symbol and a snowflake shape, creating an oriental charm of "snow falling on the palace wall".
On January 12, in Chongli District, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, the exhibition hall of the west courtyard of the Taizicheng Archaeological Site Park after the snow.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Jia Tianyong
The Chinese nation has had an indissoluble bond with ice and snow since ancient times. Using ice and snow, viewing it, and playing with it, ice and snow have gradually been integrated into the Chinese spiritual value system.
In ancient China, especially the royal family, there were many ice and snow sports that were close to today's Olympic events.
There are clear records of this in the Qing Dynasty, such as the "Ice Playing Picture" painted by court painters in the Qing Dynasty, depicting figure skating and acrobatics on ice.
The Liao Dynasty began to smash the bowl at four o'clock, but there is no relevant literature record in the Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties.
In September 2021, at the 2021 China International Trade in Services Fair in Beijing, a participant watched the "Ice Playing Figure" displayed in combination with digital technology at the booth of the Palace Museum.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Hou Yu
Historically, the Taihe Palace was destroyed by war, as evidenced by documents, site fire remains, and sintered copper and iron components.
Today, it is prospered by the Olympic flame: the Prince City ruins have injected the royal cultural heritage of 820 years ago into the Beijing Winter Olympics, and showed the world the profoundness and long history of Chinese civilization.
The Olympic culture will also be enriched, diverse, open and inclusive due to the integration of the Chinese royal culture.
(Finish)
Interviewee Profile:
Huang Xin, Librarian of Cultural and Museology Research, Postdoctoral Researcher in Archaeology, Vice President of Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
Participated in or presided over the archaeological excavations of Dingyao kiln site, Jingxing kiln site, Chongli Prince City site, etc. Among them, the excavation of Dingyao kiln site as the executive team leader won the "Top Ten New Archaeological Discoveries in China in 2009", and the team leader hosted the prince. The excavation of the city site has won the "Six New Archaeological Discoveries in China in 2018" and "Top Ten New Archaeological Discoveries in China in 2018".
His main research directions are ceramic archaeology, Song and Yuan archaeology, and he has published more than 50 academic papers. He is currently a member of the Archaeological Professional Committee of the Song, Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties of the Chinese Archaeological Society, a member of the Archaeological Professional Committee of the Chinese Archaeological Society, and a member of the Religious Archaeology Professional Committee of the Chinese Archaeological Society. , Director of China Liaojin and Khitan Jurchen History Research Association, Director of Jingdezhen Oriental Ancient Ceramics Research Association, Director of Hebei Ancient Ceramics Society, and part-time master tutor of Fudan University.